Delight is a nationwide college ministry for women. They have clubs on over 100 campuses across the country and students are beginning a new chapter right here at California Lutheran University. This club will be open to all women in college who are looking to grow in their religious beliefs. According to their website, Delight’s mission statement is to “invite college women into a Christ-centered community that fosters vulnerability and transforms stories.”

Colleen Windham-Hughes, who has a doctorate in religious studies and is the faculty mentor for the club, said, “I look forward to it being a place to nurture spiritual friendship and a place for leadership and developing community.”

The leadership team is made up of six sophomore students: Nelleke Meerman, Megan Pollock, Maggie Devlin, Jessica Bradshaw, Jenna Sergott and Catherine Slabaugh.

Cal Lutheran Delight President Nelleke Meerman first discovered the ministry through Instagram. She found out that it was originally a Bible study put together by three sophomore girls at Belmont University that grew to become a national network. After doing more research on the club and its nationwide mission, she decided to bring it to Cal Lutheran.

“I was hoping that somebody would start something like this and I was like, ‘Well, you know, I might as well just start it,’” Meerman said.

After sharing the idea with her peers, she found that she was not the only one who felt that Cal Lutheran needed a new way for Christian women to come together.

“When Nelleke approached me about a Bible study for girls, I was like, ‘This is it. This is what I was meant to do, like, I need to be a part of this,’” Pollock said.

Delight aims to create an open and welcoming environment for female students who want to be part of a religious community. The Bible study will read a new chapter each week, and it will include the testimonies of other college women, Bible verses and discussion questions. The Delight team wants to host meetings that encourage open dialogues where girls can relate to each other on a personal and spiritual level.

“Just the idea of having a big group of girls really coming together and supporting each other and helping each other grow through college is something that I’ve been looking for,” Meerman said.

The club also plans to incorporate service projects such as beach clean-ups and food drives. In addition, Meerman says they want to organize a worship service each semester. This service would be a place where everyone is welcome to listen to live music and join the celebration.

The club’s first meeting and launch party will be held on Monday, Feb. 26, from 6:25 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Delight will have a table set up at the Spring Involvement Fair on Tuesday, Feb. 20, where those who are interested can get more information and sign up.

“Even if you go once, you’ll hear someone’s story and it will relate to your life no matter what you’re going through and I think it will just make you feel more at home wherever you are,” Devlin said.

With only weeks left until the club’s official launch, Meerman said she is most excited to meet the girls who want to join and to form deeper friendships.

“I think one of our biggest goals is to just have a lot of girls come who are searching for something and they don’t know what it is yet and I’m really hoping that this group will be able to give that to them,” Pollock said.

To contact CLU Delight, email Nelleke Meerman at [email protected] or follow the club’s Instagram @delight_callutheran.

Brooke Stanley
Reporter