GOD’S PEOPLE. GOD’S HOUSE.
Midpoint Vision Summary THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
“The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding...” NEHEMIAH 2:20
THIS BOOK BELONGS TO:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What We Set Out to Do
5
What God Has Done
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Where We Are Going
8
What is Your Role?
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Dear District Church Family, On December 1, 2025, we began a two-year season of generosity called RESTORE. We entered this season believing God was calling us to deeper faith, greater surrender, and a renewed commitment to the mission He has given us: making disciples who love, think, and act like Jesus. As we continue this journey, we have so much to thank God for. We are seeing people come to faith, grow through Life Groups and Rooted, serve our city, and take meaningful steps in their discipleship. We are also investing more intentionally in the next generation and expanding the ways we serve our community. And now, we are approaching an exciting and tangible milestone: construction at National is beginning. What we have prayed over, planned for, and faithfully given toward is beginning to take shape. As we prepare to restore this historic building, we are reminded that God is also continuing His work of restoration in us and through us. As you read these pages, I hope you are encouraged by what God is already doing and reminded that every act of prayer, service, and generosity is helping move this mission forward. I invite you to continue seeking the Lord about your role in RESTORE, whether through a first-time commitment, continuing faithfully to finish strong in your commitment, or prayerfully considering increasing it to help us close our remaining gap. There is still much ahead of us, and I believe some of the most exciting parts of the RESTORE journey are yet to come. Let’s continue to trust God together for all He desires to do in our church, our city, and beyond.
In Christ,
Aaron Graham Lead Pastor
What We Set Out to Do
16
OUR GOAL
$
THROUGH FAITHFUL PRAYER AND TRUSTING THE LORD’S DIRECTION, WE BELIEVE GOD HAS MADE CLEAR TWO AREAS OF IMPACT HE IS CALLING US TO MAKE IN OUR CHURCH, OUR COMMUNITY, AND OUR CITY.
COMMITTED & EXPECTED
Million
OVER TWO YEARS to fund two major initiatives:
$ 14,676,688 Commitments made to RESTORE and expected giving during the course of the initiative (thru Dec 31, 2027)
RESTORE GOD’S PEOPLE
RESTORE GOD’S HOUSE
$ Million
$ Million
Restore people back to a relationship with God.
Renovation funds for National.
We believe God is calling us to restore people to a relationship with Him and help them learn to love, think, and act more like Jesus. This $9M investment will fund two years of ministry, strengthen discipleship and family ministry, and increase our investment in children, youth, and college students.
We believe God has entrusted us with the historic National building to restore it for His glory and establish a permanent church home in the heart of DC. This $7M investment will create expanded space for worship, family ministry, childcare, events, and outreach to serve our community throughout the week. We believe National can once again be a place where many souls are born into the Kingdom of God.
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DID YOU KNOW? National Baptist Memorial Church held their first service in the memorial sanctuary 100 years ago, on October 3, 1926.
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What God Has Done
RESTORE GOD’S PEOPLE
SINCE DECEMBER 1, 2025
CELEBRATING NEW LIFE & THE NEXT GENERATION
21 19 70 14
People baptized Babies dedicated Children promoted to new classes College students graduated
DEVELOPING LEADERS
185 6 5
Leaders at our February Leadership Summit
District Fellows graduated
New District Fellows welcomed
SERVING OUR CITY
163
Participants in our first Serve Weekend
GROWING IN DISCIPLESHIP & COMMUNITY
95 61 7 1 1,000
People graduated from ROOTED
Thriving Life Groups building meaningful community
Recovery & Support Groups providing care and connection Our first Singles Retreat hosted Copies of Unshakable Faith: How to Stand Firm in a Culture of Lies given away at the launch of our series
EXPANDING OUR REACH Building community and fellowship in Northern Virginia as we continue laying the foundation for a future NoVA location. Purchased the home next door to the Ministry Center, creating a welcoming home for current and future Fellows and ministry guests while reducing ongoing hotel costs.
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Where We Are Going
RESTORE GOD’S HOUSE
The gift of the historic National Baptist Memorial Church building is a miracle in the making, and an extraordinary opportunity to step into the next chapter God has for The District Church. More than a century ago, it was declared that this place would be “the birthplace of many souls into the Kingdom of God,” and we believe that vision is being renewed for a new generation. As we restore this historic building, it will become more than our permanent church home; it will be a place of worship, discipleship, hospitality, and service throughout the week. We envision expanded space for children, youth, and families, a childcare center, community outreach, and a premier gathering space in the heart of our city. We are praying that what God restores through us will ultimately be used to restore people, families, neighborhoods, and generations for His glory.
