Beloved,

This coming weekend we will gather for Vision Day. It is not simply a meeting or a presentation. It is an invitation. An invitation to pray together, dream together, and discern together what God is calling us to become in this season of our life as a church.

Before we gather, I wanted to share the heart of what I will present so that you can be praying with me and preparing for the work ahead.

Our mission has not changed. It remains beautifully simple and profoundly demanding: to love God and one another, serve our community, and transform lives.

But every generation must ask the question: What does that look like here and now?

When we look honestly at the moment we are in, we see both challenges and opportunity. The community around us is growing rapidly. Thousands of new residents are expected to move into our surrounding neighborhoods in the coming years. Many of them are diverse families, professionals, and students. Most of them are immigrants, economically challenged and there are also businesses. Interestingly, research shows that many of our neighbors strongly believe that “God is love and invites the world into a loving relationship.”

But there is tension.

At the same time, many also feel that religious communities can be judgmental, and many carry deep concerns about racism, social division, and political polarization.

In other words, people are often open to God… but cautious about the church.

That reality is not a reason for despair. It is an opportunity for witness.

In preparing for this moment, I spent time studying institutions that have navigated seasons like this. One example that stood out to me was Fisk University. Just over a decade ago, Fisk, like many historically Black colleges, faced serious financial challenges, declining enrollment, and aging facilities. Yet it is in Nashville — a city that was booming with growth.

Instead of trying to simply grow bigger, Fisk did something wiser. They rediscovered their identity. They leaned into what made them distinctive. They built partnerships, re-engaged their alumni, and reintroduced themselves to the city around them.

That lesson speaks directly to where we are.

Like Fisk, we are a historic institution located in the middle of a growing city. The question before us is not whether the city is changing. The question is how we can faithfully meet the moment.

The vision I will present centers around three points: Rebuild, Reconnect, and Reintroduce.

First, we rebuild through radical hospitality. If people are open to God but cautious about the church, then our task is to create meaningful touch points with our neighbors. That may look like partnerships with schools, libraries, and universities. It may look like dinner church gatherings, feeding ministries, storytelling campaigns, and spaces where the community can ask honest questions about faith.

Second, we reconnect across generations. The future of Asbury must be intergenerational. That means mentorship between seasoned leaders and emerging leaders. It means younger voices being intentionally trained and included in ministry. It means worship that speaks to multiple generations gathered in the same sacred space.

Third, we reintroduce Asbury to the city. Our story is too powerful to remain hidden. This includes reconnecting with alumni and friends of the church, being creative and innovative in how we use banners and signs, preparing for our 190th anniversary, hosting community workshops, and strengthening the ways we communicate our story both online and in the neighborhood around us.

At its core, this vision is about presence.

Being culturally alive and deeply present in the heart of Washington, DC.

Historic roots. Living faith. For this city.

Vision Day is not the end of this conversation; it will be the beginning. My hope is that together we will shape, refine, and live in this vision as a community.

So come ready to pray.

Come ready to imagine. 

And come ready to plant seeds for the future God is calling us to build together.  Amen

Dr. Ron Bell, II