But with the extra stress of Christmas and its emphasis on gifts and having fun, this happened less often. There have been crises like this all through the history of Christianity and this in a way takes us back to the struggles of the first Christians. Now we should be talking about what religion means in ordinary life. One way the church is trying to put the message over is through Alpha courses, informal meetings of non church-goers which began in 1993 at Holy Trinity in Brompton, central London. Since then it has expanded to 7,000 courses in the UK and 14,500 worldwide.
Courses consist of a meal followed by a talk, coffee and discussion groups.
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