When you first step foot on the campus of Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania, you may find yourself faced with a quiet setting, a few students spotted across the vibrant green lawn, a few academic buildings, and a lot of nature. As is often the case, a single thought may run through your mind: It looks like there’s nothing to do. Fortunately, that could not be further from the truth. Despite its humble appearance, Messiah College’s Grantham campus is home to many fun forms of entertainment. Here is a brief guide to just ten of the more popular things with which students entertain themselves while on campus.
“Theatre Messiah”– Theatre Messiah is home to a number of fabulous young actors who love to perform for their peers and outside audiences. While the department may seem small, size doesn’t stop Messiah from putting on wonderful performances throughout the year. In both the Fall and Spring of each year, a few major performances become the highlights of the academic year. The campus has put on productions from “Noises Off” to “Into the Woods” in recent years. While some productions may be slightly “toned down” to avoid disrupting the general Christian-values of the school, the integrity of each performance is always upheld so that both those who are new to and those who are old fans of and production are able to view and leave satisfied.
“B-Lines”– Messiah College’s Philadelphia Campus (MCPC) is located in the heart of North-Central Philadelphia, directly across from Temple University’s main campus. Because of this branch of Messiah’s campus, the main campus in Grantham has provided frequent van-trips to Philadelphia. Students are able to stay with Messiah students studying in Philadelphia for a weekend or more thanks to these “B-line” trips. During these trips, students are opened up to the plethora of experiences the city of Philadelphia has to offer, from concerts to restaurants, and so much more. Even the briefest visit during a weekend provides plenty of time to experience some part of Philadelphia’s wealth of culture. Students are also able to experience Temple’s campus with the MCPC, who are more than happy to involve them in their lives as Temple students.
Cemetery Hill- During the winter months, Cemetery Hill, located just off the college’s main road, becomes a popular spot for sledding, tobogganing, and other fun wintry events. Throughout the year, Cemetery Hill provides a place of solitude for some students who wish to spend time just thinking, star-gazing, or watching the clouds roll by. Students also gather here for impromptu music sessions, worship gatherings, and so on. Despite the proximity to a local cemetery, students enjoy the many possibilities of the hill. Some will even walk through the nearby cemetery to reverently gaze upon the ever-aging tombstones of those who have passed many years ago, somewhat in awe of the nearness of Grantham’s history.
The Fitness Center-Messiah College’s fitness center is another great place to spend anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. Students are often found here doing much more than simply working out. Some come in groups to walk around the indoor track while they converse and enjoy the company of friends; others will work out together on the elliptical machines, stationary bikes, and other fitness machines. Some students come alone, bringing a book to study up for the next day’s exam, or a CD or mp3 player to simply relax and unwind after a hectic day. In the gymnasium, students can practice or play basketball, hold private matches of volleyball, or practice their moves before their next recreational soccer game. The college’s pool is another great place to get exercise while having fun, both alone and with friends.
“Coffeehouse”-Messiah hosts many coffeehouses throughout the year. These coffeehouses are sometimes small and sometimes large, but they are almost always a big deal. These are times for students to exhibit their talents before their friends and peers, and for all to gather to celebrate these talents as a community. Poets read, pianist play, singers perform, and comedians have the room rolling in laughter for a few hours as one act after another comes to the stage. Small refreshments are served before and after the event. Attending coffeehouses are often group events, friends gathering together to enjoy the performances and cheer on their own friends as they dare to bare all onstage. Many a great Messiah College talent has been discovered on the coffeehouse stage.
“B-sides” and Concerts-Throughout the year, Messiah College sponsors several concerts and other performances, including the B-side series. These concerts are aimed as satisfying the varying musical tastes of Messiah’s student body. Performers from rock to hip-hop to folk have graced the large and small stages of Brubaker Auditorium and Larson Student Union. Artists such as Bob Dylan, Regina Spektor, and Nickel Creek have visited the campus to perform before sold-out audiences of Messiah College students, their friends, parents, and often enough complete strangers to the campus. The concerts also offer students the opportunity to experiment with different tastes as far as musical genres go, to learn to appreciate the music their peers love, and to broaden their horizons in the arts.
Powerhouse-On Thursday nights throughout the school year, students gather together for a time of worship known as Powerhouse. A student-led time of worship, this gathering is, for some, the highlight of the week. It is a time for students to gather together and pray, sing, and worship as a united body. Despite the small space in which the event is held, the room and building are both often packed with students who come both alone and in groups to be with each other and fellowship with each other as a Christian community. The event is a great time to come and relax after a long day and sometimes stressful week as it draws near its close. Many groups and organizations schedule meetings, work-shifts, and so on in such a manner that members and workers are still able to enjoy this time of gathering. Even some Messiah College faculty, outside youth groups, and families, join the student body for this very special time.
Sports-Messiah College may not have a college football team, but the community does have a fantastic sports program, including the beloved Messiah soccer-which is football to many-teams. Even without the ever popular traditional football team, sports remain a big part of the Messiah College community. From track and field to field hockey, to basketball and soccer, students love to come out and support their friends and peers as they compete on the field. A particular favorite of the Messiah College community is the “Marshmallow Bowl,” during which Messiah’s soccer team faces off against the school’s great rival, Elizabethtown. (Despite the forbiddance of any marshmallow-related paraphernalia, you can be sure at least a few marshmallows will fly during this meeting.) Each sporting event seems to carry its own varying fan-based traditions, from cheers everyone seems to know to a general atmosphere of unity among those who come out to support their favorite teams.
LSU-The Larson Student Union (LSU) is always a great place to find some form of entertainment. From B-side concerts to game nights, students fill the union each night in groups and find ways to have fun. Particularly when the more popular sports are in season-such as baseball and football-large groups can be found gathering around the union’s big screen television that hangs suspended from the ceiling to cheer on their favorite teams, or boo the opposition. Dance parties are also held in the union, from luau-style festivities to nights where students can gather to learn everything from line-dances to Spanish dances. Students can practice what they’ve learned in the hours that follow as music fills the space, tables are pushed away, and the festivities begin. The union has also become home to Messiah’s version of American Idol, known as “Falcon Idol,” where students bring their musical talents to the stage and are voted on by their peers and a panel of judges. Parmer Cinema and “Lost Films”-Throughout the year, Messiah College lines up a wide variety of films for the viewing pleasure of its students. While many are mainstream blockbusters, others include independent films and movies themed for particular events. Different departments sponsor different film series to correspond to different events throughout the year, such as an African-American History Month film series, a Women’s Studies series, and so on. The films that are shown are often aimed at generating discussion, rather than controversy; for example, a great deal of thought went into the showing of the film “Crash” on the main campus, and while many were offended by its graphic nature and use of language, the discussion that followed continued on for many days after its airing. The film series throughout the year are often aimed at continuing the college’s ongoing dialogue concerning the Christian and Popular Culture, and how these two sometimes exceptionally differing vantages can often be brought together for meaningful and helpful dialogue and action.
