Author: Hannah Hammersley

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Inside Grove City Ministries – DRIVE

Grove City College prides itself on incorporating faith into its academics and extracurriculars. One of the notable aspects about the College includes its variety of campus ministries. Students can choose to be a part of the Redbox Ministry, the International Justice Mission, or they can go on an Inner-City Outreach. A lot of these ministries focus on spreading the gospel to cities around the world, but one group has a slightly less traditional approach.

DRIVE is a ministry group on campus that tells the gospel through silent dramas performed to music. Their acronym stands for “Dramas Reaching Inner Cities through Visual Evangelism.” They minister to those living in inner cities near the College, including Youngstown, Pittsburgh and New Castle. Every few months they go to one of these cities to perform their dramas. When not doing dramas on the streets or in shelters, DRIVE holds a few on campus events a year. At least once a semester, DRIVE members do “flash mobs” where they spontaneously start doing dramas somewhere on campus. They also plan to host a “DRIVE”-in theatre event where students can view the dramas and get to understand the group’s mission better.

I sat down with some of DRIVE’s student officers and members to ask them some questions about the group and what they stand for. Because the group is so unique and focuses on off campus ministry, not everyone knows what DRIVE truly accomplishes.

The biggest theme I noticed in the answers to the questions was one of community.

During all of the interviews I filmed, everyone talked a lot about the community in DRIVE and how it not only drew them in, but kept them coming back to meetings. The mission of the group centers around giving back to communities, both spiritually and practically. Several of the members and officers give insight into this and into what being in the group is like.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QWLWfAQKoE

 

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Facing Your Demons: You Don’t Have to Struggle Alone

College is hard. It is an unpleasant truth, and one that we often have trouble admitting. Between keeping up with classwork, joining extracurricular clubs, trying to find friends, and being apart from family for extended periods of time, living at college can take its toll. This rings true especially for people who arrive on campus already struggling with personal issues.

I discovered this my freshman year. I have dealt with depressive episodes since my junior year of high school and have had anxiety since my senior year. Because of my unawareness about mental health, I had not sought out any resources. By the end of my first month at college, I felt overwhelmed by everything I had on my plate. I struggled to adjust to the stress of classes, clubs, and looking for a solid group of friends. Being away from family and not having someone to be vulnerable with added to my stress and anxiety levels. My anxiety got to the point where it distracted me during class and isolated me from my friends.

I talked to a few friends about mental health since that seems to be a huge struggle for college students recently. One or two of them mentioned that they had visited the Counseling Center. This was the first time I had ever heard of a conservative college offering mental health resources to their students. I hesitated to schedule an appointment, mostly out of fear that the counselors would tell me that I had imagined my symptoms and that if I prayed more, none of my attacks would be happening.

After some serious consideration, I did eventually start seeing a counselor regularly. Contrary to what I expected, the counselor showed me love – God’s love – instead of giving me criticism. My counselor gave me both spiritual advice and practical tips to manage my issues. I would love to say that my mental struggles disappeared after my first appointment. Unfortunately, progress takes more than that. It involves falling and getting back up only to fall again. But each time I fell I had an older mentor to help me to my feet. She gave me guidance on how to handle the next fall. The counselors at Grove City care deeply for each individual that they see. It shows in the time they take getting to know students so they can best meet the students’ needs, whether those needs relate to mental health or simple stress management.

I think many people overlook the Counseling Center at Grove City while touring campus, but as the semesters have continued, Grove City has brought more attention to the mental health and stress management resources that they offer. This really sets them apart from any other college I toured in high school.

We all have our personal battles, which makes people like Grove City’s counselors all the more important in our moments of need.