A Tampa Congregation Built Around Three Words
Hyde Park United Methodist Church has been part of Tampa life since 1899, when its historic sanctuary first opened in what is still known as the Hyde Park district. More than a century later, the church describes itself in three words: Warm-Hearted, Open-Minded, Christ-Centered. That description, repeated across the church's materials, captures an identity that runs through every part of its life, from a 7 a.m. online service watched around the world to a Tuesday afternoon support group for caregivers in Knox Hall.
The church's stated mission is to make God's love real by teaching others to follow Jesus by loving God and loving all. Its vision is for people to be connected into loving community, transformed to be more like Jesus, and equipped to teach others how to live life as God intends. To live that out, the church operates not as a single building but as one church with three locations: the historic Hyde Park campus on West Platt Street, a downtown campus called The Portico on North Florida Avenue, and an online location that streams services and hosts an archive of teaching.
One Church, Three Locations
The Hyde Park campus sits at 500 W. Platt St., in the heart of Tampa's Historic Hyde Park District. It is home to the Sanctuary, where the traditional 11 a.m. service takes place; the Harnish Center, which hosts contemporary worship; the Wesley Center, where children's, youth, and music ministries meet; and Knox Hall and the Magnolia Building, which support care groups, recovery meetings, and the church's ministry with the unhoused.
The Portico, at 1001 N. Florida Ave., opened as a creative new faith community in September 2016. Sunday mornings begin with a hot breakfast served by 25 to 40 volunteers for 180 to 225 guests, followed by the 1001 Gathering worship service at 10:01 a.m. The Portico emphasizes conversation, connection, and community change, with a focus on arts, serving, and missional engagement with downtown neighbors.
The Online Location reaches communities far beyond Tampa. A 7 a.m. on-demand service is available every Sunday, and 9:30 and 11 a.m. services are live hosted on YouTube. The online experience includes its own bulletin, music, and a sermon, making it possible for anyone with an internet connection to participate fully in the church's life.
Sunday Worship: Traditional and Contemporary, Side by Side
Hyde Park offers two Sunday morning services at the Hyde Park campus that share the same pulpit and the same sermon but speak different worship languages. At 9:30 a.m. in the Harnish Center, the contemporary service uses a band-led format with songs like "Take You At Your Word" and "Honey In The Rock," creating what the church describes as a welcoming space where individuals can discover a worship experience that resonates with their hearts.
At 11 a.m. in the Sanctuary, the traditional service features the Chancel Choir, handbells, classic hymns, and choral anthems. A recent bulletin lists a prelude from Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto in F, a handbell anthem by Anna Laura Page, and a closing hymn set to Bach. The Sanctuary's stained-glass windows, currently undergoing repair and preventative maintenance, frame a worship space the church has used for more than 125 years.
Both services include the Proclamation of the Word, scripture reading, a sermon, an offering, congregational prayer and the Lord's Prayer, and a benediction. Worship bulletins are available online before each service, allowing visitors to follow along. Communion is celebrated regularly, and the church follows the United Methodist practice of an open table.
Music That Anchors the Services
Music is a defining thread of Hyde Park's worship life. Michael Dougherty directs the traditional music program and oversees a network of ensembles that rehearse throughout the week. The Chancel Choir sings weekly at the 11 a.m. service and at additional services and concerts throughout the year, with rehearsals on Wednesdays at 6:45 p.m. during the school year. The Chancel Handbells ring monthly at 11 a.m. worship and at concerts and outreach events, rehearsing Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Celebration Chimes is an intergenerational handbell choir for fourth-graders through adults that performs about once a month and rehearses Wednesdays from 5:45 to 6:35 p.m. Auditions are required for the Chancel Choir and Chancel Handbells; no prior experience is required for Celebration Chimes.
On the contemporary side, Colleen Schmitt leads the band that anchors the 9:30 a.m. service in the Harnish Center. Mat Hotho serves as Production and Online Engagement Director, overseeing the livestream, podcast feeds, and the production side of both the online service and the YouTube archive.
