About
Gather, the magazine of Women of the ELCA, offers a mix of articles, theological reflections, devotions and stories of comfort and challenge that help readers grow in faith and engage in ministry and action.
Purchase our award-winning Bible studies!
Gather has a selection of past Bible studies available for purchase from the ELCA e-store.
Join for free!
Sign-up for Gather’s free monthly e-newsletter and receive thought-provoking articles, online exclusives and bonus offers in your inbox!
A force of nature
Think for a moment about how society has historically portrayed “Christian women.” I bet certain images spring readily to mind. A demure young woman, head bowed in prayer. A kind, motherly, pulled-together lady in a sweater set or a fabulous hat, depending on one’s...
May 2025 “Receiving the Spirit’s flame: Spiritual gifts in the life of the church” video supplement
Watch the video. As we begin to dig into Scripture and talk about our spiritual gifts, it’s important to remind ourselves that these gifts are given to us by Someone who knows us intimately. A spiritual gift is nothing we can ever earn, and usually not something we’d...
Be not afraid!
March 25th is the celebration of the Annunciation. On this day, we remember the angel coming to Mary with the words, “Be not afraid.” By most accounts, Mary had many reasons to be afraid. Simply encountering a powerful spiritual being is cause for one to tremble. In...
The hardest part of parenting
No parent or caregiver wants to get a call from the school principal’s office. Last year, I got that call. “I have your son here in the office with me,” said a school administrator, adding, “There was bullying on the playground.” She relayed the offenses, which...
Bridging the gaps
Ivannav Davila Garcia knows brokenness and where the cracks are. Ivannav, 23, immigrated to the United States from Venezuela in 2016, when she was 14. She traveled with her mother and father, who sought asylum after her mother’s public advocacy and anti-corruption...
In the image of God
If you were to attend Sunday service at Holly Grove Lutheran Church in Lexington, North Carolina, you might notice that Pastor Anna E. Carter rarely leads worship alone. As she sets the table, serves communion, and processes down the aisle, there is a little boy at...