Delight Ministries seeks to be a safe place on campus for women

Photo by Jada Camille.

Delight Ministries seeks to bridge women of all backgrounds into a unified community with the intention of breaking down walls through sharing personal stories. The ministry is a noncommittal event targeted at women of all ages on over one hundred campuses.

Delight is a nation-wide ministry that was originated by two sophomore women at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. In fall 2017, it was brought to Lee’s campus by senior education major Sydney Crumley, and its first kickoff event at Lee was in the following spring semester.

“To come to Delight, you just have to be a girl with a story, and we all have a story,” said Natalie Panettiere, a senior psychology major who serves as the club’s relationship coordinator. 

A night at a Delight Ministries event includes a group share circle, where students read over a topic found in the Delight devotional and then break off into small groups to discuss the devotion.

Within the club, members also have the chance to sign up for “Delight Dates,” in which members are randomly paired to meet up for a meal, coffee or study session.

“This is so they can meet other girls that they may not know in the club and they can expand their horizons,” said junior psychology major and team director, Cristina Moore. “Delight Dates have been a huge blessing to me and the girls. They allow girls from different dorms, majors and years to connect and find a common ground. [The common thread] is God and knowing that He is working in all of our lives in different ways.”

Ellie Carlson, a junior biology major, and Delight’s social media coordinator emphasized the club’s mission is to be a safe place for women to connect on campus.

“Delight is a safe place where [women] can talk and be vulnerable with one another and be real. [Delight] is about transforming lives,” Carlson said.

To learn more about the history of Delight or to purchase Delight merchandise, visit www.delightministries.com.