A Florida church community is mourning the death of one of its pastors, a father of four, who was killed in a motorcycle crash last week. During Sunday’s worship service, the church gathered for the first time since his death to hear a message on “faith in the valleys.”
Joshua R. Rene, 39, served as an executive pastor at Journey Church, a non-denominational Christian church with campuses in West Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach and Boynton Beach. His biography, posted online before his death, described him as devoted to his family, his church and his faith.
In a Thanksgiving Day video posted to the church’s Facebook page, Lead Pastor Scott Baugh said Rene’s death had left the community shaken.
“It just doesn’t feel real,” Baugh said in the video. “I don’t know what to say. For so many of you, he was Pastor Josh, and he was an amazing pastor. But to me, he was just Josh. He was a friend, as close as a brother to me for 10 years.”
Sunday’s worship services were held at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. across all three Journey Church campuses. The services included a special time to honor Rene and his family, as well as a sermon focused on “what it really means to have faith in the valleys.”
“There was never a person he didn’t love, there was never a person he didn’t make time for,” Baugh said through tears during the worship service. “The one thing about Josh was that he was always joyful, always had faith. One of the most amazing things that has struck me through this whole thing is to see the outpouring on social media and phone calls.”
Pastor Rene died at the scene of the collision, which took place shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday on the 6200 block of South Congress Avenue near Atlantis, The Palm Beach Post reported. Rene, who was riding a Harley Davidson northbound, was struck by a southbound GMC Sierra pickup making a left turn into the Atlantis Plaza.
A crash report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said the driver of the pickup failed to see Rene’s motorcycle in time to avoid the collision. The impact struck the front tire of the motorcycle and ejected Rene onto the roadway. He died at the scene. The report identified the driver of the GMC as a 50-year-old man from Stuart.
The church released a brief statement on its Facebook page asking for prayers and support for Rene’s family.
“As a church community we are heartbroken over the loss of our beloved Pastor Josh,” the statement read. “Please pray with us for the Rene family.”
On the Facebook post announcing Rene’s death, one user wrote a message: “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I shall set you over much; enter the joy of your Lord.'”
