Our History

Beth Kidd founded Place of Promise and serves as Founding Director providing clinical and spiritual direction for residents, children, and staff, as well as training for the next generation of ministry leadership.

As a young girl, growing up outside of Philadelphia, she was inspired by the many Missionaries that frequently visited her church. As a teenager, she volunteered at Philadelphia General Hospital and saw first-hand the devastation of despair, hate, poverty, drug and alcohol addiction, loneliness, disease, and spiritual death. She knew that she was being called to a life of ministry.

Beth attended University of Delaware and received a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing. Moving to Boston with her husband Jeff, she accepted a nursing position at Boston City Hospital while Jeff pursued a Master of Divinity in Urban Ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. They chose to live in a poor, inner city section of Boston.

Three years later, Beth started a neighborhood missionary ministry modeled after what she had seen in third world countries. She cared for the sick in the streets, in their homes, as well as bringing the more severely sick and injured into her own home. Additionally, Beth and Jeff hosted a home church and started a children’s bible program and a coffee house to serve their local neighborhood.

During a time of fasting and prayer, Beth received a vision from God, prompting her to open Place of Promise, a dedicated home to show God’s love to the multiply-injured, hurting, and suffering. Place of Promise opened their first residential home in 1994 in Dorchester. In order to meet growing needs, Place of Promise moved to Lowell in 2000.

Today, Place of Promise operates four long-term residential homes, offers programming for children elementary through high school, and provides training and internships for churches, ministries, and the next generation of ministry leadership.

Over the last twenty four years, Place of Promise has continued to focus on building a new life centered on Jesus Christ. While the challenges have changed – alcohol and drug use starting at 10 years of age, polysubstance abuse, multi-generational separation from God, and dual- and tri-diagnosis (mental, physical, and substance abuse) – the focus on Christ has not.

Beth and Jeff have been married for 46 years, have 4 grown children, and 6 grandchildren. Beth has mothered and grand-mothered countless more.

Jeff joined Place of Promise as Executive Director in January 2018. Previously, Jeff was the Director of Strategic Initiatives at Straight Ahead Ministries in Worcester, MA, for over 5 years. Prior to joining Straight Ahead, Jeff has held executive level positions in Marketing, Product Management, and Engineering in the telecommunications industry.

Jeff holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Lehigh University and Cornell University. Additionally, he holds a Management Certificate from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Jeff and his wife, Carolyn, have 2 grown children and are very active in their church. Jeff has designed and led Men’s Bible Studies for over 14 years, including in-prison ministry programs.

Matt joined the staff of Place of Promise in October 2023 as the Director of Ministry.

Matt grew up in the suburbs of Boston and earned a B.M. in Music Education from Ithaca College where he was active in the Ithaca College Protestant Community and his local church. After undergrad, Matt attended Dallas Theological Seminary and received a Master of Theology (ThM) with a concentration in Pastoral Care and Counseling. He volunteered at his local church and served as a chaplain at three hospitals in the Dallas area, including Parkland Health & Hospital System: a large Trauma Level 1 and Burn center that serves as the county hospital of Dallas. It was in these hospitals that he had the honor to come alongside and provide spiritual/emotional care to patients, families, and staff in some of their most grave and distressful moments.

Matt has served in various ministry roles at churches/ministries in Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, and Texas. He enjoys creative teaching and coming alongside another to meet them where they are at, provide spiritual/emotional care, and share the transformational hope and love of Jesus Christ.

Outside of ministry, Matt is an avid Boston sports fan (Red Sox and Patriots), and enjoys spending time with family and friends talking about life, theology, and music. He recently completed a Graduate Certificate in Addiction Counseling.