Giana’s Club Encouraging Women in Our Walk with God

In 2005, I made a decision to seek God.  After leaving the church as a teenager and dabbling between atheism and agnosticism I made a promise that I would follow God as long as He led the way because I had no idea the path that I was to follow.  I didn’t have any Christian friends to turn to for guidance and at the time I was even more reluctant to ask for help.  Yet, without meaning to sound cliché, God provided.  I was working as a preschool teacher and I was having a conversation with a coworker about how I had just started going to mass again and I remember telling her- “I feel like I need evidence to continue, some facts to kill this cynic in me.” She recommended a book that changed my life.  As I continued seeking God, He continued placing women in my life that furthered me on my spiritual quest.  I went from not knowing a single Christian person to slowly building my sisterhood.   Some of these sisters were transitory they only came into my life for a brief moment and others have remained with me throughout watching me learn to crawl and taking my first faith steps.  The thing is, that in matters of faith it’s also a matter of relationship: relationship with God, relationship with self, relationship with others.  “No man is an island” and this is the most-true in Christianity.  There’s many lonely, depressed people in the world (even so in church circles) that’s why developing same-sex friendships is of high importance in the Christian life.   

Most parishes usually have different activities and groups that serve as great avenues to meet and make friends.  Today, I like to promote a group that I have been an avid attendee for almost a year now, Giana’s Club.  It’s a women’s group that doesn’t discriminate in age, all are welcomed. I find that having the ability to interact with both younger and older women than I, is such a blessing because I can learn so much from both perspectives.  In addition, to no age limits it’s also for both single and married women.  So again, there’s depth in perspective.  Once a month we meet usually around six PM and start with a potluck dinner, drinks and mingling amongst each other.  It’s very relaxed and low key; but, what I love most is that it really feels like family.  I don’t have to be at my top game I can relax and usually the conversation is about real topics not the uncomfortable networking scheme.  I guess because the objective is to foster friendships and grow together in virtue the pressure is nonexistent.  Sometimes we don’t even have a speaker, like last night when it was just a blind wine tasting party.  A nice social night to catch-up with one another and begin our new year.

The club is part of a small, but very activite community at Blessed John Henry Newman Catholic Church in Irvine.  I am normally quite lazy when it comes to driving, but the twenty-five minute drive doesn’t keep me away because I know that it will be a fulfilling time.  Though I had to miss this month's meeting due to the flu, my first time attending was also a blind wine tasting party and it was truly delightful, sipping on wine and making friends while we explored which drink we liked best.  If you are in the area try to make it in February, I would love to meet you.

I have attached the link to the club with a bit more details: Gianna Club Link