Fee Fee Baptist Church

Author: Tara Smith

  • Chi Alpha News – Vol. 62, No. 9

    SUMMER!!!!! Our summer schedule is officially posted and can be picked up in the Rafters, so let’s take a quick look at some of the highlights that are coming up this year!

    May 25: This is our last Small Group of the year, and to celebrate, we will be having a Game Night! Come hang out and invite your friends for a night of fun!

    June 1: Chi Alpha Summers begins! Every Wednesday during the summer, we will get together from 6-7 PM, hang out in the gym and play and large game, and then have a devotional each week from a different guest speaker.

    June 5: Graduation Sunday will be here before you know it! If you are a graduating senior from either High School or College, we want to celebrate you! We will be honoring our grads in the second service this day.

    June 10-18: We’ve been preparing for this for months, and it’s finally coming…our Washington D.C. trip!

    June 29: We’re heading back to Busch Stadium for a Family & Friends trip to the Cardinals Game!

    July 22: Underground Church is back! Invite your friends to this super fun night, while we play a very fun game, but also focus in on the reality of the church in unreached and closed off countries.

    August 12: Get dressed up in your fanciest clothes and come eat some really good food while we travel around for each course!

     

    Other Notable Summer Dates:

    May 21: International Food Pantry

    June 4: High School Board Game Night

    June 22: Water Games Night

    July 6: IKEA Scavenger Hunt

    July 12: Middle School Mini Golf Night

    July 30: International Food Pantry

    August 6: Trip to Six Flags

    August 21: Youth & Family BBQ

  • Music Musings – Vol. 62, No. 9

    Opportunity – Don’t Let This One Pass You By!

    Our Sunday Patriotic Choir rehearsals have begun, but do not despair. You will still be able to join us for the presentation of our Patriotic Concert which will be given on July 3 as our first summer concert.

    You may pick up a packet of music from Ronna. Our Sunday rehearsals run from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. and will be held in the choir room. We will sing many familiar Patriotic selections as well as some secular numbers by American composer Irving Berlin. Please come join us. There is a strong chance you will enjoy celebrating our freedom in song!

    The Song of The Bow

    As we are reading the scriptures in our reading plan I am always taken with any musical references. So, it is not surprising that The Song of The Bow grabbed my attention as I read 1 Samuel 1:17-27. Obviously, the title was given in honor of Jonathan who had great prowess as an archer. The song goes on to lament the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. The song highlights the good qualities of both men. David conceals the king’s faults and instructs that Saul’s honor be carried on. He ends the poem with a proclamation of love for Jonathan and honoring of soldiers who have fallen in battle. The lament demonstrates the fact that David kept his heart free from bitterness, even when he was greatly wronged. What a classy response!

    David commands the people of Judah to learn this song.  I am always curious about how a song such as this might have sounded. What instrumentation would have been used? What harmonies (if any) would have been sung? I did happen upon two settings of the poem set to music. Here is a link to the song for your listening pleasure. Enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iId9Cqfae5o

  • A Word From Pastor Zach – Vol. 62, No. 9

    Church Family,

    I have spent the past few days reflecting on Dr. Ross’s message to our church body last weekend. For our Family Connection Sunday, Dr. Ross come up from Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth and he gave a challenging message about how to best raise the next generation to follow Christ.

    What I found both encouraging and challenging was his simple exhortation. He pointed out that the best way to make sure the next generation is following Jesus is to search our own hearts and make sure we want to live for God’s glory above our own. He challenged us to all make sure we were disciples of Jesus, not converts. In Dr. Ross’s words, converts are people who attend church and follow God for their benefit, not His. Disciples, on the other hand, live for God and care about bringing Him glory over their own comfort.

    It was a pretty simple message, but I know it was convicting to me. So often, we worry about our kids and grandkids following the Lord. However, Dr. Ross made sure that we all understood that it starts with our own hearts! We need to passionately live for Jesus and make sure that we share that truth with the next generation! I wanted to challenge you with a couple of different ways to passionately live for Jesus and serve the church in the days ahead.

    First, you can volunteer with our First Impressions team. With Andrew leaving to go and serve at the Food Bank, we are bringing on Logan Mills as our Interim Director of College and Outreach. Logan is in need of some volunteers to serve on our First Impressions team and greet guests and members as they come on campus each Sunday.

    Second, we need volunteers to help pick up donations from St. Louis Bread Co. on Saturday evenings. Every Saturday evening, we have volunteers that pick up bread from Bread Co. that we distribute through Meals on Wheels and also give away on Sunday mornings. If you would be willing to pick up this bread on Saturday evenings, please reach out to Donna Potts. We love serving our community through Meals on Wheels and this weekly donation from St. Louis Bread Co. really helps!

    Finally, when it comes to instilling the truth in our next generation, we need more volunteers for our youth and children’s ministries! From serving in the nursery to listening to kids share their verses during AWANA, there are a lot of ways that you can volunteer and help disciple the next generation. Please talk with Kathy or Kyle to learn more about ways you can volunteer and serve the next generation!

