In Loving Memory
Rev. Juan Martin passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 21, 2026, at 7:45 a.m CST. He departed this life surrounded by the peace and comfort of the Lord, leaving behind a legacy of faith, love, ministry, and service that will continue to live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.
Rev. Juan M. Martin
76 Years of Faithful Service to the work of the Lord. ✞ A labor of love.
The Lord
June 12, 1934 – August 21, 2026
A Servant Who Dedicated His Life Laboring In The Kingdom of Jesus Christ
Rev. Juan M. Martin devoted 76 years of his life to serving the Lord Jesus Christ. His ministry was marked by an extraordinary passion for reaching people wherever they were— from the streets of Havana and Brooklyn to churches, seminaries, neighborhoods and communities throughout the United States.
He was not simply a preacher who stood behind a pulpit. He was a servant who went where people were hurting, forgotten, searching and in need of hope. His life became a living testimony of what can happen when one man completely surrenders his life to God.
Pastor Juan Martin established two churches that are still thriving today and continuing the work of the Lord, carrying forward the vision and legacy he began.
From Havana to a Life of Global Influence
Rev. Martin’s journey of faith began when he was only 16 years old in Havana, Cuba. What began with a young man going door to door sharing Jesus Christ eventually became a lifetime of preaching, teaching, church planting, evangelism and raising up ministers.
The Calling Begins
As a teenager in Havana, Cuba, Juan Martin began going door to door, speaking to families about Jesus Christ. His passion for the Gospel began burning at an early age.
The Gospel on Radio
His passion for reaching people grew beyond the streets and into radio broadcasting, allowing his message about Jesus Christ to reach an even greater audience.
Baseball & Evangelism
Rev. Martin was also a professional baseball player in Cuba. He used the recognition and influence he received through baseball as an opportunity to point people toward the Lord Jesus Christ.
A New Beginning in America
Following the rise of communism in Cuba, Rev. Martin left his homeland with his wife and four children, arriving in the United States with little more than his family and his faith in God.
Welcomed as Refugees
After first landing in Miami, the family traveled to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where a Lutheran church welcomed them and helped provide a new beginning for the family.
Brooklyn, New York
Rev. Martin continued his ministry and eventually moved to Brooklyn, where he established and pastored one of the largest Hispanic churches in the area.
Building Another Church
His ministry later brought him to Chicago, Illinois, where he established another Hispanic congregation on Chicago’s West Side.
Professor & Mentor
Rev. Martin taught at a seminary in Chicago for 24 years, investing deeply in the education, spiritual formation and leadership development of future ministers.
Ministers Influenced
Through his dedication and leadership, more than 3,300 ministers were ordained through the ministry and seminary work with which he was associated, extending his influence into churches and communities far beyond his own pulpit.
A Pastor Who Went Where Others Would Not Go
His children lovingly nicknamed him “The Ghetto Preacher.” It was a name that described the heart of his ministry. God used Rev. Martin to reach people in places where many others were not willing to go.
He understood that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was not reserved for comfortable places, beautiful buildings or people who already had their lives together. He believed that hurting people needed Jesus exactly where they were.
The streets became part of his mission field. The neighborhoods became his congregation. The stranger on the street became someone who needed to hear about the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
His ministry was never simply about building churches. It was about building people, restoring lives and raising up servants who would continue the work of the Gospel.
The Man Who Robbed the Preacher
One memory I will never forget happened while my father was on the streets of Brooklyn, New York, passing out Christian tracts and inviting people to come to church.
A man who was involved with a street gang approached my father and robbed him, stealing his wallet. But something extraordinary happened in the middle of that robbery.
My father was inviting the man who was robbing him to come to church.
The story became even more remarkable when that same man actually came to church the following Sunday. There, he gave his life to Jesus Christ.
My father helped him change his life. The transformation was so profound that the man eventually graduated from seminary and began pastoring a church in New York City.
That story captures the heart of Rev. Juan Martin’s ministry. He did not see people as criminals, gang members, strangers or lost causes. He saw souls who needed Jesus.
