A Florida church is mourning the loss of one of its pastors, a father of four, who was killed in a motorcycle accident last week.

Sunday’s worship service at Journey Church, a non-denominational Christian church with campuses in West Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach, and Boynton Beach, was the first time the church had gathered since Joshua R. Rene, who served as the church’s executive pastor, was killed in a collision last Tuesday. He was 39.

"There was never a person he didn't love, there was never a person he didn't make time for," Lead Pastor Scott Baugh said through tears during the worship service, which featured a message titled “on "faith in the valleys."

"The one thing about Josh was that he was always joyful, always had faith,” Baugh added. “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."

Baugh had previously posted a video to the church's Facebook page on Thanksgiving Day, noting how Rene’s death impacted the community, The Christian Post reported.

"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."

Rene, who was riding a Harley Davidson northbound on the 6200 block of South Congress Avenue near Atlantis just before 7 pm Tuesday, was struck by a southbound GMC Sierra pickup making a left turn into the Atlantis Plaza, The Palm Beach Post reported.

According to a crash report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, the driver of the pickup, identified as a 50-year-old man from Stuart, failed to see Rene's motorcycle in time to avoid the collision. The subsequent crash struck the front tire of the motorcycle and ejected Rene onto the roadway, killing him at the scene.

In a brief statement posted to Facebook, Journey Church asked for prayers for Rene’s family.

"As a church community we are heartbroken over the loss of our beloved Pastor Josh," Journey statement read. "Please pray with us for the Rene family."

Source