NEW MOUNT ROSE RED DRESS TEA 2026. Elevate With Excellence: Faith • Fellowship • Flourishing Women. Colossians 3:23–24 (KJV).

NEW MOUNT ROSE RED DRESS TEA 2026. Elevate With Excellence: Faith • Fellowship • Flourishing Women. Colossians 3:23–24 (KJV)

On Saturday, February 14, 2026 at 3:00 PM, the women of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church of Fort Worth, Texas will gather in elegance and purpose for our Annual Red Dress Tea, hosted this year at Grace Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, 7261 Wichita Street, Forest Hill, Texas.

As the Church Mothers and Mission Sisters prepare their beautiful red dresses and adorned hats, the atmosphere will be filled with grace, gratitude, and celebration. The Red Dress Tea is more than a cherished tradition — it is a sacred expression of faith, sisterhood, and flourishing womanhood.

This year, Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr. and the New Mount Rose family are honored to welcome Dr. Shewanda Riley, Department Chair and Professor of English at Tarrant County College Northeast Campus, as our distinguished guest speaker.

Guest Speaker: Dr. Shewanda Riley

Dr. Riley is a Fort Worth-based educator, journalist, writing coach, podcast host, and Essence magazine best-selling author. She currently serves as Professor of English and English Department Chair at a local community college. Before entering academia, she enjoyed a successful career in radio broadcasting in San Antonio, Dallas, and Nürnberg, Germany, serving as an on-air personality, news director, and morning show producer.

She is the host of The Chocolate Auntie Podcast on the Alive Podcasting Network and the author of:

• Love Hangover: Moving from Pain to Purpose After a Relationship Ends
• Writing to the Beat of God’s Heart: A Book of Prayers for Writers

Since 2001, she has penned the weekly faith-centered column “Preserved by Purpose” for The Dallas Weekly. Her work has appeared in Aspire: The Women of Color Study Bible, The Charleston Chronicle, The Mississippi Link, The Los Angeles Sentinel, and The St. Louis American. She has also been featured in JET Magazine and on The Potter’s Touch with Bishop T.D. Jakes.

Dr. Riley earned her PhD in English Literature from the University of Texas at Arlington, her Master of Arts from Southern Methodist University, and her Bachelor of Arts from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. Her scholarship centers on faith, pop culture, and the African American experience, with doctoral research exploring depictions of African American women in contemporary Christian fiction.

She serves faithfully at International Harvest Christian Fellowship Church in Saginaw, Texas, under the leadership of Bishop Earnest and Brenda Carradine.

Dr. Riley embodies this year’s theme — excellence rooted in faith and expressed through purpose.

Woman of the Year: Sister Angel Holbert

At the heart of this celebration stands our 2026 Woman of the Year, Sister Angel Holbert.

Sister Angel represents the very spirit of the Red Dress Tea — quiet strength, unwavering service, and faithful excellence. Her commitment to ministry, her compassionate leadership, and her consistent dedication to the New Mount Rose family have strengthened our church community in countless ways.

She does not simply attend ministry — she builds it. She does not merely serve — she uplifts. Through her life and labor, she reflects Colossians 3:23–24:

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men…”

On this special afternoon, we will celebrate her as a woman who elevates with excellence and flourishes in faith.

 A Ministry of Health, Holiness, and Hope

The Red Dress Tea symbolizes renewal, empowerment, and awareness — particularly addressing heart health and the disparities impacting women of color. Like roses blooming in unlikely places, the women of New Mount Rose transform education into empowerment and fellowship into flourishing.

This gathering is not merely social; it is spiritual. It is where health meets holiness. Where faith fuels advocacy. Where fellowship strengthens resolve.

In a world where health inequities persist, the Red Dress Tea stands as a testimony that women of faith can lead change with grace and excellence.

Join Us

RED DRESS TEA 2026

Saturday | February 14, 2026 | 3:00 PM

Grace Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church

7261 Wichita Street

Forest Hill, Texas

Attire: Elegant Red Dress

Honoring: Sister Angel Holbert, Woman of the Year

Guest Speaker: Dr. Shewanda Riley

Hosted by: New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church of Fort Worth

For more information, please contact Sister Tonya Tatum at 817-313-8215.

Come dressed in red.

Come ready to elevate.

Come prepared to flourish.

Because when women of faith gather with excellence, hearts are strengthened, lives are empowered, and communities bloom.