Category: Spiritual

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Inside Married Life: Priya Sprunk’s Perspective

Priya Sprunk was a Psychology major with a concentration in Exercise Science during her time at Grove City College. As a member of the 2017 graduating class, Priya still feels very connected with the students. She was a member of the Sigma Theta Chi sorority, and still holds close relationships with the current girls, along with alumni. About a month after graduation, Priya was married to her best friend, Nate Sprunk, who changed her formerly the last name of Graczyk. Since Nate is a current senior at The Grove, Priya was able to shed some light on their relationship while in different stages of their lives.

When asked what it is like with Nate still in school, Priya responded with:

“It is different for sure. It is a somewhat challenging dynamic when one person in a relationship works full time and one is a student full time. I sometimes wish I didn’t have to live in my college town because it makes me feel like I haven’t fully moved on from college. However, my job helps me feel like I’m making a difference, which helps. I work as an instructor for adults with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities who have graduated from high school, but still, need to develop independent living and employment skills before living on their own. I really enjoy it!”

Priya stressed how it has been hard to make time for other friends after working full time and then coming home to spend time with Nate.  However, she feels that marriage has helped both become more independent and hard-working, along with giving them the happiness of living together.

“We met about 10 years ago when I was in 7th grade and Nate was in 6th grade. We were part of the same youth group and were always close friends. I had a huge crush on him, but we didn’t start dating until the summer of 2014 before my freshman year at Grove City College. The college time together helped us grow together; I don’t even recognize the young and immature teenage couple we were four years ago. Living in a Christian environment helped me grow spiritually and make Christian friends who hold me accountable while encouraging me. Later we began to think about marriage as we started thinking about our future careers and what we wanted for our lives.  By the fall of my junior year after many discussions by ourselves, with both sets of parents, and with friends, we had decided we were ready to commit our lives to each other. We were engaged the following March,” Priya said.

Priya and Nate continue to enjoy each other’s company, build upon their relationship, and focus on God. By attending church, reading their Bibles, and praying together, their commitment to growing spiritually has shown in their actions toward others and each other. They lift one another up while practicing patience and empathy in the hard moments. Priya looks forward to their awesome future.

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Favorite Aspects of Grove City College – The Atmosphere

When looking at other colleges my senior year of high school, I thought I really liked the bigger city campuses like Pitt or Duquesne, but the more I considered walking to classes every day and the feeling of overall safety, I decided that those campuses were not for me. As much as I wanted to rebel against every aspect of Grove City College, it felt more like home with each visit, especially since a large portion of my family are alumni.

Over the past four years, I have loved the small campus. Yes, there are times that I wished I had an abundance of restaurant options or more places to visit, like Penn State, but it has challenged me to find excitement even when it seems lacking. With my love for photography, the open, quiet town and outskirts of Grove City have made for interesting subjects of my camera. Walking around the train tracks, down Pinchalong road, through the peaceful neighborhoods, over the beautiful campus, and in the quaint downtown have been a few of my favorite parts of attending this college.

With the small campus comes more personal relationships among the student body, professors, coaches, and administrative staff. In talking with students who attend larger colleges, they are always amazed that I go and sit with my advisor regularly to catch up on each other’s home life. I appreciate my relationships with everyone on this campus and how influential they will be even post-college. It is crazy to think that my freshman year roommates will be there for monumental moments in my future, as I will be with them. My faith has genuinely grown during my time here, from friends, teachers, the incorporation in classes, and the overall Christian values of the College.  Although graduation will be bittersweet, I know that the lessons and morals I have strengthened at Grove City College will always be with me.

