English
Korean
Spanish
Kindness and acceptance were not things David usually experienced in his interactions with other people.
Despite being described as covered in tattoos and looking “scary,” that’s what was shown to him when he attended Port Arthur City Church on the first day it launched as a church plant last year.
Julian Martínez, the church’s pastor, remembers it well: David showed up with his mother, and after the service ended that morning, he approached Martínez in an aggressive manner.
“He seemed to be high,” Martínez recalled.
Nevertheless, David returned to the church, visiting every week and eventually giving his life to Jesus Christ. Yes, that David—the drug-selling, drug-addicted, “scary” man—had been transformed and made new. That David, who had hardly set foot in a church, was now serving hand in hand with his pastor and pointing others to Christ alongside church members who welcomed him and loved him from day one.
“When I arrived at this church, I found the peace I needed,” David said. “[This is] a congregation of people who did not judge me, but who accepted me and prayed for me and my family.”
“It has been an incredible story to see him raise his hands in worship and see his passion for the Lord and how God has literally changed who he is in just one year,” Martínez said.
People like David are why Martínez and his family answered God’s call to plant Port Arthur City Church—to bring hope to the lost ones, those who find comfort in the dark corners of culture where many dare not tread.
Martínez knows those corners all too well.
“It has been an incredible story to see him raise his hands in worship and see his passion for the Lord and how God has literally changed who he is in just one year.”
The old made new
Martínez got mixed up with a bad crowd by age 12. He began taking drugs and living a reckless life. By age 15, his girlfriend, Melissa—who is now his wife—became pregnant. In his quest to provide for his family, he made yet another bad choice, becoming a “coyote,” a person who helps smuggle other people into the country illegally. At age 17, the father of two nearly got caught, leading him to try to change his life. He moved to San Angelo, but before long, he was once again immersed in the culture of partying and drug use.
After living that lifestyle for several years, Martínez said he began to sense God drawing him toward Him. Something changed after he and Melissa attended church on Easter in 2001. The sin that once dominated his life no longer left him feeling satisfied.
Sensing the Lord at work during a visit, an aunt began sharing the message of Christ with Julian and Melissa. Eventually, both gave their lives to Jesus and, before long, Martínez said he began feeling called by God to preach.
Martínez spent the next season of life studying theology and apologetics, and later, the Lord opened the door for him to serve first as a worship pastor and then leading young married couples at a church in Nederland, a Southeast Texas town located about 10 miles north of Port Arthur. The church in Nederland afforded him the opportunity to eventually serve as a pastoral intern and then as an associate pastor. He remained there for eight years, until the Lord called him to plant Port Arthur City Church.
“It was one day when I was eating tacos in a small town nearby on the other side of the tracks called Port Arthur that the Lord called me to plant a church,” Martínez said.
Though it’s nestled among a cluster of smaller rural towns, Port Arthur is very urban and culturally diverse, Martínez said. Once God called Martínez to plant, he said he was immediately aware of the great need for the gospel there. The city of nearly 60,000 people has only a handful of Southern Baptist churches.
“It was one day when I was eating tacos in a small town nearby on the other side of the tracks called Port Arthur that the Lord called me to plant a church.”
‘People like me’
Port Arthur City Church opened its doors on Easter Sunday 2024. Its mission is clear: to reach the community with the gospel of Jesus Christ and to make disciples. The church accomplishes this through intentional efforts to connect with people, handing out food or T-shirts alongside schools and businesses at community events. The church also has a strong presence on social media—which is how David and his family found out about the church. Martínez said he is constantly answering messages on social media from people asking for prayer.
Martínez said he has not done it alone. He shares how his own pastor, Daniel Ward, wanted to support him from the beginning in planting a church. Ward put Martínez in touch with Julio Arriola, director of Send Network SBTC, which works with the North American Mission Board to plant churches across Texas. Once connected with Send Network SBTC, Martínez went through a formal process of assessment and training before launching the church.
Located on one of the busiest streets in Port Arthur, City Church welcomes around 75 people every Sunday, with new visitors every week, Martínez said, noting, “People know who we are.” He recalls one occasion when a homeless man came up to him and told him, “I’ve heard about you and we’re glad you are here. I heard that you are trying to reach out to people like me who need hope and encouragement.”
“That,” Martinez told the man, “is exactly why we have come.”
