HAMPDEN – The Community Church of the Open Door, 270 Main Road North, will offer the eight-week Alpha program, an internationally known course that is an introduction to Christianity, beginning this month.

The Alpha Test Drive: Session No. 1 will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25. It will include a social time, a sit-down dinner, a video presentation and a discussion group.

“We’ve run the Alpha course about five times in the last four years and it just keeps growing,” the Rev. Bruce K. Johnson, outreach pastor, said in a press release. “People love it. People from all backgrounds, faiths and walks of life really enjoy the freedom to explore, and the warm, friendly atmosphere.”

The Alpha course began at Holy Trinity Brompton Church in London in 1977 with about half a dozen participants. It has grown from five courses in 1992 to 34,000 worldwide in 2007.

The Alpha Test Drive is a chance to try out the course without an obligation to continue the program, Johnson said.

For more information, call Johnson at 862-4010 or e-mail him at opendooralpha@yahoo.com.