The annual Women's Day was originally held the fourth Sunday in July under Reverend Gray's pastorate. In 2005 and 2006, Women's Day was held on the fifth Sunday in July. The women were entirely responsible for the worship services.

Women's Day was originally a fund-raising event sponsored by an auxiliary of the church. In the late 1950's, under the leadership of Elouise D. Kearney, it was decided to make Women's Day a combined church effort instead of having it sponsored by an auxiliary. This meant that the proceeds from Women's Day would serve as a source of revenue for the entire church. Initially, captains were selected and the woman who raised the greatest amount of money was crowned Mrs. Mount Gilead. Rosabelle Gray held the title of Mrs. Mount Gilead Baptist Church for four consecutive years, 1960-1964. Vera Goodman assumed the title in 1964. In the late 1960s, the fund-raising activity for Women's Day was organized by captains according to select areas of the city and surrounding areas. During the 1970s, under Dr. Raymond Dean's pastorate, the Women's Day continued to prosper the church, spiritually, and financially.

Since the 1980s, captains have been selected according to auxiliaries and non-auxiliaries. In 1991, under the leadership of Mildred Simmons, a "Woman of the Year" honor was initiated and a one-day workshop was held. The "Woman of the Year" demonstrated spiritual leadership and outstanding church involvement.

A pivotal year for the women of Mt. Gilead was 1994. The first Women's Retreat, inspired by Rev. Veronica Thomas, was officially initiated under the leadership of Patricia Newman. Minister Newman also initiated "Women in Touch" fellowship, which later was approved by Dr. Dean to become "Women in Touch" Ministry in 1996. The " Women in Touch Ministry" initial meeting was scheduled to be held Jan. 21, 1997. At that time, Dr. Raymond Dean ordained Women's Day and Mother's Day to fall under the umbrella of the Women's Ministry.

Since our 1994 Retreat, held at Airfield Conference Center , Wakefield , VA , a number of churches that attended Mount Gilead 's Women's Retreats, have implemented their own women's retreat.

In 2003, the term "Coordinator" was given to the Women's Ministry Leader, by our Pastor, Dr. Shelton Murphy. Women's Day remained under the umbrella of Women's Ministry. Under Minister Vernice Bradley, our Ministry coordinator, the one-day workshop was extended to a three-day Women's Conference.

In 2005, The "Women in Touch" Ministry's name changed to "Daughters of Destiny" during Reverend Debra Haggin's tenure. The Women's Retreat was held for the first time outside of Wakefield VA , at Founder's Inn in Virginia Beach , Virginia under Rev. Haggin's leadership.

Other activities hosted by the women of Mount Gilead were Women's Prayer Breakfasts and several youth activities. The year 2006 was recognized as the "Year of Esther". The 2006 Women's Day Committee included a prayer and praise service consisting of 100+ Women in White. This service has been held annually since 1994, the Wednesday night prior to Women's Day. The "Hadassah Award" was initiated for Women's Day 2006. The award means "In thee I will hide". Esther's Jewish name was Hadassah.

Dr. Bennie Marshall has been the leader of the Health Fair Day, usually held on the Saturday before Women's Day, for the past several years.

For the year 2007, Michela McGhee was the Women's Ministry leader with Juanita Love and Minister Patricia Newman served as Women's Day and Women's Conference Committee chairpersons, respectively. Under Michela McGhee's leadership, the Women's Ministry held its 1 St Annual Mother and Daughter Tea in May 2007, with over 120 mothers and daughters in attendance.

Past Women’s Day Chairpersons

Ella Elder
Esther Gray
Rosabelle Gray
Shirley Gordon
Katherine Harrell
Mildred Simmons
Elousie Kearney
Valerie Otey
Harriet Montgomery
Patricia Newman
Carolyn Phelps
Trenda Cotton-Shipp
Grace Venable
Cathy Johnson
Thelma Wadley
Sylvia Lawton
Mabel Phelps
Jean Peterson

Women’s Ministry Chairpersons

Women of the Year

Esther Gray (1991)
Dianne Powell (1992)
Vondra Mackey (1993)
Ethel Pierre (1994)
Laura Patton (1995)
Jean Lewis (1996)
Bertha Bond (1997)
Paula Shaw (1998)
Janice House (1999)

Hadassah Award Recipients

Young Adults