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Andrea McDanald has a Bible in one hand and a notepad in the other.
But the 48-year-old Spotsylvania County resident isn't headed to a theology class at Mary Washington College.
She isn't in Sunday school or a worship service, either.
No, the Tabernacle United Methodist Church member takes them to the weekly Alpha course at her church on Old Plank Road in Spotsylvania.
"I learn things I missed in Bible study while growing up," she said.
Tabernacle is among the local churches offering the Alpha course--a new form of ministry that explores the Christian faith in a relaxed, nonthreatening setting over a 10-week period.
"It's like having friends over for dinner and talking about life and asking questions like, 'Why are we here,'" said the Rev. Cash Beveridge, the assistant pastor at Grace Church of Fredericksburg.
Grace Church has conducted Alpha courses in the past two years and is co-sponsoring the upcoming Alpha Virginia Conference.
Hundreds of church leaders representing more than 30 denominations will attend the state conference Monday and Tuesday at the First Baptist Church in Richmond.
Alpha has support of well-known Christians such as megachurch founder Bill Hybels, professor and author Tony Campolo, Prison Fellowship Ministries founder Charles Colson and pollster George Gallup.
At the Alpha conference, pastors learn how to conduct the course in their own churches, homes, on military installations and in prisons.
Members of Grace Church, on Heatherstone Drive in Spotsylvania, are growing accustomed to Alpha. They invite co-workers, neighbors and friends to the outreach program.
Each session starts with a light meal followed by a talk or video on a subject central to the Christian faith, such as "Who is Jesus?" or "How can I be sure of my faith?"
Participants then discuss what they think about the talk or videos in a small-group setting. Sometimes they use their Bibles and study booklets as guides to the course. Each session lasts two hours.
McDanald, who has been attending Tabernacle since 1991, said taking the course has helped her get a deeper understanding of her faith.
She said a recent session gave her new insight into the power of prayer, and how God answers prayers but not necessarily right away. She also learned the importance of an ongoing faithful relationship with God.
Beveridge said increasing understanding is the course's purpose.
"The goal is for them to get to know God and have a relationship with Christ," he said.
He said Alpha is for those who attend church and those without one. And like most classes, participation counts.
"It's not like church or Bible study where you listen to the sermon," Beveridge said. Participants "are allowed to voice their opinions."
Nicky Gumbel started the Alpha course in the 1980s at Holy Trinity Brompton Church, Anglican church in London.
An attorney by profession, Gumbel was an atheist who was inspired by Christian friends to discover the Bible and in the process became a believer.
By the 1990s, the alternative ministry spread to the United States.
The course is based on Gumbel's book "Questions of Life." Alpha is not affiliated with a specific denomination or a specific version of the Bible, said Anne Kincaid, network chairwoman for the conference in Richmond.
More than 4 million people worldwide have taken the course, Kincaid said.
There is no charge for the Alpha course, but participants may be asked to make a donation toward food and the cost of the weekend away, she said.
The Alpha Virginia Conference will be held on Monday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the First Baptist Church, 2709 Monument Ave., Richmond.
To register for the conference, contact the Alpha Conference Office at 866/872-5742 or online at alphausa.org.