About Urban Chapel
Our History
In 1992, while students at Lee University, Tennessee, God gave Joel & Kristi Vicente a burden for Tampa. The assignment was clear, "find the toughest place in Tampa and start a new church". They moved to Tampa in 1993. After much prayer and patience, they began meeting on February 9, 1997 in Ybor City with two other families (Benitez & Roche) for prayer and vision development. The church was named, "Open Arms Church". They launched the church with several USF students on February 8, 1998. On January 7, 2007, they moved to a property purchased on 18th Avenue. In 2023, the church celebrated 25 years in Ybor and was renamed, "Urban Chapel".
In June 2024, Urban Chapel welcomes their new Lead Pastor, Randall Harris. Joel is pursuing a Doctorate at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, North Carolina. We are excited for this new chapter.
The story continues to be written by God.