The new HQ of GraceWay Baptist Church at 228 7th Street, SE
Politically Active Church Buys $5.5 million Building at Eastern Market
by Larry Janezich
Posted January 11, 2026
(A previous version of this post stated that the purchase price was $8 million. Although the listed price was $8 million, the actual sales price was $5.5 million.)
GraceWay Baptist Church has purchased the 25,000 square foot former Health Home Care and Hospice Association building at 228 7th Street, SE, across from Eastern Market. The church was established by Pastor Brad Wells in DC in 2016.
GraceWay has been meeting at Hill Center for some 10 years while searching for its own building. Last year, the church’s website says it raised $2 million toward a down payment on a church near Dupont Circle at 1611 16th Street, NW, which was ultimately was sold to Union City Church.
GraceWay then turned its attention to the 7th Street building. The church’s fundraising website refers to having obtained a loan for the purchase of 228 7th Street in November 2025 and closing on the sale in December 2025. The reported purchase price was $5.5 million.
The church is candid about its connection to political power. From the church’s mission statement: “GraceWay has a vision of reaching Washington, D.C., for Christ. Not only do we want to reach out to the leaders in government, but we also want to connect with staffers, lobbyists, and interns on all levels of government.”
While personally avoiding political endorsements, Wells has praised U.S. House Speaker Johnson on X and has platformed X posts of members of Congress who have praised administration cabinet appointments.
The church emphasizes voting as a religious duty, and has gathered for a Saturday night prayer service in front of the Supreme Court for a decade.
According to a Bloomberg News article of May 9, 2025, Pastor Wells appears outside the US House of Representatives “nearly every day” the House is in session, sponsored by an unnamed member of Congress. His purpose, the article says, is to be available for prayer and spiritual guidance.
After graduating high school, Wells joined his parents in Papua New Guinea, where they served as missionaries. He subsequently graduated from the Treasure Valley Baptist Bible Institute in Meridian, Idaho, with a Bachelor of Divinity in Theology before returning to Papua New Guinea. After 16 years of service abroad, Wells felt called to DC to minister to officials and residents. GraceWay held its first service in its new headquarters on Sunday, January 4, on the building’s lower (basement) level. The first floor of 228 Seventh Street, SE is home to the MedStar Urgent Care Center which is reported to be in the middle of a 20 year lease. GraceWay’s plan – according to the church’s fundraising website – is to create a 250 seat auditorium on the building’s second floor and to reconfigure the third floor into classrooms and offices.
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 
To call a church “politically active” doesn’t necessarily indicate its politics. For instance, St. Peter’s on Capitol Hill (a Catholic church) has sponsored programs on climate change & racism. One associates concern about these issues with the Democratic Party. Some Republicans even deny they exist. By contrast, this article hints that, because GraceWay’s pastor has “praised U.S. House Speaker Johnson,” GraceWay aligns with the Republican Party. If so, with health care now a political issue, GraceWay’s purchase of 228 7th St., SE, should make us ask about possible interference with services provided by its tenant MedStar Health. Will GraceWay demand that MedStar stop providing certain types of services, or services to certain types of people? Such demands typify today’s Republican Party. What protections does MedStar get from its 20-year lease? What will happen when that lease expires? We also should ask what kinds of events the proposed 250-seat auditorium will host. Obviously, GraceWay’s religious beliefs are irrelevant. People are entitled to whatever religious beliefs they hold. But we need to ask about GraceWay’s proposed use of their newly purchased property, & its relationship with its tenants. These are questions we should ask whatever the property owner’s religious or political affiliation.
David Sobelsohn
ANC Commissioner, Capitol Hill
MedStar already runs Georgetown University Hospital, which is bound by the religious rules of the parent Jesuit university. So in this particular case, I don’t know that the MedStar urgent care will be trying to offer any services that this church will take issue with…
The Graceway Baptist Church does make endorsements, but in a clever and roundabout way so as to dodge IRS rules. The following is a 30 October 2024 statement from the church’s website:
It is important to vote. Who you vote for as a government leader is also important. As an American, and especially as a Christian, you have a few options this year:
2. You could vote for a 3rd party candidate. RFK Jr. had the most potential, but has dropped out of a few states and endorsed Trump. Voting for a 3rd party candidate essentially throws the vote away, which would not fulfill being a good steward. Logically, there are only 2 parties that have a legitimate shot.
3. You could vote for the Harris-Walz ticket. This is a ticket that openly goes against most, if not all, biblical principles and teachings. They strongly support abortion (including late-term), the LGBTQ agenda, no law, that the government has more say in a child’s life than the parents of that child, and they do not support Israel. Those are just a few examples.
4. Finally, you could vote for the Trump-Vance ticket. I admit, Trump does not have the best personality and says things that are offensive. However, in his last term, America had a booming economy and Trump nominated and confirmed 3 Supreme Court Justices which ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade. Trump is not a Christian, but he did lead with Judeo-Christian principles: upholding law, promoting family and life, working hard, etc. Over the next few years I want to be able to start a family, buy a home, and live the American dream. A Trump administration gives everyone the potential to live that