Accessible to All
We have a history of fully including people with disabilities in the life of the church.

We are called by God to widen God’s welcome.

We embody the philosophy of inclusion and interdependence,  removing or overcoming barriers to welcoming and including all people in the work and witness of the United Church of Christ, and to support and implement provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Creation Justice Church
We are dedicated to building a just, sustainable global environment.

We are a Creation Justice church because we care for God’s creation.

In 2023 First United Church of Tampa was designated as a Creation Justice church by the UCC. This very important designation means that we have committed ourselves to reflecting on God in relationship to caring for creation.  As we move forward into an inspiring new space for our church, we will form a leadership green team that will engage us in awareness and advocacy of the environmental justice work we can do as individuals and as a congregation. We hope many members of First United will be excited to become climate justice activists.

Multiracial & Multicultural
We embody and rejoice in the diversity of the human family.

We declared ourselves to be a “Multiracial and Multicultural” church because we warmly, enthusiastically, and intentionally welcome people of all races and cultures.

Our congregation expresses its commitment by:

  • affirming and living out our faith in God as revealed through Jesus Christ;
  • knowing we are interconnected with people of all races, ethnicities, and cultures;
  • embodying and rejoicing in these diversities as gifts to the human family;
  • welcoming all people into the community of faith without discrimination because of color, race, ethnicity, language, or culture;
  • formally recognizing and utilizing the racial and cultural varieties of gifts within the context of Christian unity;
  • struggling within church and society to rid ourselves of the sin of racism which has prevented an authentic embrace of the races, ethnicities, and cultures in our denomination;
  • making multiracial and multicultural inclusiveness a key organizing principle for church in society;
  • working for justice and peace throughout the global community;
  • reflecting in our membership the changing demographics;
  • declaring ourselves an anti-racist congregation.
Open & Affirming
We welcome people of all sexual orientations and gender identities into the full life and leadership of our congregation.

We declared ourselves to be an “Open and Affirming” church because we enthusiastically embrace LGBTQIA+ equality and welcome all people however they identify their sexual orientation or gender.

The second commandment of Jesus Christ is:  “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  There are 31,110 verses in the Bible.  Sadly, many churches have taken five or six verses out of their historical context in order to practice a harsh inhospitality toward people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. 

We at First United believe that God’s Spirit is present in all people, and reject the silence, condemnation, and discrimination that have been historically aimed at our LGBTQIA+ sisters and brothers. 

Please join us in the life and ministry of our church.  You are welcome here!

Peace With Justice
We have a long history of peaceful opposition to intolerance, injustice, discrimination, violence, and war.

“Peace is the fruit of justice.”

That is an old Latin American saying.  In order to have peace, there must be a foundation of justice.  Since our founding in 1885, we have been a voice for social justice in Tampa and beyond.

  • In the 1930s, our pastor, Rev. Walter Metcalf, led the movement to reform the Tampa Police Department and the city hall in the wake of a brutal killing of political reformers.
  • In the 1960s, women of the church formed the PIE Group (“People Integrating Eating”), sitting with African-American women waiting to be served in area restaurants.
  • Our Social Action Committee helped lead vigils for peace in the build-up of war with Iraq.
  • We are currently working ecumenically to address the problem of gun violence that is plaguing our country.

We continue to work together to bring justice and peace to our community, our nation, and our world. As a “Peace with Justice” church, we strive to make a difference in the lives of those who experience injustice, exclusion, discrimination, violence, oppression, or intolerance.

​"Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God."
-Micah 6:8
Relationship Building
Together with interfaith, ecumenical, and secular communities, we address issues of common concern in our community and throughout the world.

We work with our neighbors for positive change.

​Our congregation has a long history of working with our neighbors to create a better community and a better world. We declared ourselves to be a Relationship-Building church (our sixth Core Value) to highlight our desire to address issues of common concern with interfaith, ecumenical, and secular communities.

Anti-Racist
We are committed to diligently and intentionally working to help end systemic racism found throughout the church and society.

We are an Anti-racist church.  It’s not enough to say we are not racist, we must actively seek to eliminate racism in the church and in the world. To accomplish this, we hold occasional seminars, read books together and work to end racism in our community and world.

W.I.S.E.

We are a WISE (Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive and Engaged) church in mental health within the church and in the community.  We believe that people with mental health challenges, their families and those who care for them should be fully included in the life of the church and community.