Reading from the book of Genesis, explaining stories written by college women and reading other scripture are just a few of the many things that go on during Delight Ministries meetings. The organization provides a space on college campuses for women to show and explain how Christ has been at work in their lives, according to the Delight Ministries website. They also have five core values: invitational, vulnerable community, effective innovation, spirit led and equipping, according to their website.
Delight’s first official meeting was in Aug. 2012 and was founded at Belmont University, according to their website. Delight Ministries has over 14,000 college women who are a part of the organization, according to their website. After the first year of Delight in 2012, the women decided they wanted to expand the accessibility of the ministry, and now there are 205 Delight chapters across the country, according to their website.
Senior nursing major and Team Director of Delight Ministries Samantha Gossett said she joined Delight because she wanted a community to join that was centered around Christ. She said she wanted to feel like the people around her were interested in the same thing.
“ … I think it’s really important to have people around you who are also kind of striving and working toward the same thing, so just being kind of grounded in other people who want the same thing as you do and just working towards that,” Gossett said.
While in Delight, Gossett said she has learned a lot about the lives of other college women, as well as being able to reflect on her own life through the ministry. Within Delight, she said she has also been able to relate to other women with their struggles, as well.
Their mission is to invite college women into Christ-centered communities that foster vulnerability and transform stories, Gossett said. Their weekly meetings are in the Health Pavilion at 7 p.m. where, this semester, they are going through the book of Genesis, according to Gossett.
“It’s a really wonderful community and it’s just a really great way to get to know other college women who are also striving to be more like Christ and to learn how to love like Christ and love others and just build really great friendships,” Gossett said.
Sophomore nursing major and Co-Leader Mallory Barnes joined Delight her freshman year because she wanted to find a community where girls could uplift her. She said she attended the kick-off event and fell in love with the concept of Delight.
“I’ve kind of grown up in a Christan family and going to college, I was scared about losing my faith … or focusing on partying and stuff and I didn’t want to do that so I wanted to find a community …,” Barnes said.
According to Barnes, since joining Delight, she has learned that church is not one place, but rather church is wherever a community can worship and can show their thankfulness. They create a loving environment where people can be free to share the faith they have, Barnes said.
“I’ve also learned that superficial friends aren’t what I need, I need more closer relationships and I’ve been able to grow those and have those relationships now being in Delight because I know what a meaningful relationship looks like,” Barnes said.
In Delight, they also talk about hard topics that are going on around campus as well as around Indianapolis, and according to Barnes, they cover topics such as racism and sexism. They are very open and want to help and create environments where the members feel comfortable sharing things, according to Barnes.
“ … We are very open with helping people through those [topics] and creating an environment where everyone feels welcome and so I think that’s how we help the campus, we’re just wanting to help everybody,” Barnes said.
On April 9, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., Delight will be hosting a private shopping event at Aerie, located in the Greenwood Park mall. According to Gossett, for any more information on Delight Ministries, following their Instagram can offer more information on upcoming events.
