At the top of the steps of the Tarrant County Courthouse, Jaiden Cisneros recalled the time he entered a state of depression and felt like God was nowhere to be found.
He didn’t want anyone to witness what he was going through — so he stayed in his room that summer three years ago, Cisneros said. He began to grow angry at God, he said.
Cisneros didn’t talk to God again until last year, when his mom invited him to join her in a March for Jesus, an international movement for shared worship and to publicly express one’s faith, which reached the U.S. in the early ’90s and arrived in Saginaw in 2025.
Initially, Cisneros didn’t want to go. But it was his mom asking, so he did.
Staying near the back of the crowd, Cisneros watched people march, be saved, and declare Jesus’ name. But he still felt angry with God, he said. He didn’t want to be depressed. He wanted to feel what others were experiencing at the march.
Cisneros’ frustration began to wash away after a man he had never met sat with him, gave him a hug and told him the opposite of what he was telling himself: He was seen, he was loved and God didn’t leave him.
Jaiden Cisneros shares his testimony while participating in the 2025 March for Jesus event at the Tarrant County Courthouse on May 23, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
Participants in the 2026 Walk for Jesus event gather at the Tarrant County Courthouse before trekking to Burk Burnett Park on May 23, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
Cisneros shared his story with hundreds of families and youth who gathered downtown Saturday morning to trek from the Tarrant County Courthouse to Burk Burnett Park as part of the 2026 March for Jesus Fort Worth event.
“The love of God has this beautiful, unique way of canceling everything out into exactly where you’re at. This is not just an event; this is a declaration for God. This is a place to experience the love of God,” Cisneros said. “The same thing God did for me, he could do for you.”
Tarrant County Christians make their way from the Tarrant County Courthouse to Burk Burnett Park during the March for Jesus Fort Worth event on May 23, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
Generations of Fort Worthians March for Jesus
A bellow blasted from a shofar, a musical instrument made from the horn of a ram or other kosher animal, cued the beginning of the march.
Crowds of people waving blue and yellow pompoms, carrying crosses and chanting “Jesus” surged into the streets of the city.
Families and youth walk through the streets of downtown Fort Worth as participants in the 2026 March for Jesus event on May 23, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
Marlon Moore, 42, marched through the city with his family. He said, as the head of his household, it’s important to show his daughters that there is a community of people who share their beliefs.
“I want them to know that I’m not gonna be here forever. … Even if we’re not here, they will have Jesus to lean on and guide them and lead them through times, whatever they’re going through,” Moore said.
March for Jesus Fort Worth took place downtown for the first time on May 23, 2026. The event was previously held in Saginaw. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
March for Jesus came to Tarrant County for the first time in 2025, launching from Saginaw with a vision “to see the city of Fort Worth transformed by unity, prayer, and public worship,” according to the local event’s website. The May 23 march marked the first time the movement brought the event to downtown Fort Worth.
March for Jesus Fort Worth is organized by Harvest to Hope, a nonprofit that offers youth mentorship, veteran assistance and support to individuals experiencing homelessness.
Roosevelt Smith, 70, lives in downtown Fort Worth. He did not initially know about the March for Jesus Fort Worth event but decided to join in. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
The procession paused at West 4th Street for a period to pray for the city, the churches and ministries before continuing on the route to Burk Burnett Park.
Fort Worth resident Roosevelt Smith, 70, was having breakfast when he heard one of his favorite worship songs echoing through the city.
He was curious about what was happening so he put on his boots, cowboy hat and went out into the streets to ask people what was happening. He then joined the march.
Anytime anybody’s spreading the word and talking about Jesus, Smith is interested, he said.
“There’s so many people that are being distracted with all the chaos that’s going on in the world, and it’s important to know that people are staying focused on what’s really important,” he said.
A blue inflatable arch greeted marchers as they entered the park. Volunteers waved their pompoms, welcoming attendees to the part of the event filled with worship music, guest speakers and the organization’s messages for Christian leaders.
