Fee Fee Baptist Church

Author: Tara Smith

  • Prime Time – Vol. 62, No. 16

    How to Respond to Panhandlers

    We are currently seeing more panhandlers come to our parking lot after our services on Sunday morning. The church has a protocol for handling benevolence cases. Please do not give a person money. Instead tell them that we have emergency bags of food in the Welcome Center if they are hungry and point them to the door. The deacon of the week will be in the coffee café to assist them. You can also tell them that they can come back on Monday to the church and a minister will talk to them and see how we can help with their needs.

    Historic Church Tour

    On Monday, September 12 we will leave Fee Fee at 10:00 a.m. go to Holy Family Catholic Church in Cahokia for a tour. This is the oldest Catholic Church west of the Alleghenies. It was established in 1699 and has served that community since then, continuing to celebrate mass on a regular basis. This log cabin church will provide us a great tour. Then we will have lunch at Chava’s Mexican Restaurant by Soulard in honor of former pastor, Randy Fullerton. This is he and Mary Louise’s favorite St. Louis restaurant.

    Movie and Lunch

    On Wednesday, September 28 we will end the month with lunch and a movie in the church’s dining room. We will watch The Insanity of God movie which is the true story of missionaries Nik and Ruth Ripken.  They journey into the depths of the persecuted church to ask the question, “Is Jesus worth it?”  Lunch will include a sandwich, drink, and dessert for $7.

    Don’t forget to sign up in the Connection Center for all Prime Time events!

    The summer is winding down quickly, and most kids are returning to school. Are you still building your life on Jesus and pursuing the good of the community? It is our mission!

  • College & Outreach – Vol. 62, No. 16

    “Lord, there is no one like you among the gods, and there are no works like yours. All the nations you have made will come and bow down before you, Lord, and will honor your name. For you are great and perform wonders; you alone are God,” (Psalm 86:8-10).

    No other gods can match the works of our God. Only our God has made all the nations. Whether they acknowledge him as God or govern themselves denying God’s existence, he is still God. Whenever we see heinous acts of violence by governments against their citizens, those governments will answer to God. When we see nations pass laws that are contrary to God’s laws, those governments will answer to God.

    Every nation he has made will one day bow to their knees and confess that he is Lord. Some nations will bow willingly, rejoicing in the return of the true king, shouting his praises from the mountaintops. Some nations will bow cowering in fear, shuddering in the presence of the Lord of Lords, announcing what they knew all along; that God is who he says he is.

    For the Church. We as God’s people must remember that our God is the King of Kings. When nations honor God through their actions, the praise belongs to our God. However, we must remember that we live in a fallen world. My heart aches when believers are distraught at the state of the world. World governments make their foundation in the world, not in the spirit; we should not expect them to act as “Christian nations.” Do not despair my friends, our God will be glorified! At the end of days, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. For every day that passes from now until then, the peace of God is available to his people through the Holy Spirit. When a news headline disturbs you, pray to the God of peace for serenity only he can provide. Nations are formed, and nations are destroyed; Our God is in control of it all.

  • Bible Study Corner – Vol. 62, No. 16

    As we near the end of the summer, pray about committing to a Bible Study opportunity starting September 14 on Wednesday nights from 6:00–7:30 p.m.  There is AWANA for the kids, and youth small groups, and Bible Studies for men and women. Get connected to others by joining a group.

    Contact Gloria and she will help you find the perfect fit!

  • Family Front – Vol. 62, No. 16

    We are off to a great start in the new church year for our preschoolers and children. Thanks to the Lord for teachers who have answered God’s call to teach our kids His Word. If you are looking for the place to serve, talk to Kathy! There is always a place to serve for people who love kids.

    Promotion Weekend

    Saturday, we had a going away party for our 5th graders who moved up to youth and have started middle school. We will miss them and wish them the very best on their next step. We have also welcomed new Kindergartners from preschool into our children’s department and have great teachers that are ready to pour God’s Word into them.

    AWANA is Back!

