BUSINESS ALPHA EDINBURGH recently completed its third run in the Roxburghe Hotel, Charlotte Square. A very good time was had by all.

We shall be back in the Roxburghe running the fourth course in the autumn, beginning with a taster lunchtime on, easy date to remember, Thursday 11 September. Antonia Swinson, the business journalist, author and novelist, will address the subject: "Christianity: Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant?" If you have never heard her speak, you can be sure that she will give a stimulating, true, highly relevant and above all thoroughly enjoyable answer to that question. She is informative, vivacious, witty, provocative and above all not at all "churchy"! So you can definitely tell everyone you know about September 11 and bring friends to that opening lunch! (A Report on this talk is now available. Click here.)

We shall greatly miss having Peter Neilson giving several of the talks. He has now moved on to a national post in the Church of Scotland. However, hard as it is to run the course without him, we have nonetheless secured the services for Talk 2: Why did Jesus die? of no less a person than Sandy Millar of Holy Trinity Brompton, the church which has developed the successful Alpha course and exported it all over the world. Sandy hails from Elgin so he has given a priority in his busy life to this invitation from Business Alpha Edinburgh.

Other speakers are expected to include Colin Stewart of Citibank, Fiona L Smith of Standard Life, Helen Ashworth of Baillie Gifford and the very popular Brent Haywood of Biggart Baillie.

Alpha is a famous and fascinating 12 week course, now running in lots of countries round the world. Nearly 5 million people have attended one, usually of an evening. But for busy people a condensed lunchtime version can be "just the ticket".

Alpha is a relaxed way for people to get together over some food and chat about the meaning of life, looking in a fresh way at the Christian faith.