On the picture, Karen and Jaïr Sagström, Alpha coordinators
This ‘Alpha Israel’ evening at the parish hall in Corsier, near Vevey, on 3 December 2025, came about almost by surprise. While visiting Jerusalem, David Bouillon, a professor at the Haute École de Théologie de Suisse Romande (College of Theology of French-speaking Switzerland), met a German pastor who told him that a couple responsible for Alpha courses in Europe and the Middle East would be coming to the German-Swiss border. The idea immediately sprang to mind: why not bring them to French-speaking Switzerland as well? The background to this was an intuition that what Alpha is doing in Israel could encourage our sometimes weary and declining churches by reminding them that God is at work on a global scale.
Alpha in Israel: Church growth in crisis
Karen Sagström presents her commitment to Alpha in Israel. She is accompanied by her husband Jaïr Sagström, himself coordinator of the Alpha course for Europe and the Middle East. Karen, who is German, has lived in Israel since her teenage years, studied at the Hebrew University and has worked for years among young people and Messianic Jewish communities. They describe a country of about 9 million people where society is young, complex, and now shaken by the events of 7 October 2023 and the war.
A distinctive feature of Israel is the presence of a large number of Jews from the former Soviet Union. Many discovered Alpha in Ukraine or Russia and brought it with them to Israel. Alpha groups were thus born in Russian-speaking communities, and then there was a strong demand to translate the material into Hebrew for the new generation, now fully Israeli. This dynamic led to the creation of Alpha Israel, with several objectives: to develop Alpha in different regions of the country, to train churches in missionary hospitality, and to produce quality audiovisual material in modern Hebrew.
As the testimonies unfold, we see a growing Church taking shape. A young leader in his thirties has already founded several communities; a house in Tel Aviv is filling up with people too traumatised to return home after 7 October; Alpha courses are being held in bomb shelters. Many of the participants are recent immigrants, open to the Gospel because they have experienced the concrete solidarity of Christian communities.
The spirit of Alpha: meals, proclamation, listening
Karen and Jaïr recall the simplicity of the ‘Alpha model’: a meal that creates a friendly atmosphere, clear teaching on the basics of faith (who is Jesus, why did he die, what is the meaning of life, who is the Holy Spirit…), then a time in small groups where everyone can express themselves freely. Questions, doubts and resistance are welcomed without judgement. It is often here, over the course of these meetings, that the Holy Spirit touches hearts.
In several European countries, we are now seeing an astonishing phenomenon: young people whose parents have never attended church are knocking on the doors of communities because they have heard about Jesus on social media. They come with their own questions, which are often very profound. Alpha appears to be a suitable space for this quest, with its atmosphere of listening and freedom.
A tool for reconciliation between Jews and Palestinians
A particularly strong aspect of the testimony concerns the dimension of reconciliation. At the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, a place dear to many Protestants, half of the team is made up of Palestinian Christians and half of Messianic Jewish Israelis. After 7 October, tensions and wounds were immense on both sides.
As there were no more tourists, the director suggested that the team follow an internal Alpha course. For many, it was a decisive experience: the transition from a mainly ‘traditional’ Christianity to a personal encounter with Jesus, Saviour and friend. A young woman from Bethlehem, from a practising family (her father is an Orthodox priest and her mother is Catholic), testified that she discovered she could talk to Jesus as a friend, confiding in him what she could not tell anyone else. Transformed, she then launched an Alpha course in Bethlehem.
A call for our churches too
The evening concluded with a prayer for Israel, for the churches of the Middle East, but also for the local community on the Vaud Riviera. The dream is not to add yet another activity, but to become a church that shines, that opens its doors and its hearts, that creates ‘tables’ where seekers can be welcomed. Investing in Alpha in Israel – through prayer, financial support, and outreach – means participating in a larger movement where men and women discover a living God who saves and brings people together.
The challenge is not only numerical growth, but the transformation of lives and reconciliation in a context marked by violence and fear. Where hatred divides, the Gospel remains good news. In Israel, as in Switzerland, Alpha becomes a concrete way to remember God’s love… in action.
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