    September 14 begins AWANA for our kids. AWANA is another way for kids to learn scripture and have fun with friends. If you would like to be part of this group of great teachers and helpers, talk to Kathy! We meet from 6:00-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday nights through the school year. Our first night of AWANA will be during Impact Week so the AWANA families will host a baby shower for THRIVE, who supports young moms and their babies. There will be many more projects to sign up for during Impact Week so stay tuned!

    Feed My Starving Children Event

    We have another opportunity to serve as a church at Feed My Starving Children, September 24 at Gateway Christian Church, 9:30-11:45 a.m. Sign up sheets will be out soon, or you can email me to let me know of your interest. This is a great organization that packs mobile food to send to starving nations. Your efforts in that 2-hour time frame will make a big difference in children’s lives.

    Giving Back to Our Community

    Congrats to Phyllis Hackney for her 5-year milestone of tutoring with Oasis tutoring program with Pattonville students. Thank you, Phyllis, for your service in our community!

    Thank you, Church, for your giving and responding to needs! It is a joy to serve with you! “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed,” (Proverbs 11:25).

  • A Word From Pastor Zach – Vol. 62, No. 15

    Church Family,

    You’ve probably noticed by now that our church has been given the privilege of hosting the SBC Disaster Relief volunteers to deal with the catastrophic flooding that hit our region in late July and early August. I’m so thankful for these volunteers, but they have definitely made us be a little more flexible as a church.

    Their temporary set-up here has been a good reminder to me about a couple of things. First, and most importantly, these volunteers have been a clear picture to our area of the love of Jesus for people in crisis. I love that Southern Baptists are quick to respond and willing to step in when disaster strikes. However, there is a second thing that I have to acknowledge: it has reminded us that being in service to the Lord means we have to be willing to be flexible and adapt some of our plans for the purpose of God’s mission.

    There was an interesting study done by a group of sociologists back in 1973 called “From Jerusalem to Jericho: A Study of Situational and Dispositional Variables in Helping Behavior.” That is a mouthful, but the part of the study that I want to focus on was that researchers targeted seminary students and told them that they would be going to teach a lesson on the Good Samaritan. On the way to the event where the lesson was going to take place, the researchers, unbeknownst to the seminary students, had staged a man who needed help in an alley as they walked by. One of the groups of students were told that they were running late to the event that they were going to speak at, while the other group was not given any time restraints.

    Researchers found that the amount of “hurriness” induced in the subject had a major effect on helping behavior. In “low hurry” situations, 63% of the students helped. In “high hurry” situations, only 10% helped. What does this tell us? If we are always in a hurry, we might very well miss out on being Jesus’ hands and feet! It just might be biblical to be interrupted for the sake of the Gospel! Think about when Jesus was on the way to heal Jarius’ daughter. He was walking through a crowd and stopped when He felt power going out of Him. He stopped what he was doing and allowed this interruption to happen. He ministered to the woman with the blood issue, and He didn’t consider it to be an inconvenience at all! Jesus was always on mission for God, but He didn’t seem to ever be in a hurry.

    Maybe we need to slow down a little and allow interruptions into our lives. Maybe we need to be on the lookout for ways to be Jesus’ hands and feet. Having these disaster relief workers in our church and using our building has been a huge blessing…but honestly, it hasn’t always been convenient. We’ve had to move some events and shift schedules around. But you know what, I think that’s what God wants us to do! Will you join me in praying that we aren’t in such a hurry that we miss opportunities to serve the Lord? Let’s welcome these interruptions to be the hands and feet of Jesus!

    In Him,

    Pastor Zach Crook

  • Announcements – Vol. 62, No. 15

    Thank You

    The church has received Thank You cards from …

    • Sheila Dietze

    (Thank You cards may always be viewed in the office.)

    Mobile Market

    We love partnering with the St. Louis Area Food Bank to get free groceries into the hands of families in need in our community. Anyone is welcome to come get groceries on the second Monday of each month, at 10:00 a.m. (until the food runs out).

