260 students. 32 parent leaders. A cook team. A doctor. And the motivation to build a house with a team of 15 from the ground up in four days.

While the Piedmont Community Church (PCC) unifies 260 students on the Mexico trip yearly during spring break with the common goal of serving others, religion in students differs.

“I would say almost half the kids on the trip attend church regularly,” said Reverend and Pastor of Student Ministries Scott Kail.

Kail said PCC has been taking people to Mexico for the past 25 years, though the first 15 years it had only been PCC kids. He came to the church 10 years ago, when the group going to Mexico was between 30-50 kids, and made an effort to make it a better quality trip and enhance all aspects of it so it would be appealing to non-Christian kids as well.

Kail said PCC lets the kids know ahead of time that it is a church-run trip, so talks at campfire and other aspects of the trip will have a Christian spiritual nature, but religion is never forced upon anyone.

“It is just an opportunity for me to convey what we believe, and more importantly, how much God loves each and every one of the kids no matter what their faith is,” Kail said.

Kail said that he thinks spirituality is at the core of all our being. He said everyone in the world, no matter how they articulate it, is spiritual in one sense or another.

Senior Will Corvin said spirituality gives people a sense of belonging in the world, being a part of something bigger than themselves. He said it can help people realize what is important in life and help us treat one another better. In Mexico, Kail gives a sermon every night in Mexico where he talks about God and the way that Christianity plays into all everyones’ lives.

Corvin said,“Even though I’m Jewish, I really respect everything he says and I am able to understand it and take away life lessons from what he preaches.”

Kail said PCC takes students to Mexico to stretch them and give them an opportunity to serve people. He said if they choose not to absorb the spiritual aspect of the trip, it is just something they miss out on.

“Our community can unify even when religion differs,” Kail said. “There are a lot of other youth groups within our campground in Mexico—you can tell that we are not your average group.”

Most other youth groups have a much more pointed Christian agenda, with 99-100% of the kids being members of a church, Kail said. Kail said he loves the fact that half the kids that go on the Mexico trip have no real church affiliation.

Corvin said he has never felt like Christianity is being pushed on him, and even though he does not necessarily believe, he has never felt pressured. He said if he pushes anyone, it is the kids that he already has a relationship with that attend the Church but are slacking in their religion. He said he just holds their hand to the fire.

“Being a Christian on the trip, I feel like its easier to understand what Scott is all about,” Junior Betsy Perkocha said. “He usually talks a lot about morals, which is relatable to every human being.”

On the Mexico Trip application, students are asked about their spiritual beliefs, but it is just for information, Kail said. They are shared with the parent leaders as well.

“We’ve had both adults and students on the trip who are very strong atheists,” Kail said. “The only thing we ask of them is to be respectful of the church’s beliefs and everyone else’s beliefs, and not to try to force their thoughts and ideas upon anyone else.”

Kail said he sees the Mexico trip as a “way-in” for people who have not considered spirituality in the past. He says the church is non-threatening and inclusive, and truly is the community church for Piedmont.

“We all have the ‘hole in the middle of the donut’ that needs to be filled with something,” Kail said. “On the Mexico trip, many students become aware of that hole and feel spiritual longing.”

Kail said almost every year for the past ten years, kids have a lot of questions for him after talks at campfire, which gives him the chance to find out where they are, put them at ease if they feel threatened, and answer their questions.

Kail said the trip teaches students a lot about themselves and decisions they will make in high school and throughout the rest of their lives, like continuing to serve others. He said it helps the students realize what kind of person they want to end up with as a partner, because people’s true colors shine through in Mexico, sometimes because of stress, or because its just an opportunity for the kids to show how much they care for each other.

“Mexico is a good time because everyone escapes social stigmas that chase us throughout the school year,” Corvin said.

Corvin said that in Mexico, students realize they have a duty to other people around the world to help out. He said it makes us realize that we spend too much of our time worrying about and fighting over things that are unimportant. We learn that we need to be more carefree and like each other more, Corvin said.

“Mexico shows kids another world and helps people understand that its really luck that separates people from one world or another,” senior Emily Bang said.

“The Mexico trip creates a better high school experience and teaches us what it’s like to serve others,” Corvin said.