Hyde Park Kids and Merge Youth
Children from six weeks old through fifth grade are welcomed into Hyde Park Kids on Sunday mornings. Parents do not need to register; a greeter in the Wesley Center lobby will check children in. The nursery, for ages six weeks through two years, meets at both 9:30 and 11 a.m. on the second floor of the Wesley Center, with Bible stories, age-appropriate crafts, and fellowship around a snack table.
At 9:30 a.m., preschool children (ages 3-4K) gather on the second floor of the Wesley Center, while first through fifth graders meet on the third floor. The hour combines children's worship and small-group time with age-specific groups, engaging Bible stories, practical lessons, and multi-sensory activities. Club 45, a relational ministry for fourth and fifth graders, meets from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the third Friday of each month in Wesley Center Room 308, with relevant topics, prayer, field trips, and time to hang out.
Two programs support parents. MomCo meets on alternate Wednesdays, September through May, at 9 to 11 a.m. and 6 to 7:30 p.m., welcoming all mothers from pregnancy through adulthood. Dad Life meets on the same Wednesday evenings, focused on parenting, relationships, finances, faith, and life. Both programs offer childcare in the Wesley Center. The Parent Cue App helps families bring Sunday's lessons into the rest of the week.
The church also offers a Faith Steps track that walks parents and children through the major milestones of Christian formation: Baptism Classes, Picture Bible Parenting for two- and three-year-olds, Worship Parenting for four- and five-year-olds, Sacraments Experience for grades 2 through 5, and a Third Grade Bible Presentation in which every third grader receives their own Bible in worship.
Middle and high school students are part of Merge Youth Ministry, which meets from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. on Sunday mornings in the Magnolia Building. Mornings include age-level small groups, practical Bible teaching, games, and free donuts. Merge maintains its own presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The church's youth director, Chris Temple, often preaches during the series, and youth are encouraged to lead alongside adults.
Adult Groups and the Discipleship Pathway
Hyde Park has built its adult formation around a framework it calls the Discipleship Pathway, described as the church's distinctly United Methodist approach to growing as a disciple of Christ. The pathway names seven practices. Three corporate practices are worship, small group community, and gifts-based service. Four individual practices are financial generosity, Scripture reflection, invitational evangelism, and prayer. The church uses the mnemonic GRIP - Give, Read Scripture, Invite, Pray - to make those practices easy to remember.
A 6-week New Member Class introduces newcomers to the church's mission, vision, and values, meeting both in person and on Zoom and using the workbook "A Disciple's Path," co-authored by the church's former senior pastor the Rev. Jim Harnish and current Portico minister the Rev. Justin LaRosa. An online Group Finder helps visitors connect into an existing small group. Resources for deeper study include The Bible Project 2020, a 31-Day Reading Plan on the Life of Jesus, a 50-Day Encounter to Experience New Life, and a Guide to Prayer.
John Barolo serves as Discipleship Director and oversees small-group leaders. The church also maintains a library of recommended books, including several written by Senior Pastor Magrey deVega, such as "The Bible Year," "Questions Jesus Asked," and "Hope for Hard Times."
The Portico: Faith at the Center of Downtown
The Portico is the church's expression of what it calls a creative new faith community, centered on conversation, connection, and community change. Since launching Sunday evening worship in September 2016, it has expanded into a Sunday morning hub for downtown Tampa that begins with breakfast and continues with worship.
The Portico Community Breakfast, served by 25 to 40 volunteers each Sunday, feeds between 180 and 225 guests. After breakfast, the 1001 Gathering begins at 10:01 a.m. Monthly clothing distribution began in September. The Portico also hosts AA meetings and serves as a second cold-weather shelter site when Hillsborough County issues activation alerts.
Ministry at The Portico places particular emphasis on arts, hospitality, and missional engagement with downtown neighbors. The Rev. Justin LaRosa serves as Minister of The Portico and preaches regularly in the rotation alongside Senior Pastor Magrey deVega and Congregational Care Pastor Sally Campbell-Evans.
