When I walk down to the coffee shops on Broad Street, right off of campus, I sit down to enjoy my coffee and pull out some textbooks and begin reading. As I read I can hear the conversations of Grove City College (GCC) students nearby, asking about faith, sharing their stories with one another, and discussing what ways God is working in their life. By now you may already know about Grove City College’s chapel program, which happens on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. But here is some insight on the spiritual growth happening in the daily lives of GCC students outside of the regularly scheduled programs.
Someone once said that worship is genuine relational interaction with God. If that is true, then I know that Grove City College is truly a place of worship. One of my highlights of my first year was getting to hear people’s testimonies. I was able to hear so many stories about how God has moved in people’s lives. It surprised me how many people I spoke with who were willing to share stories of how God has been working in their life. I have known that there are groups that hold testimony nights, where people share their stories with the group. There is truly a culture of loving the Lord and eagerly expecting Him to work in our lives and sharing the testimonies of His goodness.
To add to that, there is a richness I see in people’s relationship with God here. People are eager to spend time worshiping the Lord. I see small friend groups getting together to sing worship songs randomly. People are often out on the Quad (a grass field in the middle of campus) journaling and listening to worship music. I hear others singing hymns underneath the stars. Sometimes some girls in my hall have art and worship times, where people get together to paint and color as worship to God. I pass by the guitar players who play randomly around campus, and hear them pouring out their heart to God in song. I have even talked to runners, who wake up at sunrise to run and they say that their early morning runs are a time they can focus on God.
There are also many groups dedicated to prayer on campus, beyond the regular clubs that have prayer meetings. Every so often I am invited somewhere to pray with a group of friends, or to study the Word of God with people. To me, there is something truly beautiful about these unorganized, student-led times of worship, prayer, and study. It shows me that people here authentically love God and want to know Him. The culture here is so unique and beautiful: college students who love God and want to spend time with Him.