WORSHIP SPACE Restoring all 50,000 square feet of the historic National Baptist Memorial Church will create a fully accessible, seven-day-a-week home where we can worship, build community, and serve our city.
THIS RESTORED SPACE WILL INCLUDE FIVE KEY AREAS:
Restore the historic 1,000-seat sanctuary as a permanent home for worship and gatherings.
DISTRICT KIDS & DAYCARE Create nine large classrooms serving up to 150 children on Sundays, weekday childcare, and indoor and outdoor play spaces.
EVENT SPACE Create two state-of-the-art conference rooms and three flexible multipurpose spaces, with capacity for up to 500 people, for church and community use.
OUTREACH CENTER Provide dedicated space to meet the spiritual and practical needs of the most vulnerable in our community.
OFFICE & COMMUNITY SPACES Equip our staff, ministry leaders, and community partners with collaborative spaces to work, connect, and serve.
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What is Your Role? NEW COMMITMENT You recently joined our church family and are wondering, "What is RESTORE, and how do I become a part of it?" RESTORE is for anyone who would call The District Church home, and we welcome you to the family! We hope you will join us on this journey as we live out being a committed people unto the Lord and to others—and consider making a 12-month generosity commitment to RESTORE.
FINISH STRONG Others committed one year ago, and perhaps, for some of you, this journey has been difficult—or possibly more difficult—than you envisioned. Maybe you went to an entirely new level in your generosity and are still adjusting your life to it. Perhaps you have experienced job loss, job change, or unexpected financial expenses. Persevere to finish strong in this journey you began. We all stand together, encouraging one another. We know the Lord is faithful. He will provide, and we want to finish strong in our commitment to the RESTORE Initiative.
INCREASE Some of you made your RESTORE commitment one year ago, and it is possible you had an increase in faith or finances. Keeping your commitment may not have been easy, and it has likely required many sacrifices, but even now, you may be sensing the Lord stretching you to take an additional step of faith in your generosity. We challenge those of you to respond to His generosity by increasing your commitment. Generosity is not a onetime event; it is a journey. Consider asking yourself these questions: Am I still giving in a way that challenges me? Am I still living out being someone fully committed to God and to others? Pray and ask yourself if He is inviting you into another step of faith with an increased commitment.
AS WE CONTINUE THIS JOURNEY, WE INVITE YOU TO PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER HOW YOU CAN BE PART OF WHAT GOD IS DOING.
OUR GOAL
$
16 Million
COMMITTED & EXPECTED
$
14.7 Million
REMAINING TO REACH OUR GOAL
$
1.3 Million
Commitment Card WE'VE INCLUDED A SAMPLE CARD TO HELP YOU PRAY & REFLECT ON YOUR NEXT STEP WITH GOD.
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Key Dates OCTOBER 4
OCTOBER 18
RESTORE MIDPOINT SERIES BEGINS
GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY
We’ll celebrate our 16th anniversary and kick off a new series in the Book of Nehemiah, reflecting on the vision God has given us to RESTORE not only God’s people and God’s house, but our city.
NOVEMBER 1
COMMITMENT SUNDAY Come celebrate what God is doing in our lives by putting pen to paper and turning in our MIDPOINT Commitment Card. This card is for EVERYONE, not just those new to RESTORE. If you have been on the RESTORE journey already, this is an opportunity to commit to finish strong or increase your commitment.
12:30 PM | 1501 COLUMBIA RD NW Join us for a historic day in the life of The District Church as we officially break ground on the restoration of National! Following the 11 AM service, we’ll walk together a block south to National for a celebration for the whole family, including snacks, activities for kids, photo booth, prayer, and the ceremonial groundbreaking.
NOVEMBER 15
CELEBRATION SUNDAY
You don’t want to miss this moment!
We will express our gratitude to God as we share the results from Commitment Sunday and celebrate what God is doing in and through us in this season. We’ll also have child dedications and baptisms on this day.
NOVEMBER 29
ADVENT BEGINS This Advent, we’ll remember Christ’s first coming and prepare for His second coming through a series called Last Things exploring death, judgment, heaven, and hell. The series will culminate with a special Christmas Eve service on December 24.
SCAN TO RSVP