Chloe Lanham
Staff Writer
Delight Ministries is part of a national women’s Bible study network, and the chapter at Florida Southern has grown its own family. Weekly gatherings blend devotionals with vulnerable conversations and the group regularly hosts worship nights and service projects.
“[Delight] is really a time for girls on campus to come together and learn more about God’s word and fellowship with one another,” said Amy Gossage, the service coordinator. “We’re always building each other up in truth and encouragement.”
For Sarah Lytle, the team director, the most impactful part is creating an environment where women feel safe to be themselves.
“We make it comfortable, very girly, a lot of pink, a lot of food and a lot of fun, loving on the girls that walk through the door,” Lytle said.
Lytle expressed the goal is to provide a safe space to have deep conversations and be vulnerable with one other.
“It’s not surface level, like ‘I’m doing good, how are you?’ We really want to talk about things that we struggle with, but also lift each other up when we’re doing great,” said Gossage.
With about 18 girls regularly in attendance, the meetings are intimate enough for real conversations while still open to growth. The leaders of Delight envision a future with a wider outreach.
“I would love to just see it continue to grow and reach girls where they are,” said Lytle. “We want [girls] to not feel intimidated because maybe they feel that nudge because God wants them there just that week for that chapter because He knows that it’s exactly what she needs.”
Beyond weekly devotionals, the members also participate in community service projects around Lakeland, putting their values into practice. Recently, the group partnered with Somos Church to pack meals for children facing food insecurity, and styled outfits for girls at the Pace Center for Girls.
“We’re going to be helping them with that and making them feel seen and loved,” Gossage said.
The blend of openness and purpose highlights something bigger on campus, it highlights women stepping confidently into ministry. For Gossage and Lytle, leading Delight means growing in confidence, compassion and leadership in ways that make space for others to do the same.
“God did instill in women this sense of care-taking, so I think being in a woman’s ministry, you can really see how people care for each other on a deeper level,” Gossage said. “Yeah, they want to talk and hang out, but it’s also a deeper level of compassion that we have for others.”
“It’s really grown on me in my community with girls to just know God and desire Him more. Like, I would never have just sat there reading my Bible. But now, I’m wanting to be in my Word,” said Lytle.
Whether its worship nights, baptisms at the meditation pond, or going on “Delight Dates” for lake laps or to grab coffee, the group ensures that the ministry is not confined to meeting once a week.
The leaders hope that the sisterhood built within Delight is what keeps thriving after they graduate. It is about cultivating a comfortable opportunity for women to share their struggles and successes, while growing in their faith.
As the meetings come to an end every week, the members don’t rush to leave. They linger over snacks, swap encouragement for the week and share prayer requests.
For Delight, it isn’t just a Thursday night. It’s a sisterhood led by women, for women and shaping what ministry can look like on a college campus.
Delight Ministries meets every Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. in the President’s Dining Room. If you would like to get involved in a Christ-centered community for women, you can follow their Instagram at @delight_fsc.