Ministry with the Unhoused: A Long-Standing Commitment, A New Shape
Serving neighbors without housing has been part of Hyde Park's identity for more than three decades. It began with Peanut Butter Jelly Buddies, a sandwich-making ministry, and grew into Open Arms Sunday Morning, which meets at 8 a.m. on Sundays at the 502 Magnolia Building and focuses on the 55 and older unhoused population, the fastest-growing and most at-risk group. The church is reshaping this ministry around relationship, spiritual support, and case management rather than large-scale meal service, with light snacks and coffee in place of a hot meal on the Hyde Park campus. The Portico continues to serve a hot breakfast on Sundays.
The Cold Weather Shelter operates at both Hyde Park and The Portico when Hillsborough County issues activation alerts. Hyde Park also supports weekly bike repairs, monthly Manna Bags, and the semi-annual Mission Smiles Dental Clinic.
Other direct-service partners include Abe Brown Ministries, Cornerstone Family Ministries, Dunbar Elementary, ECHO (East Hillsborough County), Hillsborough House of Hope, Judeo-Christian Health Clinic, Little Dresses, Meals on Wheels, and End68. International partners include El Ayudante in León, Nicaragua; sister congregations in the Sierra Maestra region of Cuba; Seth Mokotimi Methodist Seminary and Phakamisa near Durban, South Africa; and ZOE Empowers in Rwanda. Mission trips are organized annually, with a scholarship fund so that cost does not keep anyone from participating.
Justice Initiatives and Public Advocacy
Hyde Park's justice work is organized around seven areas: affordable housing, education, public transit, race and reconciliation, immigration, creation care, and fines and fees. Through H.O.P.E. (Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality), the church joins 29 multicultural and interfaith congregations to advocate for long-term community solutions. Members ride public transit, attend HART board meetings, volunteer with Dunbar and Chiaramonte Elementary, support immigrant families with legal aid, and participate in soil collection and memorial work to document lynching victims. A Citizen's Training Booklet and updated Guides to Citizen Activism in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties are available to help newcomers learn how to engage.
Care Ministries and Recovery Support
Congregational Care is led by the Rev. Sally Campbell-Evans. The team supports members through hospitalizations, emergencies, and life transitions, and operates a network of care groups that meet throughout the week. Those groups include AA meetings at both Hyde Park and The Portico, Al-Anon meetings, Cards and Crafts, Chair and Mat Yoga, Home Communion, an Intercessory and Healing Prayer Ministry, Prayer Shawls, and Visitation.
Caregiver's Sanctuary, a support group for people caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia, has been meeting since 2008. It is led by facilitators certified by the Gulf Coast Alzheimer's Association and gathers in person in Knox Hall Room 150 on the second Tuesday of each month from noon to 1:30 p.m., with a Zoom option available. The group was recently honored with the GAP Citizen Scientist Award.
PrimeTimers, the church's 55 and older group, gathers for monthly events and day trips. Past gatherings have included Spring Training baseball games, an overnight trip to Savannah, a retreat to Lake Junaluska in North Carolina, line dancing, chair volleyball, and local concerts and plays.
Small Blessings Preschool
Small Blessings Preschool is a ministry of Hyde Park United Methodist Church serving children ages two through four. Its mission is to make God's love real by fostering growth and development spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, and physically.
Classes are offered for two-year-olds (2-day, 3-day, or 5-day options), three-year-olds (4-day or 5-day options), and four-year-olds in a 5-day VPK program. Class hours run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for twos and threes, with extended hours for fours on Monday through Thursday and Friday options. Aftercare is available. The school uses the Frog Street Curriculum, aligned with Florida Developmental Standards, and adds a Christian curriculum that includes weekly chapel, Bible story lessons, and songs from the First Look curriculum by Orange Kids. A 10% sibling discount is offered.
Small Blessings admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin. Jamie Lee directs the program. Enrollment season opens each January for the following school year, with tours offered to families once a child has been offered a spot. Virtual tours are available year-round.
Beliefs and Heritage
Hyde Park is a United Methodist congregation within the larger United Methodist Church. The church celebrates the two sacraments recognized in United Methodist teaching: baptism, including infant dedication, and communion, celebrated as an open table. The Discipleship Pathway, with its roots in the teachings of John Wesley, shapes the church's approach to Christian formation. Wesley's Three Simple Rules - do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God - are taught regularly in the Well Rounded sermon series and woven into small-group study.
