Women of Grace 2021 Fri-Yay Events

Written by Natalie Dorsey // Photography by Caroline Rico

Every summer the Women of Grace gather for Fri-Yay. Once a month in June, July, and August 30 to 50 ladies gather to have fun and fellowship. We caught up with one of the organizers of Women of Grace, Meghan Perry, to get some insight into what goes on behind the scenes at these summer events. 

What do you typically do at a Fri-Yay event?

Meghan: Typically June is a game or craft night, July is a movie night, and August is usually a cold sweet treat with a prayer and worship time to kick off the school year. I love seeing the different gifts and talents of all women.

In case you have never been to a  Fri-Yay event, let me describe the setting. Every detail is in place to make our women feel special and cared for. When you first walk in, there is a smiling face greeting you and welcoming you into the gym. The women wear name tags so they can get to know you by name. As you walk past the hostess, you're in the familiar gym, but it doesn't look like our regular gym. The space is transformed. Tables and partitions are placed to create an intimate environment. Around the room are fun feminine, summer-themed decor. Toward the center of the gym, women are setting up their lawn chairs preparing to watch a movie. 

Setting the snack table is Katylynn Morley. No detail is too small for Katylynn. As you walk down the snack table, the colorful scalloped edged napkins are neatly arranged. They have small details printed on them to match the Fri-Yay theme. The snacks and drinks are in cute baskets and look inviting. Even the cookies are served in decorative boxes. Every detail is in place to make the women feel special. "When I prepare for events, I am mindful of whom I set the table for. When I minister to my church family, I minister to my Savior," says Katylynn. (Colossians 3:23)

Tell me about the decorations and your inspiration for the design:

Meghan: What's nice is we have kept adding on a little decor each year. We got on Amazon to find the “Yay” napkins. We generally try to keep to the “YAY” theme. As for the colors, they started out as a Canva design, and we kept building from it to keep the fun summer colors. 

This year, our goal in the Fri-Yays was to attract the whole spectrum of women. We want to attract all women from 18 to 100-plus-years-old and all ethnicities. If you look at the invitation cards this year, you will see a variety of people represented. As a result, I have had so many women come up to me saying thank you for including someone like me in the design. 

This particular FriYay the women watched the movie ‘Moms Night Out’. it was a great film about a stressed-out mom needing a night out with friends. What sounds like a simple fun night quickly turns to chaos. After the film, ladies who had introduced themselves to one another started to mingle. Around the room, groups of 2, 3, and 4 women broke off and were chatting about the movie and various things in their lives. Everyone was connecting and fellowshipping with one another. The photo booth was in full swing as women commemorated the joyous occasion with a quick fun photo. 

What's your favorite part about Fri- Yay?

Katylynn (on the left) posing with Juliana (in the center), the newcomer Meghan referred to.

Megan: Look right there (pointing to a new attendee), that's my favorite thing about Fri-Yay. That girl right there had only been to GCC one time and wasn't connected to anyone before Fri-Yay.  Katylynn met her at Connection Coffee and invited her to this event and she came! I usually try to have a designated person on the lookout for new faces. If someone new comes in, we can have someone hang out with them so they don't feel alone. For some reason, Fri-Yay events seem to attract a lot of new people. Maybe because it's a fun fellowship event. I also love to see the mixture of generations, and moms can come and just relax while their kids are in childcare. 

As the night winds down, one of the new ladies came up to us and thanked Meghan for having the event. She felt so welcomed and was glad Grace had so much to do and to be involved with. We trade phone numbers and make plans to sit near one another on Sunday morning. 

Proverbs 27:9 “A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.” 

That Scripture says it all, this Fri-Yay was a success!