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Young Life Spotlight: Bailey Mantzell

Young Life is a ministry organization with a mission to lead young children and teens to Jesus Christ and help encourage them in their walk of faith. Grove City College is highly involved with Young Life with over 70 leaders.

Bailey Mantzell, a sophomore majoring in Middle Level Math and English, is going into her second semester of being a leader on campus. She went to Young Life camps throughout her high school years, but dedicated herself to this ministry once she entered into college.

Over this past summer, Bailey had the exciting opportunity to be a leader at the Timber Wolf Lake Young Life camp. As I spoke with Bailey, she stated, “Young Life is such an incredible ministry, and the devil was so present throughout the whole week at camp, but God’s glory triumphed over all of the hardships, and unforgettable memories were made.” With many moving sermons given throughout the week, many lives are changed and given to the Lord; the ultimate goal of the week.

With many campers giving their life to Christ throughout this week, Bailey told me some very heart-warming stories. As she was at camp, she was reminded of the fact that you never know what situations some children or teenagers have gone through in their lives. Sometimes campers can look and act like they are fine on the outside, but once these leaders get to sit down and talk with them one-on-one, the brokenness inside of them prevails. These discussions between the campers and leaders can be life changing, Bailey described. One camper had an over three-hour long discussion with their leader, leading to the giving of their life to Christ.

Bailey’s camping experience also had some troubles, but the outcomes ended up overpowering them. The first night, unfortunately, started with one of her campers breaking her collarbone, but ended with that camper’s best friend (another one of Bailey’s campers) committing her life to Christ.

Overall, being a leader at the Young Life camp was an amazing and eye-opening experience for Bailey, along with all of those who attended. This organization has become such a large part in Bailey’s life, and she cannot wait to see the new opportunities that will come from it in the future.

 

 

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Video: From Roommates to Brothers – Part 1

Grove City College allows freshman the option to choose their roommates. Most of the time, students change rommates after freshman year. Marquis and Luke are a rare example of roommates who lived together for all 4 years at Grove City College.

Marquis and Luke come from two totally different backgrounds.  In this 2 part video series, they explain how their different perspectives have come together and shaped them into better men in Christ. Click and watch the video to get specific insights on how Luke and Marquis have managed to be roommates throughout college and how they plan to remain as friends throughout their lifetimes.

In this video, Marquis and Luke answer the following:

  1. How did you guys become roommates?
  2. Where have you lived on campus?
  3. Do you have any problems with your roommate?
  4. What are your favorite/funniest memories?

Click here for part 2: https://blogs.gcc.edu/insider/2020/02/29/video-roommates-brothers-part-2/

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Video: From Roommates to Brothers – Part 2

Most of the time, students change roommates after freshman year of college. Unlike the rest, Marquis and Luke have managed to stay roommates at Grove City College for all 4 years. In Part 2 of “From Roommates to Brothers”, Marquis and Luke continue to discuss their journey and growth as roommates, and offer some advice to incoming freshmen.

In this video, Marquis and Luke answer the following:

  1. What are your favorite parts about being roommates?
  2. How have you stayed roommates all four years?
  3. Do you have any advice for incoming freshmen?

If you have any questions regarding life at Grove City College, feel free to contact Marquis or Luke on instagram @1.quislew and @lukeurbanik.

To view part one of the series, click this link: https://blogs.gcc.edu/insider/2020/02/29/video-roommates-brothers-part-2/

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I Recorded a Music Video in Haiti

This past summer, I spent two beautiful weeks in Deschappelles, Haiti. The heat was intense, the people were very relaxed (as is common with islanders), and art was incorporated into mostly everywhere one could look. From the sides of buildings to the sounds of street musicians, I relished in the aestheticism of this country.

This country of Haiti, although severely impoverished, was rich with creativity. I experienced this fierce and natural creative spirit most when I met Pasky.

I had met this young man, 24 years of age, at the local tennis court. Being an avid tennis player myself, I would stop at the tennis courts at least once a day to play the town’s best hitters. It was titillating to barely be able to communicate with many villagers, but nonetheless exchange forehand, backhands, and serving strokes.

Pasky and I shared a match, and a few days later, he saw me walking around town with my big camera taking pictures of the area’s tree reforestation program (my reason for traveling to Haiti).

Pasky walked on over to me and said, in broken English, “Mark, will you please take a music video of me?”

I responded, “Pasky, you’re a rapper?”

He said “Oui, oui.” (meaning yes, yes).

It was natural that I accepted the challenge, even though I had not used video editing software since high school. I traveled to the country to help Haitians and this was my opportunity, one which could not have been more directly offered to me.

So, we set to record the next day. Pasky showed up wearing quirky and colorful rural costume of sorts, and had brought his friends from the tennis courts as his personal hype-men. So, we set forth, me recording, Pasky singing, and his friends joking and suggesting different dance moves to their rapper-friend. I was very grateful to be able to record what I think of as a pure manifestation of Haitian culture that developed before me.

We had a blast hitting up different spots around town and having random members of the community get involved, all while having good fun.

