First United Church of Tampa, UCC

The UCC is the first mainline denomination to:

Condemn slavery
(1700)

Ordain African-Americans
(1785)

Ordain women
(1853)

Ordain gays and lesbians
(1972)

Publish a hymnal that honors male and female images of God
(1995)

Support equal marriage rights for all couples, regardless of gender
(2005)

The United Church of Christ asked local churches to "opt in" to be a part of the UCC's national awareness campaign. The Stillspeaking Initiative began in December 2004 with the red and black comma logo, the "God is still speaking" slogan, the Gracie Allen quote, television commercials, radio advertisements, and outreach efforts made by hundreds of local UCC churches.

The congregations that chose to participate in the Stillspeaking Initiative want to let people know about the UCC. After all, many have been made to feel alienated from churches because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or beliefs. In addition, we wanted to proclaim the extravagant welcome and radical hospitality one can find in the UCC!

Because the United Church of Christ has been confused with the very conservative "Church of Christ" and other organizations, and because liberal/progressive mainline denominations are usually absent from public discussion, the UCC (as well as First United Church of Tampa and hundreds of other UCC churches) wants to fulfill the needs of those who are seeking a spiritual home in an open-minded, progressive Christian environment.

At First United, we believe that God is indeed still speaking. Our religion did not simply "end" after the era of the prophets or at the end of Jesus' earthly life. We believe that Jesus is still with us and that God is still speaking to us in a variety of ways, in the words and deeds of others. We are called to pursue justice and inclusion, as did Jesus. Jesus didn't turn anyone away. Neither do we.

Our congregation has a consistent history of working for change and social justice. For example, we have declared ourselves to be an "Open and Affirming" church. This means that we intentionally and specifically extend a welcome to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Christians into the full life of our church. Also, we are a "Peace with Justice" church that strives for justice, peace, inclusion, fairness, and equality for all. These two declarations were unanimously approved by our congregation. During the twentieth century, First United has also fought political corruption, protested the racism and segregation that was (and is) present in the South, stood up for women's rights, participated in anti-hunger and anti-poverty movements, and worked for many other causes.

When the Stillspeaking Initiative began, NBC and CBS refused to air the UCC's "bouncer" ad in 2005 (it was seen on cable and other stations, however). They claimed that it was "too controversial" to be shown on television. The "ejector seat" ad (released in 2006) was rejected by all of the major broadcast networks! (It was shown on cable networks.) However, the hundreds of UCC congregations who are participating in the Stillspeaking Initiative wanted to let seekers know about the openness, diversity, and acceptance they could find in our churches. The networks' refusal to air our commercials generated much more publicity than it would have generated if they had aired them. We are grateful for that.

The members of our congregation are proud of their participation in the UCC's Stillspeaking Initiative. The comma logo implies that there is more to learn, more to say, and more to do. God is still speaking! Our spirituality and beliefs evolve as we learn more together, pray together, and grow with each other.

We are proud of our church's history and enthusiastic about its future. We are excited about following the Way of Jesus in confronting the contemporary issues and struggles of our day. God is still speaking, through us and through you!

First United Church of Tampa, UCC · 7308 E. Fowler Ave. · Tampa, FL 33617 · 813-988-4321