Our Story

A place of restoration
since 1990

God called us to San Benito with a promise. Here's how that story has unfolded.

Not a quiet church — and that's on purpose

We don't do church quietly. Our services are expressive — live music, congregational worship, and room to encounter God without apology. If you're not used to that, it might surprise you the first time. Most people find it's exactly what they were looking for.

We're a church that looks like the Rio Grande Valley. You'll meet everyone from fifth-generation Valleyites to Winter Texans. You'll hear Spanish and English in the same room, and sometimes in the same sentence. We have families who've attended for decades sitting next to people visiting for the first time. Our congregation drives in from Harlingen, Brownsville, and across the border because they found something here they couldn't find anywhere else.

If you have small children, know this: children are not a distraction at church. They are the church. We want your entire family in the room.

If you come here open to what God has for you, you will not leave the same way you entered.

Pastor Milligan founded this church in 1990 with one mission: to build a place of restoration. It is still our focus. We believe God can rebuild what is broken in marriages, in families, in individual lives. We've seen it happen too many times to count. Come find out what restoration looks like for you.

TPC San Benito congregation in worship

From a liquor store to a place of restoration

In 1990, Pastor Milligan held the first service of The Pentecostal Church of San Benito in a converted liquor store on the corner of Stenger and Sam Houston. Five people were there that day: Pastor Milligan, his wife, his two sons, and one faithful retired lady who believed in what God was doing.

The church grew. They outgrew the liquor store and moved to a storefront in downtown San Benito. They outgrew that too. In 2003, the congregation bought land off Zillock Road. Volunteers came from across Texas to help build a church in 24 hours. By the next morning, they held their first service.

In 2016, the church completed a major expansion — a new sanctuary and doubled Sunday School space — to keep pace with a congregation that had never stopped growing.

Today, people drive from across the Rio Grande Valley to be part of what God is doing here. Thirty-five years after five people gathered in a converted liquor store, the promise God made to Pastor Milligan is still coming true.

Rooted in Scripture

We are a UPCI church — part of the United Pentecostal Church International. Our beliefs are anchored in the Bible and the Apostolic faith passed down from the book of Acts.

The Bible

We believe the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God and the final authority for faith and practice.

Salvation

We follow the New Testament pattern of repentance, baptism in Jesus' name, and receiving the Holy Spirit.

Community

We believe the church is a family — and everyone who walks through our doors is a part of it.

Pastor J.C. Milligan preaching

Pastor J.C. Milligan

In 1989, God called me to San Benito and told me to start a church here. He told me it would be a place of restoration — a place where people on both sides of the border would find hope, even in the worst circumstances.

God has kept that promise and he wants to bring love, hope and healing to you and your family. No matter what your situation is, we know a God who wants to change your life forever.

Plan Your Visit →

We meet every Sunday at 10:00 a.m.

875 Zillock Road, San Benito TX 78586. Come as you are. We'll be watching for you.

Plan Your Visit →