My personal favorite part of the video is the last minute, where the music fades out and you can only hear the raw noises of the excited Haitians. The country has an amazing culture, represented by this final part of the film clip.

The day before I left, Pasky gave me a nice present. It turns out, he’s an excellent pencil artist as well! Here is the portrait he created with myself as his inspiration to show thanks for me agreeing to give him his hour or so of fame…  he even depicted me showing peace!

Indeed, I loved the country, and now, looking back, I love the simple and pure memory of the video-recording experience. I look forward to going back to Haiti and meeting Pasky, my friend, at the cement tennis court in the heart of Deschappelles.

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Grove City College Housing Group Spotlight: Tri-Rho

What is a Housing Group? Men have a unique opportunity at Grove City College to join “Housing Groups” (also known as “Independent Men’s Residence groups”). In addition to fraternities, these groups provide a crucial communal presence in the residence halls by their continued involvement throughout all of campus. These groups work individually as well as with other organizations on campus to host events, participate in Intramural sports, and live together in what is called “Block Housing”.

The Tri-Rhos pose together for a picture outside of Hopeman hall during their annual Homecoming cookout

Rho Rho Rho: The Tri-Rho housing group, commonly referred to as the “Rhos,” was established in 1974. The group’s official colors are maroon and gold and their mascot is a lion. Living in Hopeman Hall (a men’s dorm on campus), they pride themselves in being highly involved in campus activities both as a group and also as individuals. As a group, the events they put on annually include:

  • The Tri-Rho Hymn Sing
    • An annual event where Rhos gather together with “Rhoses” (female friends of rhos) and host a worship service
    • Through this event, the Rhos are the only group of its kind to offer chapel credit at an all-campus event.
  • Leaf Rake
    • Rhos go through the community providing community service every fall semester, raking leaves for free.
  • Open House
    • The Tri-Rho open house is the first rush event of the year where the Rhos open their doors and purchase Chinese food, welcoming prospective Rhos who have potential interest in joining the group.
  • Rho Sit
    • An event held spontaneously throughout the school year where the Rhos bring their couches out from their halls and put them on Lincoln lawn. The Rhos welcome friends to join them in playing spike ball and cornhole as they enjoy the weather.
  • BYOM
    • Once a month, the Rhos open their dorm rooms and invite friends to “bring your own mug” to the hall to partake in coffee and tea as they share good conversation and delicious cookies.
  • Nugfest
    • Every spring the Rhos partner with a fraternity on campus known as the Okies. The two groups plan and carry out the event known as Nugfest in which they purchase thousands of chicken nuggets and hand them out to people on campus.
  • The Annual Tri-Rho Extravaganza
    • The Extravaganza is the arguably the most anticipated, but objectively the most heavily attended, event on campus. The Rhos go to great lengths to make this event “extravagant”. Hosted in February, the extravaganza is a dance where the Rhos have a coat check, door prizes, mocktails, cheesecake, shrimp cocktails, a photo booth, and a senior surprise. The best part about this event is that it is completely free of charge.

 

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Warriors and Stigma – “By His wounds you have been healed”

Grove City College is truly a great place to be to grow spiritually. There are many different options when it comes to worship, and Warriors would definitely be high on the list. Warriors begins at 9 p.m. in Harbison Chapel every Thursday.

Most worship events at the Grove will have some incentive for students to come, like chapel credits, but Warriors does not, which makes it special. Everyone who comes to Warriors wants to be there.  When you are in Warriors for the first time you will notice that just about everyone is singing and the chapel is echoing with the sound of worship.

Warriors recently had a partnered event with Stigma that was dedicated to suicide prevention. In this event, the Warriors crew sang and read Bible verses, which is what they do on a normal Thursday night – but in addition, at the start and near the end they invited two speakers to come up and talk about their experiences with depression, loss, and suicide. This was kept short but was truly an important message. The speakers were sure to get the point across that we are not alone. We have a great community of Christian men and women who are there for each other. More im

portantly, we know that we have a Father in heaven looking over us.

Stigma is solely found on Grove City College’s campus, and they work to help anyone who has a mental illness. As a student at the Grove, it is really comforting to know that there are always people willing to help if someone is struggling. To learn more about Stigma, go to stigmagcc.wordpress.com.

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

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ICO Spotlight: Philadelphia

What is ICO Philadelphia?

ICO (Inner-City Outreach) Philadelphia is a short-term missions trip to the city of Philadelphia over the first half of Spring Break. Partnering with The Philadelphia Project (TPP), the student group works alongside those working and volunteering with TPP in three different ministries.

What are the different ministries the student work with?

The mercy ministries focus on going out into the parts of the city with a heavy population of homeless individuals handing out food and supplies, as well as taking time to pray and just talk with some of these people.

TPP has many different work sites in the area outside of Philadelphia, renovating the homes of those who sorely need it, but cannot afford it. The students go and work alongside trained professionals, doing projects ranging anywhere from painting to tearing down walls; the students have the opportunity to serve in a more hands on manner, making direct connections in the community.

