Wesley At Mount Vernon Square
A Presence in the Public Square
What do you find at the crux of poverty and power, at the cross-section of theology and politics, and at the corner of Massachusetts and 9th? Wesley at Mount Vernon Square – the latest graduate school venture in contextual urban ministry and public theology exploration.
Wesley at Mount Vernon Square seeks to offer lay and clergy the opportunity to extend their spiritual journeys and continue to grow in their roles as disciples of Christ, whatever their vocation. Seeking to meet the needs for extended learning and training for individuals, congregations, and agencies, programming is designed to address the felt needs and concerns and to challenge new thinking and actions. In addition to opportunities for lay and clergy who are not enrolled in the Seminary, Mount Vernon Square hosts Master's level courses spring, fall, summer, and J-Term (the first weeks of January each year), as well as intensive classes for the Urban Ministry Doctor of Ministry track. Your suggestions and requests are always welcome.
The Partnership at Mount Vernon Square
Located in the heart of the nation's capital, MVS is the fruit of a robust collaboration between Wesley Theological Seminary, Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and Asbury United Methodist Church. The Partnership seeks to bring the strengths and stories of each of these historic institutions to bear on the life and health of the city as well as in the development of best practices for urban ministry and public theology to be translated across the country.
The multi-use facility is within walking distance of the White House, Capitol Hill, and Chinatown, as well as an active community of social service organizations. In addition to housing the expansion of Wesley's contextual education programming and various ministries of Mount Vernon Place UMC, Mount Vernon Square is also home to DC's latest urban intentional community, an initiative of Wesley students that is based in the newly dedicated Birch Residence Hall, named after Wesley's popular Dean Emeritus, Dr. Bruce C. Birch.
The new Urban Fellows Program meets at Asbury United Methodist Church, where the Urban Ministry Office is now located. Eleven fellows have been learning, with the city as their context, and studying congregations and agencies in ministry in the downtown area. Each year a new group of Urban Fellows will be selected and join in this innovative educational enterprise.
Heading up the leadership at Mount Vernon Square are four key faculty members at Wesley. Dr. Youtha Hardman-Cromwell, Professor of Practice in Ministry and Mission, will serve as the Assistant Dean for Mount Vernon Square. Joining her are Dr. Fred Smith, Professor of Urban Ministry, Dr. Shaun A. Casey, Professor of Christian Ethics, and Dr. Sam Marullo, Director of Research on Missional Communities and Professor of Sociology. Come check out Wesley's new presence in the heart of nation's capital. For more information and to schedule a site visit, please call (202) 403-0962 and speak to Frenika Mudd, Program Administrator.
Meet Our Partners
Mount Vernon Place UMC | Asbury UMC