By Emily Fox · Editor-in-Chief
Stepping into Carnegie Music Hall Friday night was like opening a 150-year-old time capsule. Alumni, faculty and students glided across the marble in floor-length gowns and well-pressed suits between exhibits displaying pivotal moments in the college’s history, mingling with old friends as they went.
The college’s bands and ensembles put on a compelling performance honoring the college and the country’s history with a welcome interruption from Willie the Wolverine. The event committee even brought the statue of Pew to life to celebrate. With alumni participation, both hosting and performing in the concert, it was an event that captured the college’s spirit and represented well its legacy of faith and freedom.
One of the most unifying moments of the event was when the college’s ensembles and audience joined together to sing the college hymn, “Our God, Our Hope in Ages Past,” a song most fitting for a 150-year celebration.
The opening verse praises God for being a refuge throughout the past and for the promise of dwelling with Him throughout eternity.
“Our God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home.”
The following verse continues this sentiment, acknowledging the security, protection and contentment provided by the Lord in the past.
“Under the shadow of thy throne Thy saints have dwelt secure; Sufficient is thine arm alone, And our defense is sure.”
The third verse glorifies God for His eternality, existing before all things and creating all things. The next verse considers how we experience time differently than the Lord, for Him “a thousand ages … are like an evening gone.” The fifth admits that humanity is forgetful of God’s provision as time passes.
The final verse bridges the past and the present, remembering that the Lord has provided in the past and will continue to do so in our present until He comes again.
“O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Be thou our guard while troubles last, And our eternal home.”
Though our predecessors could not have predicted it, this hymn perfectly captures the past 150 years. Since its beginning, the college has been committed to preparing young men and women to return to the world after their four years on campus, equipped to be saints reflecting Christ to those they encounter. And as long as the college has existed, the Lord has kept His hand upon it. Through the Great Depression, two World Wars, a landmark Supreme Court case and 2001’s Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Lord has provided a safe dwelling place in the halls of Grove City College.
God has remained our foundation, and it is because of this that our college has continued to stay true to its Christian values and a place where faith and freedom flourish. Grove City College is a cultural anomaly. It is a place that has maintained its Christian identity in a world that gets increasingly darker with each passing year. And its legacy will continue for the next 150 years. For as the college hymn concludes, the Lord will “be our guard while troubles last, and our eternal home.”