Another ministry has a few different areas the students can go, one of these is the Whosoever Gospel Mission. The Mission on the surface is an establishment similar to the Salvation Army, complete with a thrift store and locations to donate goods. However, looking deeper, there is an amazing ministry happening just above the store. The Mission offers a place for recovering male addicts to land, recuperate and go back out into the world with a renewed mindset and a more stable (faith based) foundation. In this ministry, the students get to hear the incredible stories of some of these men. They will also get the chance to work alongside them in the sorting section of the thrift store.

What has ICO Philadelphia shown its participants?

Based on what past participants (and personal experience) have taught me, the strongest thing this trip

has brought its members is community. The community forged on this mission lasts far longer the the constraints of the trip itself. The relationships built, faiths strengthened and wisdom’s earned are those which cannot be broken and will last for years to come. Trips like these bring people together for a common goal that cannot be accomplished in such a short amount of time, but every bit (regardless of length) help tremendously. Working in the kingdom alongside other like-minded individuals, for the greater good, is truly something to marvel upon.

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New to Campus: The Gift of Bibles to All

Grove City College, being the unique Christian college it is, has many opportunities to offer. The College has many doors available to help bring more people to faith on this campus, being just one opportunity. One way this is done is by the accessibility of resources. This year, Grove City College gifted an English Standard Version of The Holy Bible to every student, along with the option to take multiple Bibles to hand out to friends, strangers, peers, and family members. Opportunities such as this are very unique and can touch the lives of many people, but it does not stop there.

After these Bibles were distributed, many Young Life (a club on campus that leads groups of adolescents to Jesus Christ) leaders took multiple Bibles to hand out to the young students in various Young Life schools and programs. With the idea of drawing more people to Christ, these College leaders, and friends of the leaders, took it a step further. Students began to paint these Bibles, with bright eye-catching colors, designs, a Bible verse, or an encouraging quote, which made it that much more intriguing and encouraging to the ones who will be using that specific Bible.

After speaking with some of these leaders, their desire was to not only use these Bibles for themselves in their walk of faith, but provide others with the gift they were given. Not only did the leaders get to engage in fellowship with one another by spending time together while painting, but they were able to put their work to use by taking these Bibles to Young Life club and outings.

With all of the opportunities available in ministry here on campus, gifting free Bibles to the student body was just one more step to help encourage students, and those surrounding, to be able to seek Christ further.

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Campus Spotlight: ICO Fair

What is the ICO Fair? What does it offer?

The Inner City Outreach (ICO) Fair is an event held in the student union every fall semester. The goal of this event is to inform the campus community about what ICO trips our college offers and how they can learn more about the details of these trips. This year we had informational tables set up for ten different ICO trips, most of which will be serving during spring break and the others over Thanksgiving or fall break. The trips in attendance were ICO Los Angeles, Rhode Island, Tucson, Guatemala, Philadelphia, Czech Republic, Chicago, Buffalo, and Grove City.

How did the campus community respond to the fair?

There was a great turnout from the community at the fair. Each trip had a table with their respective leaders there, ready to answer any questions about their trip and offer some insights that might help any fresh faces decide which ICO could be a good fit for them. Although the trickle of students coming in and out of the fair was steady, there was no one trip that dominated the students’ interest. Each table consistently had a number of students around and ready to hear what the leaders had to say about their trip. Most students made it a point to cycle through the room, hearing the stories of each individual trip in attendance, making sure to really get a feel for all of the trips and see where God might be leading them on this journey of service.

How can the students receive more information?

Students can sign up for email lists for individual trips to receive updates as well as look to various posters around campus. This will allow students to know when and where info meetings are being held and how they can take steps toward being on the team of their choosing.

 

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Campus Club Spotlight: Scherzo!

On Friday September 13th, the Grove City College men’s vocal ensemble Scherzo! (formerly the Men’s Glee Club) had their second set of open auditions for anyone interested in becoming a member of the club. After holding a handful of open rehearsals, bringing in eight for auditions, Scherzo! accepted four new members joining the club.

What does this year look like for “Scherzo!“?

Beginning the year with a new name and a new group of singers, there are many changes in store for the club and their upcoming repertoire of performances. Making an effort to move away from a number of their expected gigs, the group will be taking on performances in all new venues and organizations around the Grove City community with a plethora of new pieces guaranteed to represent the fresh start the group is undergoing.

What led the group to change their name?

The decision for the name change was long discussed within the group due to the normal connotation of the name Glee Club with the popular show “Glee,” which aired on FOX television. The group decided it would be best for their vocal ensemble not to be directly compared to the TV series due to very different approaches to what an acapella group looks like, as well as the various drama which the show dealt with. Scherzo! is an acapella group mainly focusing on the quality and range which a group of male singers can produce when solely focusing on the music itself, where the TV series is much more focused on the production as well as vocals. Seeing that Scherzo! is not a production centered group, they came to the conclusion that the best thing to do to help public perception of what the group truly is, would be to change up the name to something more intriguing and less correlated with a widely known series.

Scherzo! will hold their annual concert, containing their whole repertoire of music, in May 2020.