The church's theological posture is open-minded and curious. Recent sermon series have included "Holy Struggle," exploring the flawed heroes of Genesis; "Faith 250," reflecting on American civic life in the year of the nation's 250th anniversary; "Visio Divina," a Lenten series examining Scripture through sacred art with University of Tampa professor Dr. Rose Trentinella; and "Say Less," a series on listening as a spiritual discipline. Worship and formation materials frequently draw on Wesley's writings, including the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer, which is prayed weekly across the church.
Clergy and Leadership
The Rev. Magrey deVega is Senior Pastor, a role he assumed in July 2015 after serving as Associate Pastor at Hyde Park from 2000 to 2007. A Tampa Bay native, he holds a bachelor's degree from Eckerd College and a Master of Divinity from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He has published several books, including "The Bible Year" and "Questions Jesus Asked," and hosts the weekly Midweek Message.
The Rev. Sally Campbell-Evans serves as Congregational Care Pastor, leading the care ministry team. The Rev. Justin LaRosa is Minister of The Portico and co-author of "A Disciple's Path." The Rev. Bernie Lieving serves as Parish Associate. Kim Apthorp directs Kids Ministries, supported by coordinators Amanda Galbreath and Laurie Mullinax. Chris Temple directs Youth Ministries. John Barolo directs Discipleship. Heidi Aspinwall directs Missions and Justice. Michael Dougherty directs Traditional Music, and Colleen Schmitt directs Contemporary Music. Mat Hotho directs Production and Online Engagement. Jamie Lee directs Small Blessings Preschool.
Christmas, Easter, and the Church Calendar
Christmas Eve draws the largest crowds of the year. Five services are offered across the Hyde Park campus: contemporary services at 3 and 5 p.m. in the Harnish Center; traditional services at 3, 5, and 11 p.m. in the Sanctuary; and intimate communion services at 3 and 5 p.m. in the Chapel. Online services are live hosted at 3 and 5 p.m. and available on demand afterward. Parking is expanded through partnerships with local businesses, with priority spaces reserved for those with mobility challenges.
Advent is marked by the "Draw Near" theme, an Advent devotional, and an annual poinsettia dedication. The church's music program presents seasonal concerts in the Sanctuary, including the 2025 "A Celebration of Creation" program by the Chancel Choir, which explored the United Methodist Social Principles on creation through works by Pavel Tschesnokoff, Charles Callahan, Dan Forrest, Tom Fettke, and Ola Gjeilo's Sunrise Mass.
Giving and Stewardship
Hyde Park practices tithing and teaches financial generosity as one of the seven practices of the Discipleship Pathway. Gifts can be made online through PushPay with recurring ACH payments or credit and debit cards, dropped in offering boxes at every worship space entrance, or mailed to the church office at 500 W. Platt St., Tampa, FL 33606. Non-cash gifts include publicly traded securities, closely-held stock, real estate, charitable lead trusts, and deferred gifts. The Endowment Fund holds contributions in perpetuity, with only the interest used to support church ministries. According to the 2026 Impact Report, gifts are allocated across worship, invitation, and communications; operational support; discipleship and caring; and missions and justice. The church carries no debt.
Looking Ahead: Branscomb Hall and the Next Chapter
The church is exploring the renovation of Branscomb Hall as a long-term ministry asset. Approximately $2 million of an estimated $2.5 million project cost has been committed by donors, with final approval expected at the November 1, 2026, Charge Conference. The proposed vision includes dorm-style supportive transitional housing for up to 12 unhoused men, a resident common area, a kitchenette, a dining area, and a multipurpose room for church functions and community gatherings. Programming would include mentoring, financial literacy education, and connections to The Portico's ministries. Construction, if approved, is projected to take approximately 18 months following permits.
Visiting Hyde Park
Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The church phone number is 813-253-5388, and email reaches the office at Info@HydeParkUMC.org. Newcomers are invited to the Discover Hyde Park class, and visitors can RSVP through the Next Steps page. Whether a guest arrives at the Sanctuary on Platt Street, the Portico on Florida Avenue, or the YouTube livestream, the same mission is in view: to make God's love real in Tampa and beyond.