Lisa has served on staff at Alpha New England for over 18 years and is currently the Executive Director. She enjoys building and equipping teams to ignite new outreach initiatives and provides information, training and support to those wishing 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”.
She is passionate about creating safe places for others to explore questions about life and faith and 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.
Schedule a time to meet with Lisa via Zoom or phone.
Lisa Oelerich
Executive Director
lisaoelerich@alphausa.org
James Smith
Associate Director
jamessmith@alphausa.org
James joined the Alpha New England team in 2023 and serves as an associate director. Coming from a background in academia, James works to empower churches with the information and resources they need to do the work of ministry through Alpha programs.
James has a particular heart for young people who have felt ignored, pushed aside, or hurt by the church. Having taught religious studies and history courses at Gordon College in Wenham, MA and at St. Patrick’s College in Maynooth, Ireland, James brings a wealth of interdenominational and international experience to Alpha. James and his wife Caitlin live on the beautiful north shore of Boston with their two cats.
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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."
Schedule a time to meet with Diahne via Zoom or phone.
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.
Meet Our Amazing Volunteer Coaches
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 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.
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