About US
Who We Are
Worthy People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit bringing hope and healing through prison ministry, reentry support, and a nationally streamed podcast.
We connect with incarcerated individuals, returning citizens, and their families—offering spiritual restoration, emotional support, and life transformation centered in Jesus.
Our mission is simple yet bold: remove the labels of society and see every person as Jesus does.
A Known Voice in Prison Ministry
Our founders are not just figureheads; they’re hands-on, engaging directly to keep our approach real and relatable. Grounded in adaptability, authenticity, and a steadfast commitment to building a supportive community, we’ve carefully crafted a network of engaging podcast content and ministry connections in and outside of prison that serve as a robust support system for inmates and their families.
Worthy People is dedicated to providing transformative support, offering individuals a pathway to hope, healing, and a truly meaningful life upon re-entry.
OUR MISSION
"Removing the labels of society by seeing and accepting all people as Jesus does."
A Timeline of Transformation
After years of drug addiction, Cody had a life-transforming encounter with Jesus in a prison at the age of 23 years old. It was then that he was given the mandate to preach the gospel to the lost, the last, and the least. In 2013, he moved to San Antonio to start his new life in Jesus, While attending a bible conference he met his wife Julia who stated as entrepreneurs that lead them to run successful businesses together
In 2015 we started a prison letter writing ministry called "Letters of Worth". We would write incarcerated individuals with the hope and message of Jesus and send yearly Christmas cards. By hosting letter-writing parties, people were able to participate and let a mother, father, son or daughter know that they are not forgotten.
In 2018 Cody & Julia would focus on hands-on discipleship and leadership through classes and serving to be servant leaders with an impact on the lives of others through leading teams, classes and bible study groups. This training helped prepare them to answer the call of stepping into full-time ministry.
In 2020, during a global pandemic while many churches experienced closures, Cody and Julia saw addiction and homelessness hit a record high in San Antonio and answered the call and invitation to start a church on the south-side of San Antonio to reach the formerly incarcerated and those struggling with addictions with recovery classes and church services.
In 2021, Cody and Julia planted Worthy People Church near downtown San Antonio, Texas with the mission to reach the one that didn't think their life mattered with the message that their life has so much worth that God sent Jesus to die for them, that they may live.
At the beginning of 2022, we launched our prison radio ministry and went on the air with "Worthy People Freedom Radio" declaring freedom to the captives in over 36 Texas prisons. By the middle of the year we had grown to an audio podcast with thousands tuning in weekly to hear a message of hope and forgiveness as well as featured Christian hip-hop and previously incarcerated guest sharing the testimony of Jesus.
In 2023 the prison ministry was taking off and Cody and Julia found their time split between managing a growing church and traveling to prisons. It was clear God was calling Cody & Julia full time to the Worthy People vision. In August 2023, they resigned as lead pastors of Worthy People Church and were welcomed by a local church to attend and continue the calling of reaching the incarcerated with the freedom of Jesus.
Today, our vision is clear...every day someone in prison accepts Jesus through our podcast, every week individuals reach out to us that are released, every weekend through our in-person services in prisons, training and leading new team volunteers to fulfil their calling through prison ministry and taking previously incarcerated individuals to church, during the week in our connect groups and daily support of families of the incarcerated. With your help we are "Transforming Futures: Focused On The One, Impacting Many."
Our Hope
We’re not just preaching sermons—we’re rebuilding lives and restoring dignity. Worthy People is here for the incarcerated, their families, and the forgotten.
We believe
The church is not a building—it’s us.
Freedom isn’t just physical—it’s spiritual.
Everyone has a calling—no matter their past.
Our model
Support during incarceration
Reentry guidance post-release
Ongoing discipleship and community support
Meet Our Founders
Cody & Julia
From prisons to pulpits, from the streets to service.
Cody was born dead to a drug-addicted mother and as a result has scars all over his body to this day. He survived the projects, the foster care system, and life on the streets at 18 years old.
At 20 years old in the Texas prison system, 3 years into his sentence he desired a new way of life. Cody had a life-transforming encounter with Jesus in a prison. When he learned his worth in Jesus, it changed him and he never looked back. It was then that he was given the mandate to preach the gospel to the lost, the last, and the least.
In 2013, he moved to San Antonio to start his new life in Jesus. While attending a bible conference he met his wife Julia and they have called San Antonio home for almost a decade with their son Jax. Now Cody and Julia lead Worthy People and travel to prisons with the message to remove the labels of society by seeing and accepting all people as Jesus does.
"We believe in meeting people right where they are, building a loving environment and empowering individuals from all walks of life with true freedom in Jesus."
