WHAT: In Ross Gay’s book of essays entitled "The Book of Delights," he lays out his challenge to write a daily essay about something delightful. He pledged that he would do it every day for a year, write them quickly, and write them by hand. Of this practice, Gay says, “It didn’t take me long to learn that the discipline or practice of writing these essays occasioned a kind of delight radar. Or maybe it was more like the development of a delight muscle. Something that implies that the more you study delight, the more delight there is to study.”

WHY: While it may seem like an odd time to be drawing out our delights, The Book of Delights shows that making space for delight means also making space for recognizing injustice, despair, hate, and unfairness. Delight wraps its arms around each of these inevitable aspects of life, drawing our attention to them, while simultaneously helping us to muster the courage to face them.

HOW: You may enjoy writing; if so, you can record your experience of noticing delights on paper just as Ross Gay did. However, you may process experiences better through another medium: storytelling, art, bullet journaling, etc. Feel free to use this project to explore mediums of all types to help cultivate a spiritual practice of delight.
-You will be assigned to a small group (based on your availability) to connect on a deeper level with your individual practice and your relationships.
-You will also be invited to a Collective meeting once a month, to share in a Bible study, workshop, and worship experience with all participants.

WHEN:
4 Monthly Collectives
Sunday, February 7th at 6:30pm (ET)
Sunday, March 7th at 6:30pm (ET)
Sunday, April 11th at 6:30pm (ET)
Sunday, May 2nd at 6:30pm (ET)

4 Monthly Small Groups - based on your availability (see below)

WHO: During this time of COVID, many congregations feel isolated. Many individuals feel isolated. We will pull together congregants from five congregations: First Baptist Church of Savannah, GA, Providence Church (Charleston, SC), First Baptist Church in America (Providence, RI), First Baptist Church of Philadelphia, and First Baptist Church of Austin, TX. As hospitality and inclusion is at the heart of each of these congregations, all are welcome to participate.