A Welcome That Spells Out Its Names
On the north side of downtown Delaware, Ohio, just off West Lincoln Avenue, Asbury United Methodist Church opens each Sunday with a greeting that says exactly who the congregation hopes to reach. The church's tagline reads, "Whoever you are, whatever your circumstances, however you identify yourself, if you come here to find God, you are welcome here." Members repeat that line aloud in worship, a practice that has defined the congregation since it joined the Reconciling Ministries Network in 2017.
Asbury's mission statement sums up the same conviction in three lines: "Searching Inward, Serving Outward, Through Christ." A multigenerational congregation with deep roots in the city, Asbury still describes itself with the language of the early twentieth century, when it earned a reputation as "the missionary church" for sending more than fifty members to mission fields in India, China, Korea, South America, Africa, and the Philippines.
Sunday Worship in a Traditional Key
Worship at Asbury is a traditional United Methodist service centered on the chancel choir, a handbell choir, and the church's Johannes Klais organ. Services begin at 10:45 AM each Sunday and are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel for those who cannot be present. Communion always includes gluten free elements, and the bread and cup are open to anyone who wishes to receive.
If a Level 2 Snow Emergency is in place in Delaware County at 7:00 AM on a Sunday morning, both Sunday School and worship are cancelled for the day. Otherwise, the sanctuary opens at 10:45 AM, the ushers hand out hearing assistance devices and large print hymnals, and the service unfolds with two choral offerings on most weeks. The Chancel Choir also leads worship on Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Easter Vigil, and sings at the 8:00 PM Christmas Eve service.
Peter Baylis directs the Joebrets (Jubilation Singers) and is a lay leader at the church. Organist Reverend Carol Ann Bradley plays the church's 25-rank, three-manual Klais tracker pipe organ and accompanies the choirs and soloists. Natalie Ritchie directs the Asbury Youth Choir, and the church is currently hiring an Adult Choir Director, a Bell Choir Director, and an Organist and Accompanist to round out the music staff.
Sunday School for Every Age
Christian education is central to Asbury's ministry, and Sunday School classes for all ages begin at 9:30 AM, forty-five minutes before worship. Children in Pre-K through fifth grade gather for Godly Play, a Montessori-based curriculum in which a storyteller uses carefully chosen objects to bring the sacred Bible stories to life and then leads the children in "I wonder..." questions about meaning.
Middle schoolers in grades 6 through 8 meet in the Upper Room on the Great Room Balcony to wrestle with the big questions of adolescence: who God is, what it means to follow Jesus, and how ancient words of faith connect to daily life. High schoolers in grades 9 through 12 dig into Wesleyan theology of grace and discipleship, learning how to make Christian faith their own.
Two adult classes round out the morning. The Spiritual Journey Class meets in the church library and works through four-to-six week book studies on the Bible and biblical topics. The Class with No Name meets in the McCoy room upstairs above the Education wing for a casual conversation about the scripture texts appointed for the day.
Seasonal Studies and Confirmation
During Advent and Lent, Asbury adds additional short-term Bible study groups that help participants walk through the most formative seasons of the Christian year together. Roughly twice a year, the church offers Roots and Fruits of Faith, a four-week introduction to Christianity and Methodist thought that is especially designed for newcomers and for longtime members who want to refresh the basics.
Youth Confirmation classes are offered every odd year for students entering seventh through twelfth grade. The yearlong journey walks confirmands through Christian beliefs, the sacraments, and the practices of discipleship. On the day of Confirmation, students publicly affirm their baptismal vows and decide whether to be confirmed as members of Asbury and the United Methodist Church at large.
Youth Ministry Across the City
Asbury's youth ministry is shared with three other downtown congregations through the Intertwine Youth Ministry Collective, a partnership that includes William Street United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church of Delaware, and Zion United Church of Christ. The collective meets twice a month on a rotating basis among the four churches for a mix of fellowship, Bible study, prayer, service, and growth.