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Finding a Church Home Away from Home Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlycklqOb8I

Grove City College students come from a variety of denominational backgrounds. Looking for a church for the first time away from home and family can pose interesting challenges and opportunities. Many students find it interesting to explore denominations and churches that differ from those they grew up in. Other students find comfort in finding churches similar to those they grew up in. Student Andrew McDevitt attends the Beloved Disciple Catholic Church. He grew up with the Catholic tradition, attending a Catholic high school. While he explored other denominations in the first few weeks, he felt the need to stay true to the traditionalist values he grew up with. McDevitt reflects on the Beloved Disciple in saying, “I found a strong sense of community that was lacking at some of the other Catholic churches I’ve been to.”

Sophomore Elsie Becker regularly attends Wayside Community Church. A member of the church picks her up every Sunday for service, and she is the only Grove City student that attends. The church has a very elderly population. She comments that this aspect of the church appealed to her because as a college student she does not often get the chance to interact with an elderly generation. Becker comments that she likes to see “how God worked in their lives for a very extended period of time. They are much older so they really have a unique perspective on their faith.” She reflects on hearing a story from a member that donated the money for the pews when the church was being built. He did not have the money at the time but felt called to donate. Soon after, his boss gave him a bonus check for the exact amount without knowing about his donation. Elsie thinks that these stories help her have a better understanding and perspective on God.

Like Elsie and Andrew, many Grove City students find the churches around the College as great places to strengthen their faith and get involved in the community.

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Inside Married Life: Nate Sprunk’s Perspective

Nate Sprunk, an Exercise Science major and Psychology minor, is a quarter of the way through his senior year at Grove City College. He began his freshman year busy with his involvement on the lacrosse team and continued up until this year. His decision was primarily to focus more on school, along with his new wife, Priya.

Nate and Priya have known each other for about 10 years, meeting at middle school youth group at their church back in the day. Although, they did not start dating until the summer before Nate’s senior year of high school. They had always been great friends, but that summer they spent much more time together and grew extremely close.

“Going to school together gave us time to grow closer and build a stronger relational foundation to get married. Being at GCC was positive because it gave us a Christian environment to grow in,” Nate said. They started the conversation during Nate’s sophomore year of college, Priya’s junior year. With Priya being a year older, the decision to be married was difficult in terms of their current academic standings, but, with an abundance of advice and prayer, the couple decided to be married this previous summer.

This fall semester, with Priya as a Grove City College graduate, Nate has noticed changes in his life since the wedding. He feels that he has become more responsible and independent in his current college career and post-college plans. In living off-campus with his wife, he sees friends significantly less, which can cause strains in his relationships, but it just means working harder to maintain the ones that are truly important.

“It’s great to live together and have our own place. It’s also great to be able to support each other. However, it does make things weird with your relationships with other people because of change. My advice for people would be to make sure you’re truly ready for everything that comes with the commitment. We did marriage counseling prior to our wedding. I think that it helped us be more prepared for the transition and for what to expect,” Nate said.

Although only 21, Nate’s maturity and dedication to Priya has made their marriage fulfilled and exciting. His future plans include attending school for physical therapy to further his knowledge of subjects surrounding his college education.

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Fully Known, Fully Loved: Relational Ministry through Young Life

Grove City College is host to a variety of different ministries and service opportunities. Being a Christian campus, there is an emphasis on looking past your own circumstances to help others in any way that you are equipped to do so. Young Life is one of many ministries that has found its way to campus, with 54 leaders currently involved, it is only looking to grow.

Young Life is based on relational ministry, the premise is that leaders go out into high school or middle school communities and build relationships with kids. By being a part of their lives and gaining genuine friendships, leaders earn the right to share the gospel with kids.

Young Life is based on the “five C’s” which are Contact Work, Campaigners, Club, Camp, and Committee. Each has an integral role in the ministry and work together to create positive experiences for kids. Contact work is what takes up the bulk of the leaders’ time, it could be something as simple as attending football games every Friday night to doing intentional discipleship with a high schooler. Ultimately, this is how relationships are built, by showing up and being present in high schoolers’ lives. Campaigners is a bible study for boys and girls who have a desire to campaign on behalf of Jesus in their schools. They do a lot of the ground work in getting people to Club, which is “controlled chaos.” It is an environment where kids can let their guards down and have fun, the program breaks down walls and prepares them to hear a gospel message each week. At the end of the year the hope is that kids will go to Young Life camp and experience Jesus even more potently during the best week of their lives. All of these endeavors are supported by Committee Members, adults in the community who have a heart for high schoolers and are willing to give in various ways to make sure the ministry thrives.

