It can be overwhelming to enter a new school without familiar faces to surround yourself with. However, the clubs Girls in Grace, Brothers in Christ and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes all strive to welcome newcomers through the bond of Jesus Christ.
Girls in Grace started with two friends who were curious about their faith in Jesus. Seniors Tierra Cullivan and Carmella Biffano had been friends for a while and made distinctions about their faith during the summer of their junior year. They are co-founders of Girls in Grace, and commit to their love for Jesus and building a welcoming community for others.
“I feel like we’ve based our community off of faith, so all of the people we’re friends with have the same faith as us,” Biffano said. “Because we all have a Christian faith we tend to be kinder, loving [and] caring because that’s what Jesus is.”
Meetings start with catching up with everybody’s lives and prayer requests. Following that they do a Bible study or sermon led by one of the officers. If you see positive prayer walls around the school, it likely came from Girls in Grace.
“[Our goal as] leaders of this Christian club [is to] strengthen our individual faith [and] not just allow us to grow with others, but to grow individually as well,” Cullivan said.
Each club comes with its unique qualities, however, they come together as one by supporting each other and spreading the word of God. While Girls in Grace is for women, there is another club entitled Brothers in Christ with the same passions and goals.
“The people who run Brothers in Christ, Girls in Grace and FCA [Fellowship of Christian Athletes all] have a big friend group where we all hang out and do Bible studies Mondays and Fridays, go to everybody’s church [events and] support each other,” the leader of Brothers in Christ senior Grayson Bryce said. “Bringing it into school is mainly just to spread the message farther than our own 20, 30 people, trying to get other people involved.”
Brothers in Christ was founded by Grayson Bryce in 2024 with the help of some friends. His idea came about when he started his walk with God and became passionate about sharing it with others.
“[When] I joined that community, the same time around then is when Jesus started giving me friends that I could really turn to,” Bryce said.
Similarly to Girl in Grace, Brothers in Christ meetings begin with a prayer. Next, they make the choice of a sermon or playing a faith-based game/trivia. They follow up with a deep dive into what the game or sermon was about so they can find out how to apply the information to their daily lives.
“I’ve learned accountability because if you’re preaching in the hallways of your own school you can’t go around acting like a fool. You’ll get called out on it and it really sucks to get called out,” Bryce said.
Even though FCA has the same traits as the other faith-based clubs, there are not as many members because of the misconception that you have to be an athlete to join.
“I feel like the hardest thing about [being the vice president of FCA] is tracking attendance because there isn’t a set list of members, people just come and go,” Vice President of FCA senior Hailey Dickey said.
Before Dickey was vice president for FCA she was an officer for Girls in Grace. Her attendance in this club allowed her to grow faithful connections with the founders of Girls in Grace which led her to grow her community. Many clubs are after-school activities, however, FCA holds their meetings every week before school. The meeting starts with a worship song, then a five-minute devotional. This allows members to start their day off right with a comforting community to learn and get inspired to grow their faith.
“[From this club] I’ve learned from the importance of others, you can’t do your walk in life alone. And I think it’s important to lean on others whenever you’re going through challenging stuff,” Dickey said.
Discovering one’s journey with the Lord is intimate and doesn’t necessarily require going to church and worshiping in big groups. Having that support is good, but it doesn’t make anyone less of a follower if they don’t. However, through these three clubs, it is clear that all members benefit from supporting one another and worshipping God together. If you’re looking for a friend group make sure you value the same things and morals, even if people don’t like it. When you find your group you’ll strive together because you believe in the same things. In the end, these three clubs come together as a big family. It can be hard to tell which way to turn when meeting new people, but these groups all offer a comforting community for students to put their trust in. While all three communities have different origins and a diverse selection of people, they all connect with each other with the love of Jesus standing with them.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love”
1 Corinthians 13:13
