•  The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.
•  There is one and only one living and true God who reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
•  God the Father reigns with providential care over His universe. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving and all wise.
•  Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. In His substitutionary death on the cross, He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body, ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. 
•  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God who convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ.
•  Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God’s creation. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. 
•  Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end.
•  A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.
•  God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.
• Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God since both are created in God’s image. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.
• The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations. It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ.
•  Every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death.
•  God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness.

A Brief Look at the Story That Brought UCF to Where We Are Today

July 24, 2022 — Rincon Baptist Church and the Filipino American Christian Fellowship of Tucson (FACFT) voted to merge, forming United Christian Fellowship (UCF).
Pastor Gideon Dignadice of FACFT became Senior Pastor as both congregations united in excitement and faith for what God has prepared.

• 1963: Founded by Rev. Leland Hall; services held at Dietz Elementary.
• 1964–1973: Pastored by Rev. W.V. “Doc” Wilson.
• 1968: Church plant began at current location; first sanctuary service held September 1968.
• 1974–1977: Rev. Mel Worters served.
• 1975:
  • Church incorporated (Feb 19)
  • East wing added
• 1977–1979: Rev. Ira Irvin served.
• 1978–1979: Fellowship and Educational Building constructed and dedicated.

• 1980–1983: Rev. Johan M. Parks served.
• 1985–1986: Rev. Haskel Morris served.
• 1986–1989: Rev. D.F. Desist served.
• 1990–1997: Rev. Mark Pitts served.
• 1990s Key Improvements:
  • Added music minister/associate pastor
  • Added youth pastor
  • Youth group grew from 2 to 31+ members
  • Basketball and volleyball courts built
  • Brick wall and new sign installed
  • Air conditioning added to all buildings
  • Sanctuary roof replaced (1996)
• Rincon helped sponsor a church plant on Tucson’s east side until it became self-supporting.

• 1997: Pastor Edward Vernon became interim, then permanent pastor.
• Under his leadership:
  • Church grew from a struggling congregation to a thriving one
  • Increased number of families, children, and youth
  • Added a second morning service
  • 1999: Associate Pastor Gordon Vernon called
  • 2005: Youth director added
  • Plans developed for a new sanctuary
• 2010: New Worship Center dedicated, bringing renewed growth.

• 2012: Gordon Vernon became Senior Pastor.
• New on-campus ministries:
  • FACFT
  • First Nepali Church
• Additional ministries launched:
  • Road 2 Recovery
  • Good News Club (CEF)
  • Caring Ministries Food Distribution
  • Native American Mission outreach
• Other developments:
  • Four new staff positions
  • Preschool opened
  • Growing children’s and youth ministries
• Community outreach included:
  • Thanksgiving baskets
  • Annual car show
  • Trunk or Treat Festival
  • Donations for Native American and international missions

• 2017: Pastor Gordon retired; Pastor Trei Watters became Senior Pastor in November.
• Church updated its website and explored improvements to buildings and grounds.
• 2020: During COVID-19 shutdown, worship moved online; resumed in-person in 2021 with ongoing livestreams.
• 2021: Pastor Trei stepped down in August.
• 2022: Pastor Joel Reyes (former FACFT pastor) became Interim Pastor until the merger.

• Dec 17, 2006: First Bible study held with three families.
• Monthly studies started at Fountain Plaza Apartments.
• Contact made with Pastor Joel Padilla (Phoenix).
• Aug 2007: First Bible study with Pastor Padilla.
• Sept 29, 2007: First worship service with ~30 people attending.
• Weekly Friday Bible studies began, rotating between homes.
• As more participants joined, including Americans married to Filipinos, name changed to FACFT.

• June 2008: FACFT began meeting at Christian Faith Fellowship of Tucson.
• An email from Alaska prompted early connection with Pastor Joel Reyes.
• At the same time, Pastor Joel and his wife Beth felt led by God to move from Alaska.
• Sept 2008: They moved to Tucson and joined FACFT gatherings.
• Pastor Joel was soon invited to lead studies and was formally called as pastor.
• Jan 2009: He was officially installed as Pastor.
• FACFT began weekly services as a church plant supported by the Filipino American Baptist Church, the Arizona Baptist Convention, and Valley Rim Baptist Association.
• FACFT later moved services to Rincon Baptist Church.

• 2018: Pastor Joel retired from full-time ministry but continued serving as Elder.
• 2019: 10-year anniversary; FACFT welcomed a new Lead Pastor, Pastor Gideon “PGidz” Dignadice.
• Feb 2, 2020: FACFT moved into its renovated worship facility and held its first service there.

Today, UCF is led by a Lead Pastor, an Associate Pastor, and six ministries overseen by Elders.
Our church is stronger than ever — not because of ourselves, but entirely because of God’s amazing grace.
Membership, attendance, community service, and missions continue to grow.

We welcome you to join us and consider making UCF your home church.