A Legacy of Raising Up Leaders
Rev. Juan M. Martin carried an extraordinary commitment to both preaching and theological education. He earned two doctorate degrees, including a doctorate in Divinity and a doctorate in Psychology.
For 24 years, he served as a seminary teacher in Chicago, Illinois. His classroom became another mission field where he poured biblical knowledge, ministry experience, wisdom and leadership into men and women preparing to serve the Lord.
His influence cannot be measured simply by the number of churches he pastored or sermons he preached. His greatest legacy can be seen in the lives of the ministers he trained, the families he reached, the churches he established and the countless souls who encountered Jesus Christ through his ministry.
A Tribute From My Heart
As Senior Pastor of Open Heaven Christian Church and the son of Rev. Juan Martin, watching my dad continually work in the Kingdom of God to reach lost and hurting souls was one of the greatest privileges of my life.
I must say that he will be deeply missed and deeply loved by me.
I am fully persuaded that the Lord Jesus has welcomed my father’s passing from this life into eternity. After 76 years of faithfully serving Christ, I believe he has finished his race and entered into the presence of the Lord.
Many people knew my father as Pastor Juan. I knew him as my dad. I called him Pop.
But I also knew him as an Apostle of Jesus Christ— a man whom God used to establish ministries and churches, raise up ministers and touch and transform countless lives.
His voice may now be silent on earth, but the fruit of his ministry continues to speak through the lives of those he reached, taught, discipled and led to Christ.
I give tribute to my dad because I learned the word of God through his life. And the life I now live in serving the Lord by even this very website that is dedicated to reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ is because of what I learned from my dad in both how to treat people with dignity and respect, and the determination to never give up in following and serving the Lord even when things are difficult in life. Thnaks Pop! I love you.
His son, Pastor Joel
“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”
June 12, 1934 – August 21, 2026
A Life Well Lived. A Legacy That Lives On.
My condolences to you Joel on the passing of your Father, may the Lord be with you and comfort and bless you in this time. It’s always a difficult time of sorrow but the Lord is with us and we can thank Him for our parents and molding us into the people we are today. I remember the amazing stories you have shared about your Father, times of looking after the children in the orphanage and them calling him ‘Dad’, the times he made up flyers and walked the streets of Brooklyn to get people come to church and hear of the Lord and amazing prayer vigils that culminated into Spirit led miracles in times of trouble. The Lord bless you and keep you. x
Thank you, Ollive. Yes, there were many untold and unforgettable stories about my dad that showed his genuine compassion.
He loved and cared for all of the orphaned children, and they called my father “Dad.” I remember the first time my dad took me to the orphanage to see all of the children. I was eight years old. As soon as the kids saw my dad, they came running up to him. My dad would always stop, kneel down, and speak to them. He would look into their little eyes and tell them that Jesus loved them, that he loved them too, and that they were very important and had a special purpose in life.
At eight years old, I didn’t understand why these children called my dad “Dad.” To be honest, I became jealous because they were calling my dad Dad. When we got back into the car to leave the orphanage, my father, in the most loving and humble way, began to explain to me that these children didn’t have parents to love and care for them.
After he explained it to me, I changed my mind. Instead of being jealous, I became happy that they called him Dad. I understood that my father was giving these children something they desperately needed—a father’s love.
Looking back now, I can still hear the compassion and love in his voice as he explained it to me. He wanted those children to know that they were not forgotten, that they were loved, and that they mattered.
Every week, my dad made time to visit them to make sure they were all okay and had everything they needed—clothes, shoes, enough food, and anything else they might need. He spoke to those children as if they were his own.
As the director of the orphanage, my dad also made sure that everyone who worked there understood that these children were to be treated with the same love, dignity, compassion, and care that they would give their own children.
That was the kind of man my father was. He didn’t simply oversee an orphanage—he opened his heart and became a father to children who desperately needed one. He gave them more than food, clothing, and shelter. He gave them love, hope, and the reassurance that they were not alone.