In 1992, while in a Tennessee Bible College, 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 to meet in Feb. 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 in Feb. 1998 with several USF students. In Jan. 2007, they moved to a property that was purchased on 18th Avenue. In 2023, the church celebrated 25 years in Ybor and was renamed, "Urban Chapel".
The story continues to be written by God.
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