Facilities Rental 

Our facility is available to rent for your non-profit's special events.  In 2011, a renovation was completed at First Church. This resulted in many improvements including access, seating, acoustics, audiovisual, and lighting of the Sanctuary. 

The Sanctuary and Chapel can be entered from Pineapple Street and Mira Mar Court. Both entrances have been renovated, creating an open view of our large ceramic-tiled narthex (lobby).

Please call the church office for more information 941-955-0935.  The church office is open Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The below listed forms are used by the Open Doors Committee of the Trustees to review requests for use of church spaces and to complete a License and Indemnity Agreement.  

Application for Space Usage
License and Indemnity Agreement
Rental Rates for 2018

 

SANCTUARY

• The 11,000 sq. ft. sanctuary (main floor and balcony) comfortably seats 780.
• The main floor features 3 wide aisles and a cross aisle for easy entry and exit.
• The Sanctuary has state-of-the-art lighting, acoustics, and audiovisual capabilities; the ceiling, front, and rear walls are designed to acoustician-developed specifications.
• A 9×12 projection screen is mounted on each side of the chancel (stage) in front of suspended projectors. The ceiling-mounted speakers have engineered delay from front to rear for clarity and fidelity of amplified sound wherever one is seated. A large sound booth at the front of the balcony contains lighting, sound and video control, as well as control of the 36 stage lights which can blanket or locally light areas of the stage.
• The 980 sq. ft. chancel (stage) features a movable acoustic wall as a backdrop for a 3-tiered choir riser. The stage can be expanded to over 1,200 sq. ft. The new 3-division organ console can be rolled to one of 4 different stage locations. The concert grand piano is on spider casters for mobility. The pulpit, lectern, and altar can be rolled behind the stage acoustic wall. The stage also features ample outlets for audio and video feeds.
• The front 3 rows of seating are upholstered, movable chairs, allowing up to 30 feet of floor in front of the chancel (stage) if needed for orchestra or other performers.
• The entire main floor is surrounded by a hearing loop for the hearing impaired. The hearing loop is one of the first in Sarasota.
• A chair lift to the chancel (stage) is available for handicap accessibility.

 

FELLOWSHIP HALL

Fellowship Hall, located in the Family Life Center, is a 3,600 sq. ft. room which can be set with 8 and 10 foot round tables for maximum seating of 164. For just seating, it can be set with upholstered chairs facing a stage.  In this arrangement 200 can be comfortably seated. Audio-video equipment screens and projectors are also available in this hall. Three (3) classrooms for breakout sessions are adjacent to Fellowship Hall.
 

PRIVATE COURTYARD AND NARTHEX (LOBBY)

A 2,400 sq. ft. lighted, bricked and landscaped private courtyard is available for a variety of uses. The 960 sq. ft. narthex (lobby),located between the Sanctuary and Chapel, is also available for gathering before and after events.
 

CHAPEL

The 1,700 sq. ft. Chapel provides intimate, comfortable seating for 125. This facility includes a piano, organ, video projection and sound-system equipment.