Church Planting in Tampa, Florida, USA

An update from Mario Figueroa, Lead Pastor of Vine Church Tampa, Florida, USA…

Dear friends and partners in the Gospel,

I can hardly put into words how thrilled I am to share a milestone that has filled our hearts with awe and gratitude: Vine Church Tampa (VCT) has officially launched!

What began as a simple prayer between my wife, Diana, and me in 2021 — asking God to prepare and send us — has now become a living testimony of His faithfulness. From that first step of faith to the doors He opened in 2023 for us to attend the Sovereign Grace Pastors College, the journey has been full of grace.

Every part of this preparation — from the Church Planting Assessment, Cohort training, and the pastoral residency at Sovereign Grace Church of Winter Garden, to serving under the leadership of Pastor Josh Murphy — has been an invaluable time of equipping, sharpening, and humbling. We were especially moved as families from Tampa began driving nearly two hours just to serve our sending church with music, preaching, and joining in worship once a month for three months before launching. That kind of commitment and shared vision deeply encouraged us.

And now, by God’s abundant grace, Vine Church Tampa was born on April 6, 2025, with a soft launch at a Holiday Inn and 72 people came to celebrate with us!

That first service was a beautiful picture of our heart for this church — a bilingual gathering, worshiping in English and Spanish, reading Scripture together, and preaching in English while using AI-powered translation so Spanish-speaking members could follow in real time. It was a moment that brought tears to many of our eyes.

Since then, we've continued gathering each Sunday — 10:00 AM in English and 11:45 AM in Spanish — and God has done something remarkable: a church community marked by unity and mutual love. English-speaking families joyfully serve during the Spanish service, and Spanish-speaking families doing the same for the English one. It’s a radiant picture of the body of Christ working as one.

Today, we have 42 dedicated members on our launch team and 10–15 regular visitors who are exploring life with us. The hunger for God’s Word is palpable - you can feel the eager anticipation each week as we gather.

But we’re just getting started.

We are praying for a permanent building to call home — a place where we can worship not only on Sundays, but also gather throughout the week to disciple, evangelize, and serve the people of Tampa with the love of Christ.

Would you pray with us? Would you consider partnering with us — in prayer, in support, or even by visiting? We treasure Christ and long to see His name made known in this city.

Thank you for walking with us, believing with us, and celebrating with us.