    I hope you were challenged and encouraged by Dr. Ross. Please join me in praying that we will be a church that lives out our faith!

    In Him,

    Pastor Zach Crook

  • Bible Study Corner – Vol. 62, No. 9

    Take advantage of our Bible Study opportunities on Sundays and Wednesdays. Attend Bible Study on Sundays at 9:45 a.m. and get connected with others as you talk about what God is showing you in His Word. We also have opportunities for both men and women a variety of ways during the week:

    • Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. in B3.
    • Wednesdays on Facebook Live at 9:00 a.m. when we talk about the chapters we have been reading in our churchwide Bible reading plan. Join by going to www.facebook.com/feefeebc. Then “like” the page and it will appear in your newsfeed for future updates.
    • Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. for our midweek meetup, in B1 (Men) or the Fellowship Hall (Women).

  • Announcements – Vol. 62, No. 9

    Sympathy

    Our love through Christian sympathy is extended to

    … Eva (Jim), Jamie, & Victoria MacKoul on the passing of Joe Pewitt, their father and grandfather, respectively, on April 27.

    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:

    • May 9
    • June 13
    • July 11
    • August 8
    • September 12
    • October 10
    • November 14
    • December 12
    Men’s Softball Schedule

    The FFBC Men’s Softball team will be playing the following dates/times at BMAC:

    Friday, May 6 –     8:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.

    Friday, May 13 – 6:30 p.m.

    Friday, June 10 – 9:30 p.m.

    Friday, June 17 – 8:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.

    Ministry Opportunity: Meals on Wheels

    Meals on Wheels needs volunteers willing to pick up bread from St. Louis Bread Co. every Saturday night and bring to church on that Sunday morning. We provide this bread on Sunday mornings in the Café Annex for those who need it. We also include bread and desserts each week with those signed up for Meals on Wheels. So, this is an important service for us. Please let Donna Potts know if you feel led to serve in this ministry.

     

  • College & Outreach – Vol. 62, No. 9

    Hello Fee Fee Baptist Church! My name is Logan Mills, and I am your new Interim College and Outreach Minister. I first want to say that I am thankful for the opportunity to serve this church alongside Pastor Zach and the rest of your staff. Secondly, a bit of introduction. God has been so good to me! I was raised in central Arkansas, where I made a profession of faith at age six. My family moved across the country when I was in middle school and landed in the St. Louis area to begin high school. As my family grew more involved with First Baptist Church of O’Fallon, MO, I grew to understand that I had not been living my life for the Lord as a teenager and felt God graciously calling me to experience more of Him.

    At age 18, I rededicated my life to the Lord and began truly living out my faith. Praise the Lord for his grace! I quickly understood the joy and beauty of studying God’s Word, worship with His church became sweet to my ears, and I could not get enough of God or His people. I began college at the University of Missouri, studying accounting and business. This is not what the Lord intended me to study for long. In the spring semester of my freshman year, I would sense an undeniable call to serve the Lord and His church through vocational ministry. I would then transfer to Missouri Baptist University, where I would complete a Bachelor of Science in Christian Ministry with a minor in Youth Ministry. God then opened an opportunity for an internship under the president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, allowing me to begin my Master of Divinity. I am continuing my master’s studies at Midwestern’s extension campus in O’Fallon, MO, and anticipate graduating in summer 2023.

    Outside of my ministry and schoolwork, I enjoy playing Nintendo games with my family and friends, staying active in the gym, and hiking various trails in the area. May God bless you and give you peace!

  • Prime Time – Vol. 62, No. 9

    I just got back from a lovely luncheon at the Oakland House. What a beautiful day to visit a beautiful old house in the Affton area. It seems like time is starting to pass quickly now that spring is here and Easter is over. But we have a lot of places to go this spring and early summer. I hope you will consider joining us for these trips.

    Don’t forget to sign up for Warm Springs Ranch trip on Monday, May 9. The bus leaves at 9:30 a.m. We will eat lunch and then go to visit the Clydesdales. And I think there will be some young ponies there as well! The cost of the tour is $16.00 and transportation is $5.00. You will also have to buy your lunch and might want to bring a snack for the bus. We will not be back until 6:00 p.m., at the earliest.

    All are invited to attend the Legacy Banquet on Saturday, May 14 at 6:00 p.m. and don’t forget to invite some friends in the church who do not normally attend our activities. Guests are also welcome. The Banquet will be held in the Dining Room, and the cost for this great evening is only $12.00; you will pay at the door. Signups end on May 8, so we can get the proper amount of food. If your name is on the list on May 8, you will be expected to pay even if you can’t attend because we will already have ordered food. Dress is casual.

    Our June activities are the Heritage Museum in St. Charles on Thursday, June 9 at 10:00 a.m. Lunch will be at Lewis and Clark’s. And you are invited to celebrate my birthday with me on Friday, June 24, at Josephine’s Tea Room in Godfrey, Ill. Mark your calendars for these upcoming events and don’t forget to sign up! See you in church Sunday!

