First Center is the umbrella organization for a variety of programs that heal bodies, enrich persons, lift lives, and care for the world, its people, and its resources, and whose core value is compassionate hospitality. We believe in a broad-reaching, inclusive, diversity that seeks to serve humanity without regard to age, race, belief, culture, or sexual orientation. We treat our global natural environment with care and search for opportunities to extend compassion to those in our society who are marginalized and vulnerable.
First Center is a semi-independent organization that was initiated by First United Methodist Church of Tacoma to offer a community of compassionate hospitality to First Church's neighbors and other people in the Tacoma area. The members of First Center are mutually supportive organizations that are committed to their own goals and that provide encouragement and support to one another.
While First Center arose as an outreach ministry of First Church, originally incorporated in August of 1997, in 2009, a Covenant between the two entities established that First Center is "a non-religious program of First Church." First Center provides emerging nonprofit programs with a 501(c)(3) status umbrella and a community of support that is free from stated beliefs of a Christian congregation.
Largely secular programs include My Sister's Pantry, the Amputee Support Group, the Micah Project, and the Bridge, while the Pacific Northwest Reconciling Ministries Network and Jubilate Worship Arts are both closely connected with the United Methodist Church. Future First Center programs may be religious, secular, or mixed, but will probably be more on the side of social services, peace and justice, and education.
My Sister's Pantry serves a hot meal as well as distributing groceries and clothing. The Pantry’s primary objective is keeping poor families from suffering homelessness.
An association of individuals, congregations, and campus ministries in Washington and northern Idaho that are part of the Reconciling Ministries movement within the United Methodist Church (UMC). Reconciling Ministries seeks full inclusion of and participation by all peoples in the life of the UMC, including sexual minorities and others who are not fully included at present.
