Boston Trip 2024
2 Timothy 4:4-5 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
In 2020, Pastor Mike Reneau and his family (wife and two kids) took the greatest leap of faith and moved to Boston Massachusetts during COVID. He strategically planned with his sending church (Midtown Baptist Temple) to hit the ground running just as the world was shutting down from the pandemic. The Reneau’s were established around a high traffic intersection from 2020-2023, a beautiful historic Baptist Church with-in walking distance of Northeastern University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Boston College among others.
December 2023 was the deadline they were given to leave the historic church because Mike faithfully taught from the KJV Bible. In faith, Mike continued to teach the KJV Bible to his flock (roughly 30 people) and did not let this unforeseen situation sway him from giving God all the glory. They spent roughly 4 months running church service, plus other established ministries, out of their home in Watertown, MA. Naturally, Living Faith Boston (LFB) lost almost half of their congregation during the transition because they didn’t like attending church in a home. Fast forward to April 2024, God answered many prayers and blessed LFB with the basement of an office building (Newton, MA) one mile from the Reneau’s home. They are now having Sunday morning service, the building is shut down for the weekends, and able to have all other ministries coordinated with-in the church and not their home. Since the church plant in 2020, Heartland Baptist Fellowship (amongst many other sister churches) have been able to send a team every year to help LFB with evangelistic outreach. In previous years, LFB focused primarily on the college campuses and really concentrated on providing a short-term relationship with students before graduation. This new location has provided LFB with an opportunity to invest in long-term relationships within the Newton neighborhood as well as Watertown, where Mike and his family currently reside.
In October 2024, Heartland Baptist Fellowship (HBF) sent a small team led by Brady Barnes (3rd trip). The team consisted of 5 people total, 4 of whom it was their first time visiting LFB. We were joined by Pastor Lee Carter and two other teams, Living Faith Lee’s Summit as well as Pleasant Grove from Alabama, totaling 35 visitors to Boston. Our goal was to go around the neighborhood of our Air BnB, located roughly 6 walking minutes from LFB, and hand out welcome cards, door-hangers, and other literature Mike had prepared for us. HBF’s crew did a total of 350 door-hangers, one of which brought a visitor in for Sunday service (PTL). We were also able to have many conversations and never fall short of our daily steps. The three team leads decided to help LFB by coordinating all their ministry needs for Sunday morning service; HBF led the Kid’s Town ministry, LFLS led the praise and PG led the Hospitality/welcoming committee. This allowed LFB crew to be a part of the congregation and enjoy fellowship with one another.
There were 8 salvations, thousands of door-hangers distributed throughout Newton and surrounding areas, and we had 6 new visitors at the Sunday morning Service. God deserves all the glory and recognition for how smooth this trip was. Thank you again HBF for all the prayer and support, the team that was called to go as well as LFB, give their thanks and love to you. Please continue praying for LFB, Pastor Mike, and his family and crew as they continue to endure the afflictions of the field and keep their focus on the Kingdom of God.