Fee Fee Baptist Church

Author: Tara Smith

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 60, No. 12

    Taken from Mrs. Charles E. Cowman’s “Streams in the Desert,” Vol. Two

     “The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand,” Psalm 121:5.

     There cannot be shade without sunshine. There is no night without day. There are clear skies above the clouds. Only he who has rested in the shade, kept vigil through the night, or walked under the clouds can light the paths for others.  —M.T.

    God is above the clouds!

    — the darkest; most depressing;

    The clouds of disappointment, burden, anguish, pain;

    The clouds of long suspense;

    — of tidings most distressing;

    God is above the clouds!

    — and skies will smile again.

    — J. Danson Smith (from “Thou Remainest,” London, England).

  • Music Musings – Vol. 60, No. 12

    Heavy Hearts

    Our hearts are heavy with the events of the past couple of weeks: the violence, riots, the hatred, the bigotry. It seems that hate is growing stronger and some are developing a numbness to it.

    Now is the time to let God’s love shine through us as we make choices to love instead of hate and stand up against injustice instead of sitting on the sidelines. It is time to love without an agenda, advocate for those who need it and forgive as we are forgiven.

    The following excerpt from a writing attributed to St. Francis of Assisi is an exemplary prayer for peace. May this be our prayer today.

    Lord, make me an

    instrument of your peace.

    Where there is hatred,

    Let me sow love.

    Where there is injury, pardon;

    Where there is doubt, faith;

    Where there is despair, hope;

    Where there is darkness, light.

    Where there is sadness, joy.

     

    O Divine Master,

    Grant that I may not so much seek

    To be consoled as to console;

    To be understood as to understand;

    To be loved as to love.

     

    For it is in giving that we receive;

    It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

    And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

     

    And now on a lighter note…

  • Prime Time – Vol. 60, No. 12

    I’m always amazed at how God’s timing is so perfect. I’m not sure why I haven’t fully come to expect this at all times but it still often surprises me.

    At this writing, I had just read Chapter 2 of John, and was also preparing the Women of the Word’s Bible Study for the upcoming weekly Zoom meeting. I kept coming back to John 2! In this chapter, John records Jesus’ first miracle – turning water into wine. John, as you know, records seven signs to show us that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Water to wine is the first sign. This miracle/sign is recorded only in the Gospel of John as is the raising of Lazarus from the dead!

    Coincidently, the women are studying “The Rock, the Road and the Rabbi,” which takes us on a tour of places in the Holy Land where Jesus walked and helps us understand things from a Jewish perspective instead of our tendency to Westernize scripture. We started last week in Bethlehem and this week went to look at Nazareth for Jesus’ life. This was before He started His public ministry and His first miracle, when He was still hanging out with mom and the family and His first five disciples.

    To explain the importance of having a Jewish perspective on Scripture, Rabbi Jason, a Messianic Jew, helped us understand the mistranslation of Jesus and His earthly father’s occupation. The Greek word “tekton” means builder. Translators of the KJV writing in England where trees are in abundance determined the occupation to be a carpenter but the Rabbi explains that Jesus was most likely a stone mason explaining that the only trees in Nazareth were sycamore fig, balsam, and olive trees.  When you think about this, it explains why Jesus uses analogies about cornerstones and tells us that upon this rock, I will build my church.

    But, as usual, I digress. Moses first sign to the Egyptians was transforming the Nile into blood bringing death.  Deuteronomy 18:18 promises a prophet greater than Moses and that points us to Jesus, who is above all. It is not surprising then that Jesus’ first sign was to turn water to wine – a sign of life! While water is necessary for life, wine is a picture of God’s super abundant grace. Throughout Scripture, wine is symbolic of God’s grace and our joy as a result. Wine is one of the primary signs of the abundant blessings we have through the transformation that comes in our life because Jesus came to redeem us. It was time to celebrate. Are you experiencing the abundant life of being in His kingdom here and now? If not, ask Him to transform your life to one of abundance as you submit to Him.

  • Community Connection – Vol. 60, No. 12

    Blood Drive on July 22-23

    Our blood drive back in May went so well and the American Red Cross was so thankful they asked us to host another one. On Wednesday, July 22 and Thursday, July 23 from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. we will be hosting another blood drive. To comply with social distancing restrictions, all donations MUST be scheduled ahead of time. There are a few ways you can schedule your donation. You can go to the Red Cross website (https://www.redcrossblood.org/) and use the Sponsor Code FeeFeeBaptistBridgeton (no spaces), to find our drive. It can also be found by searching by zip code and date. You may also call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Then simply schedule your donation for a specific time one of those days. The blood drive will be held in the Family Life Center. Everyone donating can park in the back of the church in the lot by the gym and enter through the gym doors. On the blood drive page on the church website you can find some helpful info about donating including who is eligible to donate and how to donate. If you have any questions about any of this please contact Andrew at andrew@feefeebc.org.

    Mobile Market, June 29

    Our next Mobile Market is Monday, June 29 from 10 a.m. until noon! We will be distributing food that day in a contactless manner to anyone in the community that needs some groceries. If you or someone you know is needing some help getting through this time, everyone is welcome to drive thru that day and we will put FREE groceries in your car. Please help us get the word out to our community so we can be a blessing to as many people as possible!

