Hello Fee Fee family! Thank you for the kindness you’ve shown me and my family these first few weeks together. I knew many of you already, and so serving at Fee Fee as interim pastor has come naturally. My wife (Andrea) and our three kids (Evie, Ellie, and John) felt at home on week one. You have been so gracious, and we are very thankful. I’m looking forward to working with Derald and the staff in the months to come.
The role of interim pastor is unique. As interim, I am not your permanent pastor, but am instead called to help prepare us for the next season of ministry. God already knows who the next pastor of Fee Fee Baptist Church is … we just need to find him. In the meantime, I will be walking with you during this season of transition so we can hit the ground running when the new pastor arrives in God’s timing.
God has done great things at Fee Fee Baptist Church since 1807, and God isn’t done working. I am reminded of Paul’s encouragement to the church in Philippi: “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6, NRSV). This verse is not primarily about the work that God does in us as individuals (although that is surely true too), but about what God is doing in the church. In fact, the Greek word for “you” here (and throughout the letter) is plural. When you read “you,” think “y’all” or “you guys”: “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among y’all will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” The main idea is not that God began a good work in each individual believer, but rather that God began a good work among the believers as a group. It’s about the church.
I believe Paul’s encouragement to the Philippian church in the first century is God’s word for Fee Fee Baptist Church today. God began a good work among y’all in 1807. That was a long time ago – Napoleon was marching across Europe at the time – but God isn’t done with us yet. God’s mission for Fee Fee stays the same: “Fee Fee Baptist Church exists to make disciples who build their lives on Jesus and pursue the good of our community for the glory of God.” This is a bold goal that requires a bold faith in God. But we’re not alone, as Moses told the Israelites: “Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the LORD your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). God’s not done with Fee Fee, so let’s keep building and pursuing together.
In Christ,
Matt Easter, Interim Pastor