History of Without Walls Church Fort Worth
JoAnn and Orlando birthed this church twenty three years ago in 1995 as Grace Outreach Church. As a church we had a God given burden to minister to the poor. We got involved in West Fort Worth feeding, handing out clothes and providing gifts at Christmas for the poor.
We moved location from West Fort Worth to Anglin Dr in East Fort Worth but we were still not in the midst of the people with the serious needs.
Through a prophetic word that said, “If you care about the hurting then move among them”. So through a series of miracles we ended up where we are today. We moved here with about thirty people into this 80,000 square foot building. Without Walls Church was born.
It seemed like we weren’t able to reach into the community. Then through the turmoil of 2000 we became the command center for the police, fire department, Red Cross and other government agencies taking care of the needs for the poor here in East Fort Worth.
This opened the door for our food ministry. We began with about twenty people. Sam’s club donated about twenty loaves of bread, a few pies and cakes. So we progressed and week by week the food continued to come in and people began coming. See the Fort Worth Hope Center (http://fwhope.org) for more details of the Without Walls Church supported food distribution program.
Orlando Reyes Biography
Orlando began going to Sunday school and church at the age of three but it wasn’t until he was eleven that he understood the gospel message about the new birth. He accepted Jesus into his heart that year in a bible study being held in the garage on Thursday’s after school.
From there he began to be active in a local Baptist Church and in August of 1963 he surrendered to the ministry. He left state college and went to California Baptist College. After graduation he left to go to Texas and attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. While there he met JoAnn and July of 1968 they were married.
In 1969 they were baptized in the Holy Spirit and for the next couple of years traveled with Kenneth Copeland in spreading the word of God. They left his ministry to begin a Christian Coffee House ministry and since then birth several churches.
So he has been 52 years in the ministry, married 48 years, four children, six grandchildren and two more on the way. He feels like he is just getting started.
The vision and the fire God has put in our hearts is getting bigger and it looks like he has another fifty years if the Lord wishes, to further the Kingdom of God.