Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1999)
[he Battalion Religion Page 5 • Tuesday, August 31, 1999 ^ghway Highway ourtesyof lusic, Inc. Breaking Away [Thousands of students gather on Tuesday nights to meet Jesus J Y can best bej isic should m 'liatric Tenne more like Stoiy by Stephanie Dube • Photos Courtesy of Breakaway Ministries ?d and stickti 3rse died, my ife left me lot age somehel; "Father 1 Km the mg on Bingi them in ma onight, the heart of Texas A&M will be overflowing with praises to Jesus Christ. k r B'h° usan ds of students will meet in s P lav Judder Auditorium to seek God at one of ‘ ''Peractivdke ia r g es t college Bible studies in the na- 01 ion. The Breakaway Bible study attracts Meats ranging from Catholics to Protes ts, from those who have a close walk th God to those who just have a lot of juesdons. All have one goal — to learn ¥re about Jesus Christ. .Gregg Matte, Class of ’92 and director f Breakaway Ministries, speaks at Break- n]y tea: May every Tltesday. ■Students can show up in caps and i never have!?B rts ’” Matte said. “A girls’ soccer team Sd to come after practice with their shin- lards still on and mud on their knees. We ■ly want anyone to feel comfortable lining.” Breakaway began 10 years ago in Mat e’s apartment. Back then, the Bible study ■not even have a name. But over time, ■nds invited friends, and the study out- r s, libraries and churches. bs King leads worship at Breakaway 5very Tuesday night. His band plays popu- ■jpraise-and-worship songs. Matte said the ministry can help stu dents focus on what is important in life. “All throughout college, students are continually bombarded with syllabuses, but most students don’t take the time to ask what is the syllabus of life,” he said. “Breakaway gives students the opportuni ty to discover that Jesus is the true un shakable foundation to build their life upon.” Today, Breakaway includes a band fea turing singers, a guitarist, percussionist and keyboardist. The band leads worship for the study’s first 30 minutes, and Mat te speaks for the second half. “The music and message relate direct ly to student life,” said Texas A&M head baseball coach Mark Johnson, who gave a 10-minute testimony at Breakaway two years ago. “The audience is an active, alive group responding to God’s message. It’s really fun to watch.” Staci King, Class of ’95 and a singer in the Breakaway band, said the band tries to use the worship time to help students focus on Jesus. “Nothing you can invest your life in will bring you more hope than investing your life in Christ,” she said. “Nothing else I put my trust in can fulfill me.” Breakaway will host a ministry fair tonight. At least 40 different churches and Christian student organizations will set up tables outside the auditorium to answer questions and help students find min istries to plug into, Matte said. “I think it’s exciting to have Breakaway on campus, especially with inviting other Christian organizations to participate,” Dr. Steve McDaniel, a member of Breakaway’s Board of Directors and a marketing pro fessor at A&M said. “Breakaway is not in competition with other organizations but is meant to complement them and facili tate what others are doing.” For the first three weeks of this semes ter, Breakaway will be held in Rudder Au ditorium at 7 and 9 p.m. This on-campus location will give new students and those who normally do not attend a- chance to see what Breakaway is all about. King said. Beginning Sept. 21, Breakaway will return to its home at Central Baptist Church, which donates its facilities to the nondenominational ministry. Breakaway Ministries includes more than the Tuesday night Bible study. Tapes of Matte’s talks and CDs of the worship are sold throughout the United States and in 10 foreign countries. Almost 90 student volunteers help run the ministry. Cliff Dugosh, assistant director in the Memorial Student Center and Class of ’86, said Breakaway’s popularity makes it one of the newest A&M traditions. “Students know Break away is on Tuesday nights, 4m; so they even schedule V things around it,” he said. “1 lived in San Antonio for the last nine years and came to A&M on Tuesday night seven or eight times just to go to Breakaway. It’s affecting a good number of people on a consistent basis.” Michael O’Toole, a senior marketing major who volun teers for Breakaway, said God used the ministry to change his life. “Breakaway is where I first met God face-to-face,” he said. “I went to church my whole life, but once I came to A&M, I quit going. “My walk with God was never consistent, but when I went to Breakaway, it woke a sleeping college student up. I began to grow in Jesus Christ.” Ali Still, a sophomore health and kinesiology major, said she meets God at Breakaway. “Every week, 1 know God’s going to say something I totally need to hear,” she said. Matte said the ministry is based on 1 Corinthians 2:4-5: “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persua sive words, but with a demonstration of the Texas A&M students worship God through Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not songs during the first half of Breakaway, rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s pow er.” Matte said this verse shows the true fo cus of Breakaway. “Breakaway is not about a certain de nomination or a club. It is about a rela tionship with Jesus Christ,” he said. The Breakaway band encourages students to have the freedom to worship however they want, from standing with their hands raised to singing in their seats. st.1974 - Keeping you in touch for 25 years. tsrwireless.com TSR Wireless TM 1.800.795. [Receive a $30 Mail-In Rebate ion any Sprint PCS Phone™ OR (a $100 Mail-In Rebate on [an/ two Sprint PCS Phones™* “ C'ririVr#' «««r kjFmJrM MM3 C . Sprint PCS r 36 months erve may M W'lf;* 3530) orany Q»>;: >000 internet v CompuServe »■, ie internet Setvit ; ir CompuServerw Serve $300 mi 6 ™ i details Compir-*"' interactive Semn Nokia 51 70 or Samsung 2000 *99." each That's Two for the Price of One!! (After $100 rebate) PLUS!! $25 Instant Rebate with the purchase of any Sprint PCS Phone 7 Exclusively from TSR Wireless! Comparing Textbook Prices to Find Your Best Deal