WHO ARE WE
The Gathering exists to welcome people into community to follow Jesus, partner in ministry to transform our lives together, and to go create an equitable world.

Jesus's ministry was rooted in responding to the least, last and lost. He was intentional in ministering to those who were marginalized, oppressed, downtrodden and made to feel as if their worth and value were being negotiated.

​The Gathering is a womanist church ​that exists to create worship experiences that address social justice issues through womanist preaching and action.  It's not just for women, though - it's for women and men, where social justice is addressed through the gospel text in a way that raises prophetic voices and issues a rallying cry, speaking truth to power.  It is about women and men working together to dismantle the systemic structures that seek to oppress people.

We welcome you to The Gathering, a worshipping community in Dallas, where all are truly welcome.

​Welcome. Partner. Transform. Go.

WHAT IS A
WOMANIST?

The poet, literary giant and activist, Alice Walker, best known for her book-turned-movie, The Color Purple, said "womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender, credited with coining the term.

​The term is derived from "womanish," a Black folk expression of mothers to female children suggesting being grown and responsible. Therefore, the womanist preachers seek to responsibly approach the homiletic text, learning more than what's on the surface, doing deep exegetical work of looking at the biblical text through a lens of liberation. ​As more preachers, pastors and ministers of the word intentionally do the deeper exegetical work of interrogating the sacred biblical texts to raise up the muted voices of women, the theological landscape for womanism continues to expand. ​

WHAT SHOULD
​I EXPECT?

Come prepared to spend one hour of worship where we will examine the text and do the deeper work of seeing the healing, restorative justice, and liberation in the Scriptures. Together, we will emerge less broken and ready to do the work that God is calling each of us to do in rebuilding God's beloved community!

When God's preached word goes forth, it will convict us, challenge, and sometimes make us uncomfortable in those places where we have grown too comfortable. It's time to be liberated and set free! 

​Expect Healing. Expect Authentic Worship. 
Expect it because it is Necessary. 

OUR PRIORITIES

The Gathering's Missional Priorities:

  • Create worship experiences that address social justice through womanist preaching and action. 
  • Be an authentic and compelling faith community for people who feel a disconnect with the institutional church. 
  • Be a healing, learning, and growing fellowship for persons marginalized in society. 
  • Dismantle Patriarchy one womanist sermon at a time. 
  • Discover together how the ministry of Christ calls us to welcome all, really.

The Gathering's Social Justice Priorities:

  • ​Racial Equity
  • Dismantling PMS (Patriarchy, Misogyny, & Sexism) 
  • LGBTQ Equality

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

In an unprecedented and forward-thinking vision, seven women gathered on Good Friday, in Dallas, at the invitation of Rev. Dr. Irie Session, to reimagine Jesus's seven last sayings from the Cross, through womanist interpretation. Each of the seven women brought messages of hope, freedom, and healing, not just for the guests, but for themselves. You see, it is a rarity, even in 2017, for seven Black preaching women to be in one place, at one podium, on one preaching assignment. Those in attendance embraced this style of liberating preaching and inquired when and where would they be able to experience this again. That was the genesis of The Gathering.

​Immediately following that authentic night of worship, Rev. Kamilah Hall Sharp and Dr. Session began having conversations, at the urging of her husband, Nakia Sharp, about creating a worshiping community that would offer womanist preaching, in Dallas, on a regular basis. They then invited Rev. Yvette Blair-Lavallais to the table. Clearly, God was doing a new and transformative work and was leading the way for the formation of this new faith community where all would be welcome to experience worship that is healing, authentic and necessary. 

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Worship: One Hour hybrid 
​Time: 6:00 PM CT
​Day: Saturday in person 2nd and 4th Saturdays 
Where: 7202 W. Northwest Highway
Dallas, TX 75225
​Located just off 75 and Northwest Highway