Peoples Church leads service initiative program throughout Central Valley

Early in the morning, while most teenagers were still sleeping and enjoying spring break, the students at the Peoples Church Breakaway camp were already up and ready for the day. Before the clock had even reached seven in the morning, the teens were already staggering out of their tents, or “tabins”, and on their way to breakfast.

Breakaway is a five day camp which is focused on bringing high school and junior high students closer to Christ while also getting them involved in helping their community. The event gives teens the unique opportunity to build lifelong friendships while also building their faith in God. Two chapel services a day as well as working long hours at serve sites kept the campers busy this year.

Amanda Grimmius, ‘19, has attended Breakaway before, but enjoyed this year’s camp the best.

“I liked Breakaway a lot. It was really fun and I enjoyed the whole experience,” Grimmius said. “They (each year) have all been really good, but I think this year they just totally outdid themselves. It was so much better than I could have ever imagined.”

After eating breakfast and having a quick chapel, the students headed to various serve sites across the city. Students served at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, West Gate apartment complex, a local food bank, houses around the community and many other sites.

Working at these serve sites give many of the teens rare opportunities to help out their community in a purposeful way while also spreading the Gospel message. Through moments such as these, they are able to make a difference in their community.

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Serving the community made a significant impact in the lives of many who attended. Emma Martin, ‘20, believes that serving the community makes teens appreciate what they have.

“I went to a few elementary schools and a few apartment complexes,” Martin said. “They were really fun. I think what stood out to me was that a lot of them had less privileges than I did. To me, it made me realize how lucky I really am to be where I am and to live where I do and go to school where I do.”

Later, after coming back from their serve sites, Breakaway campers ate dinner before heading to another chapel. These chapels primarily consisted of singing worship songs, and was the highlight of the day for many students.

Martin describes the night chapels as life changing for herself and many of her friends.

“My favorite part (of Breakaway) was probably going to chapel at night time,” Martin said. “The pastor was really good. He said a lot of things that I think really changed a lot of people’s lives forever. There was a lot of bonding with everyone else as we came together worshiping Christ.”

A fun tradition of the Breakaway campers is they get to stay overnight in the “tabins”, which are large tents that are set up in front of the Peoples Church lawn. Spending the nights in the “tabins” allows students to feel as if they are camping even though they are staying inside the city limits.

Joshua Oakley, ’18, enjoyed making new friends and meeting new people while at Breakaway.

“I thought that Breakaway was very fun this year because there were a lot more people, so you got to meet new people which is always very fun,” Oakley said. “We also got to serve in the community which is important to us because we are all a part of it. The worship was also incredible this year, even more than the past years.”

Breakaway gives students chances to serve their community while also being witnesses for Christ. For more information on Breakaway or how you can become involved in future events visit their website.

For more features, read FC alumnus Tim Swift strives for excellence, seeks wisdom.

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