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'Breakout' Challenges Youth to Real Faith, Real Action
CHICAGO, IL (May 23, 2002) - A total of 185 junior high and middle school
students from 21 Central Conference Covenant churches attended Spring
Breakout at North Park University May 17-19 with pastor Bennie Simmons as
the keynote speaker.
Spring Breakout, a biennial event for those in sixth through eighth grades,
was sponsored by the conference's Commission on Education and Leadership.
The theme of the weekend (based on Micah 6:8) was "Keeping it Real: Real
Faith/Real Action." It included service options for the
students in a dozen Chicago settings on Saturday.
The Center for Student Missions in Chicago helped organize service sites
and Stan McDavid, youth director at Community Covenant Church in Calumet
Park, Illinois, served as site coordinator.
Service sites ranged from soup kitchens to homeless shelters, from
community cleanup to sorting shoes and software, and from transitional
housing preparation to grocery service for HIV-infected individuals. A
primary goal of Student Breakout was for students to explore the service
component of their faith, said Kirsten Nelson, director of leadership
development for the Central Conference.
Simmons, who is part of the Church of Gary Covenant Church in Gary,
Indiana, shared stories from his 18 years working as a regional director
for Youth For Christ and his work with the Gary-based Youth Family Renewal
Center. During three plenary sessions, Simmons challenged the
youth to develop a real faith, exercise real love and be assured of real
peace in their lives.
A worship band led by Covenant Point Bible Camp staff member Erik Strom was
complemented with special guests - the Stewart Family of Gary and Teens of
Praise of Oakdale Covenant Church in Chicago.
Spring Breakout Council members include Marc Eix of North Park Covenant
Church, Chicago, Illinois; Chris Ek of Hope Evangelical Covenant, Crystal
Lake, Illinois; Dave Ahrens of First Covenant, Rockford, Illinois; Joan
Fisher of Evangelical Covenant Church, South Bend, Indiana;
Rich Cudmore of Evangelical Covenant Church, Princeton, Illinois; Dave
Diller of Naperville Evangelical Covenant Church, Naperville, Illinois;
Jennifer Pope of North Park University and McDavid.
For more information on Central Conference youth events, call Nelson at
773-267-3060.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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