JUPITER FARMS, FLORIDA – Beacon Baptist Church launched week three of their Missions Month 2025 by welcoming Austin and Telissa Burt, of Keys for Christ Trust. Originating through the ministries of Southernmost Baptist Church in Key West, Keys for Christ Trust partners with Independent Baptist churches to plant local churches throughout South Florida. In fact, they would like to see a total of 25 churches planted across the next 25 years.

The Southernmost Baptist Church itself was planted in 2020, by Austin’s father-in-law, Max Llama, Sr. – right in the middle of the pandemic as church closures were sweeping the nation. Despite the dire circumstances of the time, and having to initially meet in a tent outdoors, the church quickly experienced exponential growth. Soon they were meeting in a hotel conference room, and after they ran out of space there, they moved to the community center at Bernstein Park. And the growth still did not stop. It got to the point where the fire marshal told them it was no longer safe for them to meet in the community center. Finally, in God’s perfect timing, the former Key West Baptist Church building became available to the new congregation and there it continues to grow.

The fledgling church has wasted no time in establishing ministries throughout their community, including Bible clubs in schools, a Teens for Christ Club that sees 50 to 100 students assemble every week in the public high school, a nursing home ministry, a jail ministry, and a soul winning ministry every Saturday. As Austin put it, “People are getting saved left and right.”

He then added, “Yes, we live in a dark world. Yes, we live with people who do not care much about God, but we can and we are seeing God do an amazing work in Key West.” The Keys for Christ Trust was started just last year and immediately started the work of planting churches throughout the Florida Keys. The first to be planted was a restart of the Marathon Baptist Church by Pastor Aaron Hester and his wife Tatianna. Though the church began in a humble storefront with Sunday school and even the nursery having to meet outside, it also experienced similar exponential growth. Ultimately, the Lord provided the biggest church building in Marathon, Florida for them to meet at.

Keys for Christ Trust is now seeking to establish a third church in Big Pine Key, which is between Key West and Marathon. The first service of Big Pine Baptist Church will be held in January 2026. That church will be pastored by Steve Bowers and his wife Isabella. Work is already well underway to evangelize that community, and as Austin reminded the Beacon Baptist Congregation, the mission of Keys for Christ Trust is to “…establish Bible-believing, soul-winning churches all throughout the Florida Keys – and our mission really is something impossible. We’re seeking to establish 25 churches in 25 years. By man’s standards that is an impossibility, but we understand God is with us, and it is possible.” Austin called for prayer from all for this great ministry.

After Austin introduced the ministry, a brief video was shared which drove home the point that the Keys have some 80,000 residents and 5,000,000 annual tourists all of whom need the Gospel. In the video, Max Llama, Jr., now the pastor of the Southernmost Baptist Church, declared, “What God is doing in the Southernmost Baptist Church can only be described in one way – it is absolutely miraculous!” May God be glorified for all he is doing in America’s southernmost city and throughout the Florida Keys.

The video then transitioned to Marathon Baptist Church and Pastor Aaron Hester. Aaron described the growth of the church there, saying, “What we are experiencing is a true New Testament miracle.” The church began with only a handful but has now grown to over 100, with 52 people trusting Christ as their personal Savior in the past year. The theme for this year is “Forward by Faith!” The Lord has even provided the church with an airplane to use in their ministries.

Pastor Llama then added, “We rejoice at what God has done, and in what He is currently doing right now in the Florida Keys through the Keys for Christ Trust, but all of us down here believe that the best is yet to come.” Plans for church planting continue, including a church in the upper Keys called the Coral Shores Baptist Church. Pastor Llama was earnest as he said, “You have got to get down here and see what God is doing as we work to take the Gospel from the Southernmost to the Uttermost.”

After the video, Austin called the Beacon Baptist congregation to turn to 1 Corinthians 4 and provided a brief message on biblical stewardship. As verse two of that chapter puts it, “…it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (KJV). God’s desire for each of us is that we be found faithful. Since He has been faithful to us, we must be faithful to Him. All those involved in the work of Keys for Christ Trust take this responsibility very seriously. As Austin put it, “The only hope that any city has is a Bible-believing church.”

Each of us who know Christ are to freely share the Gospel. We are to accomplish Christ’s mission in this world. Our time in this world is short, and the work is great! We must not lose the desire to seek out souls and see them saved. Austin wrapped up his message saying, “…what the world has to offer ain’t much…but God has something greater for us to live for – it’s to build His Kingdom.” May we all be found faithful in that effort.