At Grove City, Young Life is a community in and of itself, leaders meet each week to share about their struggles and triumphs, joys and challenges. It is an amazing opportunity to put into practice the Christian values that are instilled in us each day. Senior Kristen Bishop, a leader at Hickory High School, has been a part of Young Life in the area since she was a student at Grove City High School. Her favorite aspects of leading are the “lifelong friendships made between kids and leaders, the way being a leader pushes you in your faith, and how much fun it is, so much laughter and good memories.” Being able to do ministry alongside your peers in a relational way is a unique opportunity afforded to Young Life leaders. There are currently five high school ministries up and running with many more on the way.

 

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CCO’s Jubilee Conference 2019

Two summers ago, I interned with the company Coalition for Christian Outreach better known as CCO. CCO puts on Jubilee every winter which is a Christian conference held in Pittsburgh, where thousands of college students gather and learn how to worship God. The CCO has been putting on the Jubilee Conference for over 40 years now and every year it attracts more and more people. Jubilee’s main purpose is to “bring together college students to experience powerful worship, incredible speakers, and engaging topics that may impact our lives.”

Throughout the Jubilee weekend, students experience four large group gatherings that follow the Biblical narrative of the creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. For students, it is a good place to connect and meet people in their vocational field. Students can network to discover their next internship, learn how to continue their education and even plan for their future career. The CCO believes both faith and future are one in the same. This conference is unique in the fact that it is built around college students by trying to expose students to the Christian faith, but also help them plan for their futures in the post-college world. Jubilee gives students the opportunity to be part of a community, even if it is just for a weekend, which expands on the teachings of the Bible and our calling as Christians.

You can sign up for Jubilee online. Tickets went on sale Thursday, Oct. 4. The conference takes place on Feb. 22-24, 2019. Online, you can see the different deals that take place for students vs. non-students. You are able to purchase a conference pass, which is just for the events that take place, or a pass for four people and a hotel room for the weekend. The CCO blocks off rooms at a Pittsburgh hotel every year for anyone who is coming in from out of town or anyone who would like to be close to the conference for the weekend. It is a great offer and a great weekend for a group of friends or a family to join and learn more about God and what it means to be a Christian. I promise you, Jubilee will not let you down. Check out the link below to sign up and view promo videos of 2019’s Jubilee conference.

https://www.jubileeconference.com/

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Lifelong Friends at Grove City

Around second semester of freshman year, I became extremely close with a group of people at Grove City College and have remained close with them throughout my time here. They have all impacted my life tremendously and continue to bless it every day with liveliness, laughter, and an overwhelming sense of joy. In this group of friends that I belong to, we all share similar morals in how we live our lives. With all of us being Christians, we work hard to keep each other accountable for our actions and keep our eyes focused on God.

When our friend group is altogether, we act fairly similarly. We find humor in almost situation, strive to make every meeting entertaining, and accidentally (slightly purposefully) become the loudest crew in most settings.  Most people do not understand the hilarious aspects that make us cry from laughter in the middle of a quiet Student Union. However, this is because of our intimate group dynamic and the general understanding among each other.

This group of close friends from the beginning of our college career has helped to shape us into the people we are now. At the end of the day, we all know there is a greater purpose to our earthly lives. So, although we might spend our time differently, having other friends we occasionally spend our time with, or having some differing ideas, we conform in the way we care for one another and use our relationships to lift us closer to God.