  • Footsteps of the Faithful – Vol. 62, No. 8

    Kathy Scott, Director of Children & Family Ministries

    I’m so glad God offers complete forgiveness, aren’t you? It is so precious to receive forgiveness. Have you experienced that? Have you ever asked for forgiveness and felt complete release?

    Recently, I made a comment to my husband that was unkind. I walked around the house loudly for a while before I made the comment but didn’t feel any better after I said it. The day went on and I tried to convince myself I was justified for what I said but still had that nagging feeling that it wasn’t right nor was it true. Once I apologized, what a relief I felt. My soul felt light. I knew Joe would forgive me, and of course, he did. We both felt a new closeness for being obedient to the Father. There have also been times I have had to apologize to my children because my anger got the best of me. That is really humbling to ask your children for forgiveness! But our God commands us to seek forgiveness (Matthew 6:12).

    Is there someone you need to forgive for something they said or did? Or is there forgiveness you need to ask from someone? God is ready to hear you ask forgiveness. What a relief it will be for you. It will repair a relationship and get rid of that barrier between the person or between you and the Father. Psalm 32:1 says, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.” Another favorite quote by Blackaby says, “Few things are more precious to receive than forgiveness.”

  • A Word From Pastor Zach – Vol. 62, No. 8

    Church Family,

    This has been a pretty busy April! We started with DNOW, then we had our Widow and Widowers Banquet. Now, at the time of my writing, we are gearing up for both Easter and our Family Connection Sunday! I can’t wait to see how God moves and works in our church through the remainder of this month!

    It is great to use this space to write about events that are happening in the life of our church (which I often do). However, I wanted this article to be more devotional in nature. In fact, at the time of me writing this, today is the 250th anniversary of one of my favorite hymns, “There is a Fountain.”

    This hymn was written as part of the Olney Hymnbook by William Cowper (pronounced “Cooper”). Cowper was a trained lawyer and poet who dealt with tragedy throughout his life. He was only the second of seven children who made it to adulthood. His mother passed when he was six. He spent time away at boarding school and was bullied by peers. He dealt with bouts of depression and had a nervous breakdown when he was interviewing for a parliamentary position and attempted suicide on three different occasions and spent time in a mental asylum. However, it was there, in that asylum, that he came to faith in Christ.

    While we wish his story was all wonderful from there, he still struggled with mental health for the rest of his life. He ended up moving out to Olney and was befriended and discipled by John Newton, the slave-trader turned priest who penned “Amazing Grace.” Newton encouraged Cowper to write hymns with him for their church.

    In a time when he was close to the Lord, he wrote the lyrics to the “There is a Fountain.” This hymn references Zechariah 13:1 and it’s first verse proclaims, “There is a fountain filled with blood/drawn from Immanuel’s veins/And sinners plunged beneath that flood/lose all their guilt and stains.”

    Reflecting on the cross, this hymn powerfully communicates the hope that we have because of Christ’s substitutionary atonement. He bled on that cross so that we could be saved! Though Cowper had a difficult life, he clung to Christ as his Savior!

    Getting very personal in the fifth verse, Cowper writes of a longing when he won’t have to battle his issues anymore. He writes, “When this poor lisping, stamm’ring tongue/lies silent in the grave/then in a nobler, sweeter song/I’ll sing the power to save.”

    That “lisp” that Cowper endured was never fully healed on this side of heaven. However, because he was plunged beneath that flood from Immanuel’s veins, he is now made perfect and whole with his Savior.

    Church, in the midst of difficult circumstances in our lives, let us, like Cowper, cling to the promise that we all lose our guilty stains when we are trust in Jesus as our Savior!

     

    In Him,

    Pastor Zach Crook

  • Prime Time – Vol. 62, No. 8

    Thanks to all who contributed toys and candy, dyed eggs, and assembled Easter baskets for the children of Loaves and Fishes. They were beautiful and each contained a small New Testament and a chocolate cross. Those who helped want to make this an annual event. What a sweet way to bless the children in our community.

    Don’t forget to get bring a check for $22/person for Oakland House. The bus will leave the church at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 26. We will tour the house at 11:00 a.m. and eat lunch at noon. The Oakland House is amazing and I’m sure it will be a great day.

    We have two really great events coming up in May. On Monday, May 9 we will go to see the Clydesdales at Warm Springs Ranch with lunch TBA. The cost of the tour is $16 plus you will need money for your lunch and $3 for the bus. This is an all-day trip and we will be leaving at 9:00 a.m.

    I’m hoping you are planning to come to the Legacy Banquet on Saturday, May 14 at 6:00 p.m. The cost is $12 per person. Our guest speaker will be our own Dr. Lowell Donnelley. The entertainment will be amazing!  I have heard that we will be having guest appearances from Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, and several other big names from the 50s, 60s and 70s. You are invited to join us for this fun evening whether you consider yourself a Prime Timer or not. I would love to see some multigenerational fellowship around our tables. Would you come if I promised you a Freddy’s ice cream sandwich for dessert? I know that would get me moving! Hope to see you all there!

    Hope you all enjoyed celebrating Resurrection Sunday. See you at our Family Connection Sunday on April 24 as we hear some encouraging words from Dr. Richard Ross.