A movement that has reached thousands of students with its message of hope and faith, Breakaway began again this week at Texas A&M.
The lights of Kyle Field flooded campus last night as students piled into the stadium to experience worship and Bible study at the first Breakaway session of the semester. Breakaway announced this semester’s projects and events aimed at building up the local communities and those abroad.
Breakaway, widely known for “The Shalom Project,” an annual program that works to bring peace to places of unrest in the world, announced a mini “Shalom Project” that will raise funds and send people to meet the needs of those impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Executive director and speaker at Breakaway, Timothy Ateek, explained the heart and vision behind Breakaway’s presence on campus and in the community.
“Our core hope for Breakaway is that it is a place where any and every Aggie can gather to either take their first step or their next step with Jesus Christ,” Ateek said. “So in response to Harvey, we’re going to invite all Aggies to lean in together, become a massive force for good and embody God’s love for people.”
Senior mechanical engineer major David Henney said that Breakaway was a good reminder of what a spiritual life should look like.
Also among Breakaway’s upcoming events for this fall semester, the Go Missions Conference, hosted by Breakaway and local churches, will be coming to Texas A&M in October. The hope behind sponsoring a missions event on campus, said Breakaway director of ministry development Brent Monogue, is to inspire and encourage students to seek out opportunities to serve through missions, locally and internationally.
“What we really want to show to students through the Go Missions Conference is that living a missional life doesn’t mean you have to go overseas, you can have a missional lifestyle in your class, on the bus,” Monogue said. “I think that can ignite in students a love for people that then spreads throughout the whole world.”
By focusing on who students are, what they grew up with and what is relevant to them, Monogue said, Breakaway will not only communicate more effectively, but also get even more students connected to places where they will grow.
“We would love to see people feeling more connected to their church than they did at the start of the semester,” Monogue said. “If there’s anything we can do that would increase the student’s’ love for the local church, that would be a win for us.”
Business and finance senior, Hannah Childs first experienced Breakaway before coming to college and said she saw something greater than herself that she could be a part of. Looking back on the last four years, Childs explained the enormous impact made on her college career through attending Breakaway and getting connected with encouraging people.
“Breakaway was the deciding factor of why I came to A&M,” Childs said. “It gave me expectations and vision of what community at college could really look like. It added interest and curiosity back into studying the Word of God and the real community I found there added joy and life back into my life.”
Ultimately, Timothy Ateek said, the purpose and the vision behind Breakaway is that students have a safe place in college where they feel encouraged and challenged, alongside thousands of their fellow Aggies.
“You are starting one of the most important seasons of your life and my hope is that you process through the toughest questions in life, like, ‘Why do you exist? What is the purpose of your life?’” Ateek said. “We believe that it is all found in Jesus Christ. But in the end, Breakaway is a safe and welcoming place where you can explore, without pressure, the greatest questions in life.”