     

  • Family Front – Vol. 60, No. 12

    Reflections on Reopening

    We had a great reopening on June 7 and 14th! It was so good to worship together in person. There were a few brave ones that came out and it was wonderful to have kids in worship again! It is okay too if you stayed at home to worship! We look forward to seeing you again in the near future as you feel comfortable getting out.

    We have the gym open for overflow and for families with children to gather around tables. I will provide a one-time use Praise Pack with a few activities for children that goes along with the worship service. I would like to see the children engaged rather than just “busy.” Of course, you are welcome to bring your own activities for your children also.

    Virtual KidsZone

    Just a reminder, there are weekly Bible plans on our church website that you can use at home as well as some downloadable activities. The KidsZone lessons follow the sermon series, “I AM,” the statements of Jesus in the book of John. You can find these on our website on the KidsZone page.

    We are making tentative late summer and fall plans, so look for more information coming in July. We will keep you updated as plans progress and when we can move to Phase 2 of our regathering plan.

    Hurry Up and Wait

    I sent off my second son to USMC recruit training last week. For the Marines (and probably for other arms of the military),the message is “hurry up and wait,” A LOT!  I was reminded how I need to be ready to answer God’s call to obey. God asks us to hurry up, (and be prepared), and wait for His direction. Know Him, be prepared, so that when it’s time to share about Him, you are ready! “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go,” Joshua 1:7.

    I miss you all immensely! I pray for you often that the Father will give you all the patience and love you need to carry on leading your children to know Christ better. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you lead your families.

  • Bible Study Corner – Vol. 60, No. 12

    The Bible Study mentioned in the Prime Time section, and many more are available for you to take part in! While Bible study is not being done in person yet, please contact Gloria at gloria@feefeebc.org to join a virtual group.  There are a lot of choices are available!

  • Announcements – Vol. 60, No. 12

    Sympathy

    Our love through Christian sympathy is extended to

    … family and friends of Mel Janis, who passed away on June 5.

    Summer Sermon Series

    We kicked off the summer with a new series called “I AM,” which will take us through the Gospel of John during June and July. Download the Bible reading plan that goes along with this series from our website under Downloads.

    Mobile Food Market

    We love our partnership with the St. Louis Area Food Bank to get free groceries into the hands of families in our community. The next Mobile Market will be on June 29, at 10:00 a.m. until noon in the church parking lot. Contact Andrew to volunteer, andrew@feefeebc.org.

  • Chi Alpha News – Vol. 60, No. 12

    What’s Going On?

    Hey Chi Alpha! Happy Summer! I hope you all are doing well and staying safe. Just a reminder, we are still posting lessons for you to stay up to date on things here at church on our Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube pages. Make sure you are staying up-to-date on those! On Sundays we are looking through the Book of Ephesians with J.D. Greear, and on Wednesdays our series is called “Awaken” with D.A. Horton. Both series can also be found on RightNow Media so you can follow along. I look forward to seeing you all soon!

    Mission Mondays

    Last Monday, June 8, we tried out a new mission initiative called Mission Mondays with our Youth Council students, and I am excited to announce that we will be starting this new mission event this summer! Since we cannot go on our World Changers mission trip this summer, it is important for our students to still go out and serve…and be a World Changer. The only difference is, we are going to be doing that in our own community and church! Every other Monday, (opposite of the weeks we host the Mobile Food Market at the church), our students will be going out in the community to serve those in need. Whether it’s yard work, moving furniture, minor painting, or any other odd jobs, our students are willing to serve our community! Additionally, we are starting a remodel project on the third floor of the church with our youth department. If time allows, students might be able to help with that project and have the opportunity to serve the church! Check out our social media platforms in the next week for more details!

  • Community Connection – Vol. 60, No. 11

    Blood Drive Results

    Thank you to everyone that came out and donated blood at our Blood Drive on May 13! We ended up being able to collect 20 units of blood. The American Red Cross representative said that because each donation could help up to three patients, these pints of blood could help up to 60 lives! The Red Cross was also very excited that there were 10 new donors from this event. Your willingness to show love to our community in this way is greatly appreciated. We are currently working on scheduling another blood drive later in the summer. The dates will be announced as soon as they are scheduled.

    Food Donations

    We have had such big success with our Mobile Markets that we’ve had a lot of people asking if they can contribute food. The answer is yes…sort of. The Mobile Market food is provided by St. Louis Area Foodbank. However, we are continuing to have more and more people ask for food donations from the church outside of just the Mobile Market. We believe that will continue to rise. We would love to have food donations given to our food pantry to be able to meet all those needs. If you would like to donate food directly you can bring it to the church during office hours or you can give money online through the church website. Food insecurity was already a problem in our area, and this is going to continue to increase as a need due to the current state of things. As always, thank you for your support!

  • Bible Study Corner – Vol. 60, No. 11

    While we will slowly and eventually get back to Bible study in person, we will continue to use virtual methods.  Please contact Gloria at gloria@feefeebc.org if you are interested in getting connected with a virtual Bible study.

    Daily Prayer at 7:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, will continue through the month of June. You can join in every weekday on our Fee Fee Baptist Church Facebook page.