JUMP Drama recently traveled to the Pittsburgh district to perform different skits revolving around the theme of Love. Katy Roxby, the president of JUMP Drama, set up several trips to visit youth groups at different Nazarene churches including Butler, Warren, and Albion.
JUMP Drama is a ministry that has been on campus for several years that uses different theatre games and skits to spread the Word of God and to highlight different themes. The skits selected vary, mainly highlighting original pieces that the team writes themselves, or pieces that past members had written previously. Also, the team will sometimes perform skits that impacted individual members when they were in different acting troupes or while they were in a youth group.
On member, junior Toan Nguyen, says, “I’ve never experienced anything quite like JUMP before, and it’s given me a place to express myself. I may not make it into a play every year or even try out for every play, but I can always be in JUMP. For me, I did church theatre as a kid, and once middle school and high school arrived I found fewer opportunities to perform for God. Being a part of JUMP as a college student has been a relief knowing I can participate in Christian Theatre once again.”
JUMP has traveled in the past to places like Brockton and New Jersey and its members hope to travel on more tours in the future. Unlike choir tours, JUMP had the chance to travel as a family since the group is smaller. The team was also able to focus on the ministry and working directly with the youth groups they’ve visited.
“As college students, we all have had the benefit of being youth. We remember how hard it was academically and spiritually, but we also can say that we made it through,” Nguyen testifies. “This helps us to connect with the youth who may be facing similar problems and show them not only that God loves them, but also to be the example that God has more in store for them.”