Place of Promise
A Multiservice Advocacy & Discipleship Nurturing Center
February 2015
“It was God who gave to some…to prepare His people for works of service, so that the Body of
Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of
God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
(Ephesians 4:11-13)
Dear Friends,
Such a very long, cold month of February we have all had! The latest news report noted that
the City of Lowell has gotten the most snowfall in the entire country. So far, we have 115 inches and
right now it’s snowing again. The constant snow and severe cold have been almost unbearable, but
we are so thankful for our warm homes where we continue to seek and find God with us every day.
Right before the first blizzard, the furnace in the girls’ treatment home broke down four
times. Each time, I tried to fix it myself and then had to call the repair service. We hung blankets
over the doorways of the kitchen and dining room where we all stayed together in the warmth of the
oven and a space heater. Finally, after the fourth repair, we’ve had a working furnace throughout this
cold dark month. It seems that there was one small part that stopped working, which in turn caused
the whole furnace to shut down.
I knew there was a spiritual lesson in this “furnace story” for all of us, but little did I know
how powerfully it would be driven home to us in the next few days. Our “furnace story” reminded us
all how very important each one of us is to the working of the whole. It reminded us that one small,
seemingly insignificant part could be so very important. The part that didn’t stand out - didn’t get
much attention – was vital to the functioning of the whole furnace. We were reminded again how
important every single one of us is at Place of Promise, including the staff, the volunteers, the
residents, the Board of Directors, and the supporters.
It was Monday morning and all the staff was at Place of Promise. It seemed like a usual
Monday except that it was starting to snow. That’s when I got a call from the MBTA detective in
Boston informing me that Jeffrey Foxon, our beloved brother in Christ, had just collapsed and died in
Back Bay Station. An extremely important person in our Place of Promise community was gone!
Jeffrey Foxon was a faithful servant of God. His love for God was evident in his everyday
life as he quietly went about his work. I first came to really know Jeff when he and his wife, Julie,
came to live with my family in 1987. Jeff and Julie had only been married 3 years when she was
diagnosed with stomach cancer. After surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, it became apparent that
Julie was not going to recover. She needed constant nursing care, so she and Jeff moved into our
home so I could care for her. She lived for 4 months and Jeff stayed for another 6 months after she
died. He truly loved his wife and demonstrated how a Godly husband lived. His love and devotion to
God never wavered. We had a small church in our house during that time and Jeff would often sit at
the piano, playing the hymns that he loved so much.
On the day that Julie died, Jeffrey Foxon gave me a glimpse of a very selfless love that could
only have come from God. It was about 5 a.m. and Jeffrey and I stood on either side of her bed,
holding Julie close, praying. Jeff asked me to sing softly while we waited for death to come.
Afterwards, as we both quietly stood there weeping, I told him I would call the funeral home.
“I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.” Leviticus 26:12
P.O. BOX 1132 LOWELL, MA 01853
Office: 978-452-7217
www.placeofpromise.org
Without hesitation, Jeff said to me, “Wait until your children have gone to school. Let me have
breakfast with them like every other morning. I don’t want them to know Julie died and then have to
go off to school upset. Wait until they come home. Then you can be with them and comfort them.”
Here was this man, a man who adored his wife, thinking of my children just minutes after his
beloved wife had died! I think that was the first time I realized how important this man was in my
own walk with God. He had shown me what it meant to have an attitude as that of Jesus Christ
(Ephesians 2:1-11). Children were important to him.
In 1994, when Place of Promise began, Jeffrey Foxon became a founding member of the
Board of Directors and our accountant. He considered it a great joy to be able to serve God and help
us as his way of giving back. For several years, he worked for nothing and did so diligently and
faithfully with no complaint and little recognition. He conducted hymn-sings every week when Place
of Promise was in Dorchester. Residents - some just out of prison, some from the streets, some dying
of AIDS, some struggling with addiction – would all sit around his keyboard making a joyful noise
unto the Lord.
When we moved Place of Promise to Lowell, Jeffrey didn’t fuss or complain. He just learned
how to use the commuter rail to travel from Cambridge to Lowell. He loved God! He loved Place of
Promise! He loved his church, South End Neighborhood Church, the Emmanuel Gospel Center and
International Fellowship House – all the places where he served. Jeffrey Foxon was an important
person in all our lives. We truly loved and appreciated him! How amazing that God took him home
to heaven while he was waiting for the train that would take him to work at Place of Promise. His life
made a huge difference and yet I don’t think any of us realized to what a large extent until he died. I
don’t think Jeffrey knew how important he was to so many …
Many who come to Place of Promise feel like they don’t really matter to anyone. Their lives
seem to have lost – or, perhaps, never found – purpose. One of the most important things a new
“family of God” can do is to help each member truly come to believe in their own importance to the
community and to God. Hopefully, over time, their lives will become important even to themselves!
Everything that happens at Place of Promise is designed to help us all realize how uniquely important
we each are to the whole. Everything Leslie Moore, our new Executive Director, has envisioned for
the future growth and development of Place of Promise will help each one to know God and find His
purpose and plan for his/her life. When we all know the truth of how much we each matter in the big
plan of God, we will, together, make a huge difference in our world.
You, too, are an important part of Place of Promise! Without each one of you, we could not
minister to our fullest potential. Please know how much we do appreciate every one of you! Place of
Promise was created by God to bring many of His most lonely, hurting, broken people to new, very
important lives in Christ Jesus. God uses each of you, along with all of us, to nurture, sustain and
provide for this vital ministry. Please continue to pray, volunteer, give and play such an important
role in Place of Promise – a living demonstration of God’s love to all who matter so much to Him!
In appreciation,
Beth Kidd, Founder
“I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.” Leviticus 26:12
P.O. BOX 1132 LOWELL, MA 01853
Office: 978-452-7217
www.placeofpromise.org