Around the world, Alpha — which bills itself as a program to introduce people to the Christian faith — is offered in more than 24,000 Catholic and Protestant churches.

St. John Catholic Church in Defiance is offering the Christian-based program Alpha, which teaches the basics of Christianity, beginning Feb. 3. Members of the team include, from left: Tim Weber ...

He and others on his team plan to share that faith during the Catholic Church’s latest Alpha session, a free 12-week program that begins at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Training conferences for churches interested in presenting the Alpha program will be held for the first time in Oklahoma in August.

The course is structured on the model of the Alpha program, which caught on in the 1970s at Anglican churches in England. Alpha is a favorite of evangelicals and has been presented in some 25,000 ...