The Gathering

The Gathering on the go meet-and-greet tonight was filled with good food, great people, and a good time. Meet us for church tomorrow 6 pm CST online or in person at Bethany United Methodist Church.

How O.G. Anunoby and Jalen Brunson Modeled Non-Hierarchical Leadership and Ministry Partnership:

The church where I’m fortunate to serve as co-pastor with Rev. Kamilah Hall Sharp, Ph.D., The Gathering, A Womanist Church in Dallas, this church, was formed nine years ago using a non-hierarchical leadership and ministry partnership model.

This past week I saw a beautiful illustration of our model as I was captivated by the last 4 minutes of the NBA finals.
Wednesday night, June 19th while watching the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, I witnessed something in the final seconds of the game that stayed with me long after the buzzer sounded and pandemonium in MSG ensued.

What I saw was not simply a winning basketball play. I saw an illustration, an object lesson in ministry partnership and non-hierarchical leadership.

With only seconds remaining, O.G. Anunoby inbounded the ball to Jalen Brunson. At first glance, it looked like a routine play. The ball was in the hands of the team’s leader and star player. Brunson would take the shot. Everyone understood their role.
But O.G.’s work was not even close to being finished once he passed the ball.

Instead of standing back and admiring the play he had initiated, he stayed engaged. He watched the floor. He paid attention to the positioning of teammates and the opposing teams players. He anticipated what might happen next.
Brunson took a three-point shot. It was a shot he often makes.

But O.G. did not assume success.

He moved into the paint and positioned himself under the basket. He prepared for the possibility that the shot might miss. And when it did, he was exactly where he needed to be. Rising from beneath the rim, he tipped the ball in for what became the game-winning basket.

The Knicks won because O.G. understood that partnership requires more than doing your assigned task. Partnership requires paying attention to the whole picture.

As I watched that moment unfold, I could not help thinking about ministry, particularly our ministry with The Gathering, A Womanist Church.

Too often, leadership is imagined as a hierarchy where one person carries the vision, makes the decisions, and receives the credit. Yet I’ve discovered that the healthiest ministries operate differently.

Jalen Brunson is clearly the leader of the Knicks. But leadership does not mean doing everything yourself. Effective leaders create space for others to contribute their gifts. They trust the people around them. They understand that success is rarely the result of one person’s effort.

That is what I saw in those final seconds.

Brunson took the shot.

O.G. anticipated what might be needed next.

Neither role was more important than the other.
One created the opportunity. The other completed it.

That is what partnership looks like.

In ministry, partnership means that people do not wait to be told every step to take. They pay attention. They anticipate needs. They look for gaps. They step forward when their gifts are required.

The strongest ministry partners are not simply task completers. They are people who care enough about the mission to remain engaged after their immediate responsibility has been fulfilled.

They ask:
* What else is needed?
* Where is there a gap?
* How can I help the whole community succeed?

That kind of partnership creates communities where everyone can flourish.

Non-hierarchical leadership does not mean the absence of leadership. It means leadership is shared. It means everyone understands they have agency, responsibility, and something valuable to contribute.
The leader does their part.
The partners do theirs.

Together, they create something neither could accomplish alone.
Wednesday night, O.G. Anunoby reminded me that some of the most important work happens after the pass.

The question for those of us in ministry is simple:
Are we standing still after we’ve done our part, or are we staying engaged, paying attention, and positioning ourselves to help the community win?

Because sometimes the difference between success and failure is not the person taking the shot.

Sometimes it is the partner who is ready for the rebound.

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OG Anunoby's late tip-in sends MSG into a frenzy - ESPN Video

Join us tonight for worship. Our womanist preacher this evening is the always creative Rev. Dr. Ty'Reanna Harris.

Dr. Harris is an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, a creative content architect, and a photographer whose work centers on the power of embodied storytelling. She serves in Admissions at Candler School of Theology, where she supports theological education and student formation. A graduate of Bethune-Cookman University (BS, Psychology) and Candler School of Theology (MDiv), she recently earned her Doctor of Ministry, focusing on the relationship between Preaching and photography. Her work explores how images bear witness to the lived, performed, and internalized dimensions of Black preaching. She is committed to shaping spaces where faith, creativity, and digital culture meet.

Join us for the 2026 Womanist Preaching & Leadership Institute at The Gathering, A Womanist Church, July 10–11, 2026, as we gather around the timely and transformative theme:

“Have You Got Good Religion? Black Liberative Virtues”

This year’s Institute Scholar is Dr. AnneMarie Mingo, whose work continues to challenge, inspire, and call us toward deeper communal care, justice, and liberative faith practices.

We are also honored to welcome presenters Dr. Rochelle Johnson, Dr. Nicole McDonald, and Dr. Jamie Eaddy, who will help guide rich conversations on womanist preaching, leadership, Black religious life, and embodied liberation.

Our Saturday evening worship experience will feature the powerful preaching ministry of Dr. Jamie Eaddy.

Hosted by Co-Pastors Rev. Dr. Kamilah Hall Sharp and Rev. Dr. Irie Lynne Session, this gathering is designed for preachers, pastors, faith leaders, scholars, activists, and truth-tellers committed to building communities rooted in justice, sacred memory, healing, and Black flourishing.

Come prepared for deep learning, courageous conversation, worship, sisterhood, and prophetic imagination.

Click the link for registration details:
https://www.wpli2026.org

Join us on Wednesday, June 4th for the FREE online workshop, “Mental Health, Domestic Violence, & Faith Practices with Minister Erma Sinclair Davis and Rev. Tawana Angela Davis, PhD.

Join us this Saturday, May 23rd @6:00PM CST for worship and tag-team preaching with co-pastors Dr. Irie Lynne Session and Dr. Kamilah Hall Sharp. Our May preaching theme is "Honoring Mothering Work: From Biological Mothers to Community Caretaking."