Rev. Kara Jones, an ordained Deacon in the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church, founded Intertwine and serves as its youth pastor. She also works as the community minister and manager at Common Ground Free Store Ministries and teaches private music lessons at the Delaware Music Center. The youth program welcomes students in grades 6 through 12 and is built around the conviction that life and faith are not separate.
A Long History of Mission in Delaware
The cornerstone of Asbury United Methodist Church was laid in 1888, and the congregation's sense of calling to its surrounding community has only deepened over more than a century. In the early 1900s, the church was known as the missionary church because of the dozens of members who went overseas as missionaries. In the mid-twentieth century, Asbury members were active in the Civil Rights Movement.
Two of the city's signature service organizations were started by Asbury members and were originally housed in the church building: People-in-Need and Meals on Wheels. The church continues to support those and many other local ministries, and lists its current community partners as Andrews House, Common Ground Free Store, Delaware People-in-Need, Habitat for Humanity of Delaware and Union Counties, Family Promise of Delaware Ohio, and Delaware Boy Scout Troop 61.
Reconciling Ministries in the Community
Since becoming a Reconciling Congregation in 2017, Asbury's Reconciling Ministry Team has worked to extend the welcome of the church beyond its walls. From April through December, the team sets up a booth on First Friday in downtown Delaware, hands out information, wristbands, and flags, and invites children to gather around the Bubble Man.
The team also takes part in the Delaware Pride Festival each year, and Asbury hosts a Meaningful Movie Series each summer at the Strand Theatre on East Winter Street, where a slate of films explores gender, faith, and human dignity. In September, the congregation welcomes researcher and author Kathy Baldock for a Saturday seminar on the history of Bible translation and same-sex behavior, followed by a Sunday worship service and a screening of the documentary 1946: The Mistranslation that Shifted Culture at Ohio Wesleyan University.
United Women in Faith
The Asbury chapter of United Women in Faith gathers women of the church and the wider Delaware community for Christian spiritual formation, leadership development, fellowship, and education. Three circles meet monthly: Rebekah Circle on the third Wednesday of the month at 9:30 AM, Hannah Circle on the third Wednesday at 1:30 PM, and Lydia Circle on the second Thursday at 7:00 PM.
The chapter underwrites the monthly produce distribution at People-in-Need's Johnson Drive headquarters and raises money for missions through a November soup luncheon and bake sale, a February Chocolate Fare, a May flower sale, and year-round sales of fair trade coffee, tea, and chocolate. Membership is open to any woman of the church, and the chapter publishes a monthly Grapevine newsletter.
Music for Every Voice
Music is one of Asbury's most visible gifts to the wider Delaware community. Children in kindergarten through second grade sing in the Alleluia Choir, which rehearses on Wednesdays at 4:15 PM. The Junior Choir for grades 3 through 8 rehearses Wednesdays from 4:15 to 5:15 PM in the Great Room, sings for worship about once a month, and presents a musical each spring. Teen singers in grades 9 through 12 sing with the adult Chancel Choir.
The Chancel Choir, open to singers from high school through adult, rehearses Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:15 PM and Sundays from 9:30 to 10:25 AM, and sings two anthems on most Sundays. The Asbury Bell Choir for high school students and adults rehearses Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 PM and participates each year in the Delaware Handbell Festival held at Ohio Wesleyan University's Gray Chapel on the Sunday evening before Thanksgiving.
Visiting Asbury
The church building is fully accessible. The main entrance and all levels of the church can be reached through the elevator from the rear parking lot on Lincoln Avenue. Ushers provide large print hymnals and hearing assistance devices, and gluten free communion elements are always available.
First-time visitors will find Sunday School classes for all ages at 9:30 AM and a single traditional worship service at 10:45 AM. Online giving is available through the church's giving page. The office is staffed weekdays and can be reached at (740) 363-3611 or asburychurchohio@gmail.com.
Whether someone arrives as a longtime Delaware resident, a student at Ohio Wesleyan University, or a newcomer to the city, the words members repeat each Sunday say the same thing: whoever you are, you are welcome here.