I am so thankful for Grove City College because of the meaningful and lasting friendships I have found. We are called to bring as many people to Christ as possible and the only way that can be achieved is through building relationships. It means so much to me to see other people gain significant friends here and use that to spread love to even more people. Connecting the lessons learned at college help to show the significance of surrounding oneself with meaningful relationships, especially when they are pointing me closer to God.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

 

 

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Study Abroad Relationships with Photography

A semester abroad in Florence, Italy left me with a perspective I have never experienced before and has provided me with lifelong thoughts. When I arrived in Europe, I was anxious for the next four months and what the Lord had in store for me. Throughout my time, I felt waves of excitement, pure joy, and love for the beautiful sights I was seeing every day. There was a constant sense of being overwhelmed by God’s creation because of how much there is to be thankful for and appreciate.

From the start, I knew my photography class was going to be my favorite. My professor, Cosimo Bargellini, lived in Florence which gave us a direct source of Italian culture, especially considering he was also a professional photographer. Our class consisted of walking around the city, learning techniques of photographing, and enjoying each other’s company.  Although he was fluent in English, Cosimo was still raised in the Italian culture. This provided a slight obstacle in that I did not fully understand everything about his culture since I was raised completely different.

Our verbal communication was acknowledgeable because Cosimo taught based off his experience and practice in photography. By discussing and showing aspects like exposure levels, shutter speed, and framing a picture, the students, myself included, learned new approaches about the way we had previously known about photography. We had differences though, relating to our faith and politics. Cosimo had grown up in a Catholic church but once he was older, he decided to become a Buddhist and focus intently on the lifestyle. One day in class, Cosimo talked about how he had hope for his next life and that it would be even better than his current. I immediately asked him to explain his thoughts further and he described how he lives following the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhism obviously is different from the Christian religion that I have grown up in, but I was still able to open my mind up to hear Cosimo’s opinions about life and the afterlife. Without alternate viewpoints, we are all agreeing on the same idea and this will not generate new concepts that could ultimately benefit a community of people. I did not agree with Cosimo’s religion because of my own but I am still able to respect and understand how Cosimo thinks, something that benefits our intercultural relationship.

His view on politics also differed from my own, but I did not let that affect our bond through the lens and about the beautiful world in which we live. Italians generally criticized the ways of “greedy Americans” and the decisions we make as a country. They especially denounced our current president, Donald Trump, and his ideas for the future of the United States. I do not particularly like to argue with people about politics because most of the time I am not knowledgeable enough and think it can be pointless in that people can be set in their ways. Despite my personal feelings, I could understand Cosimo’s feelings in that he had a heart for the nature and animals on this earth. He would tell our class stories of his expeditions in the wild, surrounded by the purest form of a safari and the amazing tigers that he photographed. His passion for photography and showing emotion through his pictures is what is truly important, not how we disagree on politics.

I think my experience with Italians abroad, specifically Cosimo, was such an important life lesson for others and any future I have with other intercultural relationships. There are always going to be stereotypes about people of different cultures, race, or ideas but we must not let that stand in the way of connecting with others and learning about alternate lifestyles. In hindsight, I absolutely loved meeting people of other viewpoints.  It expanded my personal knowledge and provided me with the ability to have a stronger compassion and perception of others, something that I believe can always be enhanced. Focusing on other’s actions, both verbal and nonverbal, is the best way we can comprehend how they are feeling and do our best to further unity among one another.

 

Cosimo Bargellini, my photography teacher during my study abroad class in Florence, Italy.

 

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Business Policy and Strategy Writing Competition

Business Policy and Strategy is a senior level course required for all business majors including business management, accounting, finance, marketing, international business, and industrial management. Many students refer to the class as their “Senior Capstone” taught by Professor Richard Kocur. Throughout this speaking intensive course, students are given various writing and presentation assignments within a group. However, at the end of each semester, Professor Kocur asks his students to complete an individual writing assignment with the prompt, “What does it mean to be a Christian in today’s business world?” Students are able to submit their essays into a writing competition among approximately 60 members of the class. Professor Kocur narrows down the top seven papers, which are then evaluated by various professors in Grove City’s business department. Students with the top three essays receive a monetary prize and an in-class recognition.