    Our upcoming 2022 dates will be:

    • September 12
    • October 10
    • November 14
    • December 12

     

  • Family Front – Vol. 62, No. 15

    Promotion Sunday

    August 21 is Promotion Sunday for the new church year for preschoolers, children, and youth. That morning parents of preschoolers and K-5 children are invited to their classroom for donuts and to meet teachers. These servants love your children and help them learn more about scripture and God’s plan for their lives! You can be a part of this, too! Talk to Kathy if you are looking for a place to serve and we will get you connected.

    Midweek Activities

    September 14 AWANA starts back up for our kids ages 3 years through 5th grade. Awana is another way for kids to learn scripture and have fun with friends. If you would like to be part of this team of great teachers and helpers, talk to Kathy! Our first night of AWANA will be during Impact Week so the AWANA families will be involved in a missions project. That will also be church dinner night, so sign up in the Connection Center.

    Thank you, Church, for your giving and responding to needs through the summer! It is a joy to serve with you!

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 62, No. 15

    From Bob Goff’s “Live In Grace, Walk In Love: A 365-Day Journey”

    He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven,” (Matthew 18:2-3).

    If you had asked me what I was aiming for when I was in high school, I would have said I wanted to get out of high school. If you asked me the same question after law school, I probably would’ve said something vague like, “to make a difference in the world.” I wanted to get a job at a good law firm and gain the experience I needed to help people. It hadn’t occurred to me to aim for a life where I could have an office on Tom Sawyer Island at Disneyland and be a part of a movement that builds schools for students in Uganda, helps refugees in Iraq, and teaches little girls in Afghanistan how to read when the religious leaders say they can’t go to school. I wasn’t aiming for these things when I was younger because I hadn’t imagined them yet, and we can’t long for something we can’t already see in our minds.

    I think this is one of the reasons Jesus tells us to have faith like children. Kids have wildly creative imaginations. If you ask them what they want to be when they grow up, they’ll say they want to be Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia or Spiderman so they can rescue people in danger. They plan to live in castles and have superpowers. They aim to be helpers and healers and kind. Kids dream big because the world hasn’t put their imaginations in check yet.

    So why did we let the world stifle ours? Sure, we run into the reality of having to pay bills and make it to work on time, but there are endless invitations to join in a life of whimsy if we’ll open our eyeds.

    God is not limited by the rules we make up, and He doesn’t want us to be either. Whatever you’re aiming for, God’s better.

    What are you aiming for?

  • Chi Alpha News – Vol. 62, No. 15

    Youth & Family BBQ

    Our annual Youth & Family BBQ will be on Sunday, August 21 right after the second service! Sign your family up in the Rafters for this event! This will also be our official “Welcome!” and first week for our incoming 6th graders and their families. So make sure that you are there to give them a warm welcome!

    Fall Calendars Are Out!

    Our fall calendar has been released, so make sure you pick up your copy today in the Rafters! We have so many fun events planned for students and families, so don’t miss out!

    2022-23 Communication

    It’s a new school year, which means we have added families and graduated a few too. We use a few different communication services for Chi Alpha, including email, texting, and social media. If you have not been receiving updates, please make sure to send me your contact information so I can add you to the lists!

  • Bible Study Corner – Vol. 62, No. 15

    We have a place for everyone in Bible Study! We have adult classes on Sunday mornings at 9:45 a.m., kids and youth classes on Sundays at 9:45 a.m.

    We also have online Bible study Wednesday morning at 9 on Facebook live. In addition there are T-groups and Marco Polo groups that meet on a schedule determined by the group.

    Starting September 14, our Midweek Activities resume for everyone. Here are the many ways you can get involved:

    • AWANA for kids (pre-K – 5th grade)
    • Youth Small Groups (grades 6-12)
    • Women’s Bible Study
    • Men’s Bible Study

    All of these opportunities are at 6:00 p.m. every Wednesday from September through May. Put all of these times on your calendar; you don’t want to miss any of them – there is something for everyone in the family! Email Gloria gloria@feefeebc.org or text (314) 604-6071 to get connected!