The local march was led by Bishop Ernest Carradine and his wife, Pastor Brenda Carradine, of International Harvest Christian Fellowship Church in northwest Fort Worth. The couple also co-founded the Harvest to Hope nonprofit.
The idea to bring the movement to the city came after the pastors attended a March for Jesus event in Spokane, Washington, in the early ’90s, Ernest Carradine told attendees.
Carradine shared a Scripture from Psalms in the Bible that he felt encapsulated the feeling attendees experienced Saturday morning: a blessing.
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity,” Carradine said, referring to the Scripture. “It is in unity that Jesus declares the blessing,” he added.
Bishop Ernest Carradine and his wife, Pastor Brenda Carradine, of International Harvest Christian Fellowship Church share the history of the March for Jesus event to Fort Worth participants on May 23, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
From London to Texas: March for Jesus history
The March for Jesus movement began in London in 1987 when Christian leaders wanted to carry worship beyond church walls and into the streets, according to the March for Jesus Fort Worth website. The march spread across the U.K., Europe and then reached the U.S. in the early ’90s in Austin, Texas, according to the flagship March for Jesus website.
The idea of a national march grew, and on May 23, 1992, hundreds of thousands of Christians banded together in the first nationwide March for Jesus, according to the website.
Today, thousands of Christians around the world participate in the annual March for Jesus on Pentecost weekend. Pentecost is observed by both the Christian and Jewish faiths. Christians observe Pentecost 50 days after Easter and it marks the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus Christ, according to ReligionLink.
During the Saturday event, Fort Worth District 3 City Council member Michael Crain bestowed a special recognition on behalf of the city to the Carradines in recognition of the march.
Crain encouraged attendees to continue expressing their faith and compassion toward one another throughout life’s challenges.
“We all got baggage, we all got problems, we all got issues. If we don’t recognize that, we can’t get help,” Crain said. “Keep being yourself, keep being out there, keep telling the message of Lord Jesus Christ, because I know, ultimately, this is not our home, our home is somewhere else, and I’m looking forward to that day.”
Fort Worth District 3 City Council member Michael Crain presented a special recognition to Bishop Ernest Carradine and his wife, Pastor Brenda Carradine, in recognition of the March for Jesus Fort Worth event on May 23, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
Blake Killingsworth, dean of the Gary Cook School of Leadership at Dallas Baptist University, emphasized the importance of trusting in Jesus in various aspects of life, including education, in his keynote address.
“Education does something to change lives,” Killingsworth said. “We must prioritize education, come together, ensure that every individual has a chance to better understand their world and grow in their knowledge to potentially have their full opportunities to do what the Lord wanted them to do.”
Attendees of the March for Jesus Fort Worth event worship at Burk Burnett Park on May 23, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
Attendees of the March for Jesus Fort Worth event worship at Burk Burnett Park on May 23, 2026. (Marissa Greene | Fort Worth Report)
In the audience was Emma Eguiluz, 16, who arrived with her cousin and a friend from church.
This was the teen’s first time participating in the March for Jesus. Being a young Christian can feel isolating at times, Eguiluz said. Being around her friends, family and other people who share her faith on Saturday morning gave her a different perspective, she said.
“It was like a reflection of heaven,” Eguiluz said. “It was all the joy.”
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org/2026/05/23/reflection-of-heaven-fort-worth-christians-call-for-hope-unity-in-march-for-jesus-event/”>article</a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org”>Fort Worth Report</a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src=”https://i0.wp.com/fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”>
<img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https://fortworthreport.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=568735&ga4=2820184429″ style=”width:1px;height:1px;”><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: “https://fortworthreport.org/2026/05/23/reflection-of-heaven-fort-worth-christians-call-for-hope-unity-in-march-for-jesus-event/”, urlref: window.location.href }); } } </script> <script id=”parsely-cfg” src=”//cdn.parsely.com/keys/fortworthreport.org/p.js”></script>