A life of hope through Alpha: From an early age, Thanda was trapped in a life of gang violence, going in and out of prison. During one prison sentence, he encountered Jesus through Alpha and discovered who he really is. “The manner in which the gospel was carried over to me through Alpha – it meant something to me. It was exciting. It was fresh. It was something to look forward to every week.” This revelation put his life on a new trajectory: A life of hope through Alpha.
Watch his story below. For more stories on lives transformed by the love of Jesus through Alpha, head to our YouTube page!
Living out faith in the workplace: Frustrated by not being able to pursue her career, Haagen struggled to cope with the demands of motherhood and marriage. In desperation, she turned to a dusty old Bible gifted to her by a friend. This led to a journey of discovering more about life, faith and meaning through Alpha… and ultimately taking Alpha with her back to the workplace.
“I felt God asking me to run Alpha in my workplace. I didn’t have a team or know who to invite but I submitted everything to prayer. God started to bring me people and I have since run Alpha in my workplace, seeing my friends come to faith!” – Haagen | Malaysia
Interested in living out faith in the workplace by running Alpha? We spend an average of forty hours a week with our colleagues, and you can only talk about your plans for the weekend and the weather for so long. Why not discuss things that really matter? Find out more.
For more inspiring stories of lives transformed by Jesus through Alpha, check out our YouTube page!
A safe space for questions about God: Deborah shares her Alpha story. “If this God of yours just wants me to go to church and is so insecure that He doesn’t want to be questioned, then I really want nothing to do with Him,” Debora told her mom. Growing up in a devoted Christian home, Debora seemingly knew all about God, but when she started asking questions about God she could not find a safe space to process them.
Until she made her way to Alpha at university. “I realised that I never had a relationship with Christ initially and that’s the thing that was missing the most. That’s the thing that made me feel so lonely and so empty.” Debora’s story is a beautiful testimony of how Alpha makes room for people who are curious about God.
For more stories about lives transformed by the love of Jesus through Alpha, go to our YouTube page!
A Practical Mentorship Book on Developing and Growing Leaders
In his book, Mentoring, Leadership Catalyst, Mentor and Regional Director for Alpha Africa, Kingston Ogango, provides practical guidelines for building and developing the next generation of leaders. The book illustrates specific lessons using the author’s personal stories to offer a realistic approach, not just a theoretical framework, to inspire readers to take on mentorship, which he describes as the highest responsibility of leadership.
A Few Words from the Author
Throughout my life, I have benefited from the efforts of many mentors, who have sacrificed their time and resources to shape my leadership journey. Mentoring often happens in an ad hoc manner. But today, we need an intentional, well-thought and structured process. Many African societies valued mentoring, with young people having to undergo certain rites of passage as a way of transitioning through various stages of life from childhood to adulthood.
Mentoring is a valuable tool in human resource development both in the corporate and business world. Organisations recognise that staff can grow into leadership roles if the requisite investment is made in developing their capacities and capabilities. Organisational loyalty is also enhanced when they undergo mentoring. Human resources determine the longevity of any institution or organisation within it. We also see in the Bible the many examples of deliberate mentoring relationships, which are covered in this book.
This book makes a case for mentoring and practical guidelines for building and developing the next generation of leaders. I have also illustrated specific lessons using my personal stories to paint a realistic approach, not just a theoretical framework. My writing has also been inspired by the writings of others who have gone before me besides drawing from ordinary wisdom.
I invite you to explore with me the subject of mentoring through the lens of my words. Ultimately, you will find inspiration to either mentor someone or find grounding by being mentored.
At the same time, you will hopefully find some valuable lessons to inspire you to champion the mentoring conversation.
“This book is my small way of adding a voice to the leadership development construct of developing generations of leaders through an intentional pipeline.”
– Kingston Ogango from the Preface of MENTORING: A Practical Guide for Developing and Growing Leaders
Invaluable Principles Covered in the Book
About the Author of Mentoring
Kingston Ogango is passionate about mentorship and coaching. He is a leadership Catalyst, Author, Trainer, Minister, and Designer. He holds a Master’s in Organizational Leadership from International Leadership University (ILU).
This is the full conversation between Nicky Gumbel and Archbishop Thabo Makgoba. Listen as Nicky talks to Archbishop Thabo about his dream for South Africa, forgiveness in the midst of injustice and building a relationship with Nelson Mandela.
This is the full conversation between Nicky Gumbel and Archbishop Thabo Makgoba. Archbishop Thabo is the youngest person to ever be elected to the position of Archbishop, and it was not by accident. Makgoba overcame profound injustice and adversity to become the reconciling, loving and justice-seeking leader that the South African Church needs. In this interview, Nicky asks him questions about his upbringing facing apartheid, how he holds a forgiving disposition, his relationship with the late Nelson Mandela & more.
To start the conversation, Nicky has Archbishop Thabo rewind to his days as a youth, growing up in a dangerous region of South Africa. The Archbishop shares heartbreaking stories of the racial injustice, and gang violence he and his family had to endure. Despite the unfair suffering, the listener can’t help but pick up on the lack of bitterness and resentment in the Archbishop’s recollection. Makgoba stands today as an example of the healing work possible for those who forgive with the help of the Spirit. He quotes his mother, a great example to him in the area of forgiveness, “Jesus is bigger than your pain, and so the most important thing you can do before bed is either give your pain to God or resolve it with the person who has caused it.”
For the bulk of the interview, Nicky asks Makgoba to share about his unique relationship with the great Nelson Mandela in his final years. The Archbishop humbly shares about the relationship he was able to build with the anti-apartheid revolutionary. He describes the moments of prayer, the laughs they shared and what Mandela implicitly and explicitly taught him.
Archbishop Thabo is also an incredible example of someone who walks the walk of fighting against injustice, as he spends much of his time and energy advocating for the poorest of the poor in South Africa. In fact, his love for the poor even impacts the shoes he wears when he preaches. “During prayer and reflection from the pulpit, I wear my running shoes so that afterwards I can run to picket, and defend the poor” says the Archbishop. The Archbishop lives a life marked by Jesus’ words to have concern and compassion for the least of these.
We hope you enjoy this conversation with South Africa’s ever-impressive, ever-inspiring Archbishop Thabo Makgoba.
The Most Revd Dr Thabo Makgoba, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town was born in 1960 and grew up in Alexandra Township, Johannesburg. He holds a BSc, a BA(Honours) in Applied Psychology, and a MEd in Educational Psychology, all from the University of the Witwatersrand. He lectured at Wits University and was Dean of Knockando Residence at Wits College of Education (formerly Johannesburg College of Education – JCE), as well as Senior Lecturer. He is married to Lungi Manona and they have two children, Nyakallo and Paballo. He recently authored the book: Faith & Courage – Praying with Mandela.
Leave a Reply