Asbury is named after Francis Asbury, America’s first Methodist Bishop. You can find a great deal of interesting information about Francis Asbury at http://www.francisasbury.org/

Asbury United Methodist Church was first organized in 1873 as the First Norwegian-Danish Methodist Church. Up until 1930, the Norwegian language was used exclusively in worship. For some years after that, both Norwegian and English were used. Since 1942 with the newest church building and the change of the name to Asbury, English has been the language of all the worship services.

Worship has been held variously in the homes of members, in a converted house, a converted schoolhouse, a church which they built at the corner of 9^th Street and 13^th Avenue South in Minneapolis, a large business building on the corner of Bloomington Avenue and Lake Street in Minneapolis (they used the second floor as a sanctuary and rented out the bottom story for businesses), and the present building built in 1942 at the corner of Bloomington Avenue and 45^th Street in Minneapolis.

Many members are still of Scandinavian descent, but Asbury is now happy to also be the church home of people from a wide variety of backgrounds.

1885-1920

9^th St. & 13^th Ave. S,

Minneapolis

1920-1942

The corner of Bloomington and Lake Street. See the cross hanging on the second story?