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Women of the ELCA will host its 2026 Triennial Gathering in Des Moines, Iowa, July 16-19, celebrating the theme “I Am Worthy,” based on Psalm 139:14—“I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Rooted in its mission to mobilize women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ, the gathering invites participants to nurture meaningful connections, share faith experiences and discover ways to share God’s love with others.
“We live in a time when many people are working so hard to make the world better and feeling despair over the state of society,” said Jennifer Hockenbery, interim executive director of Women of the ELCA. “This is a time when we can be fed and nourished together. We are called to remember that we are not made worthy by our actions, we are worthy by God’s love. Spending time in that love together can help [us] heal [so that we can] go and spread that love to others.”
Minna Bothwell, pastor of Capitol Hill Lutheran Church in Des Moines and the gathering’s worship coordinator, said the theme “is a bold and timely theological claim.”
Also speaking on the theme, Lucille “CeCee” Mills, ELCA secretary and closing worship preacher, said, “In a world that so often tells people they are disposable or invisible, this theme invites us to reclaim God’s truth: Our worth is not earned or diminished by circumstance but given by God. The notion of being worthy can only be done in recognition of God’s gift of grace.
“The awareness of our imperfections often makes it difficult to muster self-love in the moment of contrition following our own failures. Knowing that God makes me worthy—not my own actions, abilities or thoughts—liberates me to lean into being fearfully and wonderfully made. It is indeed what makes it special—by practical evaluation none of us are worthy, but by God’s divine grace we are. That’s amazing!”
“Attending with other women of my family means I am standing in the middle of a living chain of faith—not just talking about ‘passing faith on’ but actually embodying it across generations.”
“The Southeastern Iowa Synod and the Women of the ELCA in Southeastern Iowa are delighted to welcome all the I am “worthy” attendees for the 2026 Triennial Gathering,” said Amy Current, synod bishop. “I am delighted to welcome y’all to Des Moines, and then to share in worship, listen to inspiring speakers, participate in workshops, and engage with leaders from throughout our church that take seriously the call to ‘promote God’s healing and wholeness in the church, society and the world.’ It is going to be great. If you haven’t registered yet, there is still time.”
Susan Humphrey, a member of Joy Lutheran Church in Tulsa, Okla., and president of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synodical Women’s Organization, said, “The gathering is a powerful witness to what the church can be when women’s voices, leadership and faith are fully honored.”
“A living chain of faith”
Generational connectivity is one of the central experiences for many attendees. Humphrey plans to attend the event with her daughter, daughter-in-law and two granddaughters. Her family captures the spirit of this connectivity.
Humphrey’s daughter, Sara Richers, has attended every gathering since 1999. She especially remembers the event in 2002 when she was invited to participate in a “girls room” activity where she met Nadia Boltz-Weber, an ELCA pastor.
Humphrey’s granddaughter, Anna Richers, was 2 months old at her first gathering in 2011 and already has special memories. “I have been held as a baby by former [Presiding] Bishop Mark Hanson, and I met former [Presiding] Bishop Elizabeth Eaton several times,” she said. “I hope our new presiding bishop, Yehiel Curry, will be at this gathering so I can meet him too.”
Daughter-in-law Sarah Humphrey, a pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in East Northport, N.Y., described the generational connection: “Attending with other women of my family means I am standing in the middle of a living chain of faith—not just talking about ‘passing faith on’ but actually embodying it across generations.”
Hockenbery envisions the gathering as an opportunity for Women of the ELCA to consider its history, its present and its future.“
Who have we been and what have we done to foster community and support the church and society?” she asked. “Who are we now, what do we need from each other and what does the world need from us? And who are we called to be?”
The gathering “is a time to connect with others, to share stories, to be inspired and to find new friends. And there is always the dancing!”
Together, participants will explore how the theme helps shape identity, vocation and community.
“‘I Am Worthy’ reminds me that worth isn’t something we earn—it’s something God declares,” said Sarah Humphrey. “As a new woman pastor, that matters deeply to me. Because there are moments when it feels like I need to prove myself twice over, to justify my calling, to take up less space, to get everything exactly right.
“This theme pulls me back to the truth that my worth—and my call—were not granted by approval or performance, but by God’s voice that names me beloved and sends me anyway.”
“I needed it for survival”
Martha Ambarang’u, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, and a doctoral candidate at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, will lead a workshop titled “Voices from Swahili-speaking Women and Global Womanism.”
She reflected on the gathering theme as it relates to her own experience of resilience, saying, “My lived experience has forced me to embody this theme, not because I was motivated but because I needed it for survival.”
The ELCA Global Mission International Leaders Program scholar offers participants a global perspective and bears witness to the bold advocacy carried out by women of faith across the world.
She said her workshop presents an opportunity to “advocate for women’s voices all over the world. I am encouraging women to use their voices. I am calling everyone to value, honor and advocate for women’s agency, not just in the text but also in daily life.”
A time for service
Beyond worship, keynote speakers and workshops, the gathering also offers opportunities for creativity, movement and service. Activities include a challenge that invites quilters of all abilities to create quilts interpreting the Triennial Gathering’s theme. Winning quilts will be on display and auctioned at the event. Of the proceeds, 50% will go to Women of the ELCA and 50% to Lutheran World Relief.
A Run, Walk and Roll fundraiser will support the work of the Women of the ELCA’s health initiative “Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls.”
“I always come away from the gathering with renewed energy and ideas for continuing work through Women of the ELCA projects and initiatives,” said Susan Humphrey. “I am grateful for the chance to be part of a community that proclaims hope so boldly and lives it so faithfully.”
The gathering, Hockenbery said, “is a time to connect with others, to share stories, to be inspired and to find new friends. And there is always the dancing!”
Check out Women of the ELCA’s website for more information, including how to register for the Gathering (and the playlist).
