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Meet the Alpha New England Team
Pastor Matt Beattie
Director of Growth
mattbeattie@alphausa.org
Matt is a pastor & spiritual director from Southern New Hampshire & has served in pastoral ministry for 20 years in New England. But as a native-New Englander, Matt resonates with the skepticism that many bring to organized religion and faith. Between having run many Alpha sessions over the last decade and serving on the Alpha New England team, Matt has seen the positive impact that Alpha has on people who are curious about faith. Matt spent a decade as an Executive Pastor before he took a role in a diverse congregation in downtown Nashua NH, blending missional & contemplative practices. He serves the Alpha team as the Director of Growth, supporting the team with an eye on effective strategies across the ministry. Matt and his wife Michelle and their two daughters live in Southern, NH.
Diahne has served the Alpha New England team since 2018. She brings this experience plus over 20 years of work in parish ministry and leadership and her current work with pastors and their teams as a global leadership coach with Divine Renovation Ministry, (since 2021), together to support Catholic parishes in running Alpha.
Passionate about equipping individuals and parishes to encounter Jesus and joyfully share the fruits of that with others – to live out the Great Commission given by Jesus Christ to “go and make disciples” – Diahne has found the shared vision and goals of the two ministries aligned to serve both well. "I actually was first exposed to Alpha through my parish's connection with Divine Renovation in 2016 and immediately recognized Alpha is a powerful and essential tool for evangelization and church renewal."
Lisa Oelerich
Lisa has served on staff at Alpha New England for over 18 years. She enjoys building and equipping teams to ignite new outreach initiatives specifically in Alpha city movements across Boston and Greater Boston. She provides information, training and support to those wishing to unite to launch Alpha. She was first introduced to Alpha when she attended the course as a guest in 2001 at Grace Chapel after having had a long series of negative experiences with “religious people” and is passionate about creating safe places for others to explore questions about life and faith. She feels especially called to reach those who seem disenfranchised by religion, overlooked or on the fringes of society. She has spoken locally, nationally and globally about her experiences. Lisa and her husband David live in the beautiful state of New Hampshire.
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Bobbie is excited about the work that Alpha does in creating welcoming spaces for authentic conversations about faith and life, as her faith was reignited in just such an environment (L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland.) A certified spiritual director and experienced facilitator of retreats and small groups, she also works parttime teaching, facilitating spiritual direction training and leading retreats at the PAX Center for Spiritual Formation.
She knows New England well, with her adult life having been roughly split between Boston and rural Vermont. In Vermont, she served alongside her pastor-husband at a small church for 15 years. There, she helped lead worship services, designed and ran various programs, and helped lead Alpha several times as part of their outreach and discipleship efforts.
She currently lives in the metro-Boston area with her husband. In her free time, she enjoys all manner of outdoor activities, music making, and time with friends and her three adult children.
Steven currently serves as Director of Family Engagement at MQOA parish in Salem, MA. and has led Alpha there for several years. He is an innovative, faith filled leader, serving us part-time as our Marketing & Communications Director. Steven is also a helpful resource for questions around running Alpha in a Catholic context.
Meet Our Volunteer Coaches
Greta Ernst
Greta Ernst shares her free time with Alpha New England as a NH regional Coach. She offers local understanding and expertise for churches in NH.
A member of Christ the King Catholic Church in Concord, NH, Greta has been involved in parish ministry for 15 years and has been involved with ALPHA for 6 of those years. She has witnessed lives being changed and her parish being renewed and is excited to help others experience the same. In this world people need a safe space where they can gather to discuss their greatest hopes, fears and challenges. Greta firmly believes that ALPHA creates this space through personal invitations, the small group environment and a reliance on the Holy Spirit.
Rick Plourde
Rick Plourde has been involved with Alpha for a number of years. He also serves as a board member at Alpha New England. He enjoys seeing people that are searching come to faith and realize how much God the Father loves them through Jesus. He loves talking about Alpha and what it can do to the local churches culture. How it strengthens the relationships within the local church for all denominations and fulfill Jesus’ commandment, 34-35 “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” John 13:34-35.
He loves talking with and coaching area churches that are interested in starting Alpha.
Kristen Larson
Kristen Larson is excited to assist you in your interest in bringing Alpha to any place of incarceration, shelter or rehabilitation. I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington but after coming out to Massachusetts to finish college at Gordon, on the North Shore, I still make my home here with my husband and 3 boys. My first opportunity to hold bible studies in jail came when we lived in Colorado, and strangely enough it felt like coming home. These places hold a special place in my heart as they are a place ripe for breakthrough so beautifully promised throughout the Bible.
Ludwig Heil
Ludwig Heil is a distinguished senior executive with over four decades of expertise in High-Technology, Mobile, Telecommunications, and IT industries. Known for his focus on business transformation, Ludwig has played a pivotal role in driving innovation and strategic growth throughout his career. As a respected leader in these dynamic sectors, his guidance and expertise have helped global companies such as Nokia, Polycom, and Oracle navigate complex transformations, helping them stay competitive in fast-paced markets. Beyond the corporate world, Ludwig has channeled his leadership skills into faith-based community transformation. His commitment to parish renewal led him to successfully implement the Divine Renovation framework as Chair of the Parish Pastoral Council at New Hampshire’s largest Catholic parish. He was also instrumental in planning and executing the 2017 Catholic Alpha Conference at his home parish, where he brought Fr. James Mallon as the keynote speaker. Following his retirement from the business sector, Ludwig. has rededicated his focus to parish transformation and evangelization. As an Alpha Coach in the Catholic Context for Alpha New England, he continues to guide and support faith communities across theCape Cod area, helping to inspire, renew, and strengthen their spiritual mission.
Frankie Chan
Since 2020, I've served in the Cantonese Alpha Course ministry, starting as a small group leader and later organizing the entire course. We've run ten Cantonese sessions, with the eleventh in progress. I've witnessed many participants grow from anxious and doubtful to open, accepting Christ, getting baptized, and serving in ministry. Now, not only do we offer a Cantonese course, but we have also expanded to Mandarin and English, becoming a key outreach at our church. Alpha provides a warm space for sharing meals, exploring faith, and building genuine relationships with God.
If you're interested in hosting a Chinese Alpha at your church contact Frankie.
自2020年起，我參與廣東話 Alpha 課程事工，從組長到統籌，我們已舉辦十次課程，第十一次正在籌備中。過程中，見證了許多參加者從陌生、懷疑，到敞開心扉、決志信主，甚至投身服事。課程現已擴展至普通話和英語，成為教會重要的外展事工之一。Alpha 提供一個輕鬆溫馨的環境，讓人透過餐敘與交流認識福音，經歷生命改變，並與神建立緊密關係。若您有興趣在您的教會推動 Alpha 課程事工，歡迎與我聯絡