Mr. Kocur decided that this assignment was a great way for seniors to think about how their faith will be incorporated in their future jobs. He stated, “The assignment is a unique aspect of our business department and I think demonstrates our connection with the College’s mission and values. The essay contest serves to support not only the mission of the College, but the Business Program’s vision of being a premier undergraduate business program where scholarship and application combine with Christian principles.”

As an accounting student in the Business Policy and Strategy course last semester, I had the opportunity to complete this assignment and consider the “Christian Perspective” in the business world. I personally loved this assignment, and I took the time to look back on what I had learned in my classes at Grove City about implementing Christian values in the real world. The prompt for the paper was not an easy question to answer. However, I focused my paper on living out Christian values in all aspects of life, rather than compartmentalizing work, family, friends, and faith. Although discussing your faith in the workplace is not always appropriate, acting as an example of Christ is a great way to implement one’s Christian values in all components of their life. After writing my paper, I was lucky enough to receive third place in the competition among my classmates, which was a great way to complete my semester.

Second place writer, Olivia (Ebert) Greathouse, also enjoyed the assignment and explained how she felt on the paper. “I thought the business writing competition was a great opportunity to express and share my thoughts about Christianity and business. It forced me to put into words the thoughts in my head about how I will bring my faith into the workplace. I believe being a Christian should permeate every aspect of our lives including our life at work. While we may not proclaim our Christianity to everyone we encounter, it should be evident in our actions and attitudes each and every day.”

Austin Everett took first place in the competition, and found that this question was something that had been on his mind for quite some time. He stated, “The paper was really a culmination of four years of wrestling with the subject matter. Discussions in classes and with professors outside the classroom lit my interest in this subject which then led me to various books and thought leaders. The understanding of the Christian and his or her work became an increasingly pressing issue on my mind, so when it came to writing the paper, it was really an issue of simply putting onto paper four years of thought that was nurtured by professors and books from the church, past and present.”

The writing assignment will continue to be assigned to students in the Business Policy and Strategy course each semester. Altogether, the competition for the paper is a great way for business majors to really dive into the complexity of the question, “What does it mean to be a Christian in today’s business world?”

 

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Faith at a Christian College

Grove City College is a Christian college with the motto “because faith and freedom matter.” The school bases its vision, mission, and values off of God. Being independent in that it does not accept any federal funding, Grove City College is able to make the decisions that its morals entail.

Students usually choose this college for the quality of the Christian atmosphere. To be surrounded by others who share similar beliefs in the college stage of one’s life is truly special in aspects of growing together but it also makes it just as difficult.

Sometimes it is hard to exercise one’s faith when it seems to be exercised constantly, like at a Christian school. Students get a certain amount of chapel credits, take humanities courses based off of a particular religious aspect, and some actions are monitored under Christian principles. With the humanities courses or the chapels, one may assume that learning about the Bible for 50 minutes a day or a 20-minute chapel can be “enough” for our Christian lifestyle. It is important to understand that those are just additional aspects to what we should be doing on a regular basis for our faith.

Grove City College offers many opportunities to get involved in a group, organization, or participate in an activity revolving around God. There are specific small groups like Men of God or Women of Faith that bring people, no matter where they are in their life, can come and lift one another up closer to Him. Red Box Missions, Inner City Outreach Trips, Prison Ministry, and Young Life are more examples of groups that particularly go out and work to help people see God in different aspects of their life. No matter what one decides to do, strengthening one’s faith is something we have to work at every single day and it certainly helps when there are other people to hold one accountable.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

If we as Christians continue to exercise our faith in God and live in Him, an impact on others can always be made on people who might need it most.