When 60 women from Lutheran congregations all over North Carolina came together on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University in June 2026, there were elections to be held, stories to share, information to gather, and friends to be remembered.

The 38th annual Gathering of North Carolina’s Women of the ELCA (WELCA) was planned as a memorial to our beloved friend Maxine Amos (St. Mark’s, Lumberton), who passed away last year. Maxine had been a faithful supporter of Women of the ELCA at all levels, a fixture at Gatherings and retreats, and a mentor to many women in the organization. “Almost all of us currently on the Board, and many women serving as pastors, Synod Authorized Ministers (SAMs), or lay preachers, have a Maxine story to share, of how she encouraged us to follow God’s calling. This organization meant a lot to her, and we felt that this was a way to honor her,” said NC WELCA President Terri Brown, who was elected to a second term as president at this Gathering.

In addition to Terri Brown’s re-election, Nena Babb was re-elected as treasurer, with Alecia Harrison, Anita Miller, and Eleanor Ernst joining the board for two years.

The board announced the establishment of a scholarship in honor of Elizabeth Drum, daughter of former NC WELCA president Lisa Philbeck. “Lizzie” was an active participant in NC WELCA and a leader for younger women. The scholarship will assist young women who wish to attend NC WELCA events.

Women of the ELCA churchwide representative, Merrily Burmeister, shared her experiences as a young mother in a new community, and the support she found in Women of the ELCA. She invited participants in an Awareness Session to do the same. Other sessions focused on the causes supported through the year. Lutheran Disaster Relief, Lutheran Services Carolinas, Robeson County Church and Community Center, and the Fuller Center for Housing Rehabilitation shared updates, information, and ideas.

Throughout the year, women’s conferences across the synod supported and studied Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) with offerings and a Spring Gathering program that helped us understand the breadth of the issue. Organizers put together a display of red dresses to represent the absence of those lost to violence. The color choice is deeply rooted in Indigenous beliefs. According to tradition, red is the only color that the spirit world can see. Using red dresses is a spiritual practice designed to call the spirits of the missing back to their loved ones, help them find peace, and invoke the protection and guidance of ancestors. Red handprints represent silence, a barrier to reporting and resolving thousands of cases nationwide.

A powerful keynote presentation by a delegation from the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina gave insight into tribal traditions and further focused on MMIW, as individual representatives spoke of personal experiences with missing family members and neighbors. “In our community, neighbors are family. Jesus taught us to look out for each other,” Lumbee tribal leaders Yvonne Dial and Celeste Hunt shared. “That’s what we do; it’s what you do. You care for people.” A traditional Friendship Dance concluded the program as participants joined together to circle the Belk Centrum, stepping to the beat of a native drum.

Worship is integral to the Gathering. This year, that included a Bible study led by Deacon Wendy Roberts, which invited us to consider the ways and the direction God leads us in the light of God’s love. As our gifts are revealed, God’s love shines through and we “become” when we follow where God leads.

Bishop Emily led closing worship, reminding the women gathered in Lenoir-Rhyne’s Grace Chapel on Saturday afternoon that our calling is not for some other time and place, but for our “here and now,” as we extend love, grace, and care to the community.

“For such a time as this,” she said, “for any time, God’s love breaks through when we welcome strangers, care for those in need, and come together. God’s love breaks through in each of you.”