The offices of Get Wrapped Church, located on Cypress Station Drive, were first hit earlier this month when thieves broke a window and made off with a few computer monitors. But this past weekend, the situation escalated dramatically.
On Saturday, burglars returned, stealing thousands of dollars' worth of computers and equipment-including gear from the church's newly completed podcast studio, a key part of their outreach efforts.
"We speak mostly to the prison system, and yeah, give people hope and life," the church's founder, Pastor Juan Martinez, said.
Then came yet another hit. While the church was waiting for deputies to arrive on Sunday, Pastor Martinez says someone tried to enter again, pretending to be maintenance staff.
"They were like, 'Hey, don't go in there,' and the guy says, 'I'm maintenance,' and then he jumped out the window," Martinez recalled.
The repeated break-ins, which involved broken windows and forced entries using rocks, also affected other offices in the same building. Plywood now covers several shattered windows across the property.
However, the most heartbreaking loss, according to Pastor Martinez, was the loss of the podcast studio. The space was central to their prison outreach program, "This is Real with Juan Martinez," which shares messages of hope with incarcerated individuals across the state.
Martinez, who spent 10 years in prison himself for drug offenses before turning his life around, says the experience is more hurtful than infuriating.
"It just kinda hurts. I was more hurt than mad," he said.
Now, the church is in the process of relocating to a more secure office, but Pastor Martinez says he remains grounded in his faith.
"Maybe the irony is that they'll get arrested, and wind up going to jail, and maybe they'll come to Christ and change their lives," he said with a hopeful smile.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office confirmed deputies are investigating the burglaries.
For more on this story, follow Jessica Willey on Facebook, X and Instagram.