Fee Fee Baptist Church

Author: Tara Smith

  • Chi Alpha News – Vol. 60, No. 11

    Honoring our graduates for their accomplishments… Congratulations!

     

    University

    Jehnna Azzara

    University of Missouri – Columbia

    Bachelor of Science in Meteorology

     

    Brady Bell

    Murray State University

    Bachelor of Science in Middle School Education

     

    James Ferguson

    University of Missouri – Columbia

    Bachelor of Science in Park, Recreation, and Sport

     

    Thomas Jefferies

    Southwest Baptist University

    Masters in Business Administration

     

    Jamie Ratley

    Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies

    Bachelor of Science in French

     

    Claire Vance

    University of Arkansas

    Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders

     

    Darci Webber

    Greenville University

    Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Biology

     

    Jasmine Webber

    Greenville University

    Bachelor of Arts in Worship Arts

    Bachelor of Science in Ministry

     

    High School

    Ashley Force

    Pattonville High School

     

    Emily Hasenjaeger

    Ritenour High School

     

    Teddy Rosen

    Francis Howell Central High School

     

    Riley Scott

    Pattonville High School

     

    Sarah Vineyard

    Pattonville High School

     

     

    Special Recognition

    David Scott

    U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Training

    Camp Pendleton

     

  • Prime Time – Vol. 60, No. 11

    Regathering Plans and Trusting God

    If all goes as planned, you should be reading this right before June 7, the date we will be regathering as a church.  Some of you will be joining us in person and others will continue attending online. Whatever your choice, it will be a very good day!

    For all of us, this season we have been passing through has been a time to check to see if our professed belief aligns with our actual belief, a time to check your heart’s deepest loyalties.

    We have had to ask ourselves the question of whether we really trust God in all things. We all have moments of doubt and anxiety, (and maybe even weird dreams about singing Aladdin songs and diving off the stage into the third row in our house shoes), but God is here to help us in our unbelief if we cry out to Him. As we pray and read His word, our faith will be strengthened.

    Some of us have found that a portion of our trust came from material goods and relationships with others.  Nonetheless, during this time, He has shown us that we can totally depend on Him as He has faithfully drawn us back to see His supremacy and sufficiency in all things.

    Rely on this promise in Romans 8:28, “For we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” God has an incredibly amazing plan for our lives and in the worst of times, He will work things together for good. Maybe that good has been a renewed and stronger relationship with Him, an opportunity to talk to your neighbors where you had been too busy before, or even opportunities to bless those around you.

    We can count on God to keep His promises, but this promise has a condition. He requires us to love Him with our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Are you keeping your part of the promise?

  • Music Musings – Vol. 60, No. 11

    Summer Concerts

    As you may have guessed, our summer concerts have taken a hit this year with the stay-at-home order. We had originally scheduled four concert events this year and planned to be spread out over the summer (one each month) rather than having consecutive weekly events. That being said – our May and June concerts have been canceled. However, we have The Lesters concert scheduled for July 26, and Timothy and Hosanna Noble are set to be here on August 9. We will proceed with these plans with the realization that proper precautions will be in place for each event. All safety recommendations for attendees will be set as we come closer to the concert dates.

    Singing…

    To sing or NOT to sing. As we are coming to grips with the issue of singing during this pandemic, we have become aware of the endangerment this activity can have on both producers and consumers.  We will work throughout this unusual season of time to protect everyone from existing dangers.

    An old Walt Whitman poem came to my mind while thinking about the luxury of singing. Though I feel unqualified to analyze the message, I love that this poet chose to use the idea of “songs” and “singing” to depict various characters singing their own “songs,” blending together in one unifying chorus that is America in his poem I Hear America Singing.

    I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear.

    Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be

    blithe and strong.

    The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam.

    The mason singing his as he makes ready for work,

    or leaves off work.

    The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat,

    The deckhand singing on the steamboat deck.

    The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench,

    The hatter singing as he stands,

    The wood-cutter’s song,

    the ploughboy’s on his way in the morning,

    or at noon intermission or at sundown,

    This delicious singing of the mother,

    or the young wife at work, or the girl sewing or washing,

    Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,

    The day what belongs to the day –

    at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,

    Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

  • Family Front – Vol. 60, No. 11

    Regathering

    We are looking forward to opening on June 7 for our two worship services only. It will so good to be back with God’s people under the same roof. Please expect that opening will look a lot different than before and we will plan on giving each other a lot of grace as we navigate re-opening during a pandemic for the first time. If you do not feel comfortable coming, or if you are ill, please stay home and take care of yourself! If you do choose to come, be sure to wear a mask and use social distancing. We will share some great greetings and ‘how are you’ from across the room with each other!

    We do plan to have the gym open for overflow and for families with children to gather around tables. I will provide a onetime use Praise Pack with a few activities for each child to go along with the worship service. I would like to see the children engaged rather than just ‘busy.’ You are welcome to bring your own activities for your children to do as well. Just a reminder, there are weekly Bible lessons on our church website that you can use at home in addition to some downloadable activities.

    VBS and Summer Plans

    We are making late summer and fall tentative plans. Look for more information coming in July. I will say that we are tentatively looking at having VBS in a park in late summer. This will all depend on if and when the parks open up and begin taking reservations. We will keep you updated as plans progress and when we can move to Phase 2 of our re-gathering plans.

    Leading Your Family

    I miss all our children and families and workers 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. This verse from Deuteronomy 6:5-7 tells us how to do just that:

    “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

  • Announcements – Vol. 60, No. 11

    Summer Sermon Series

    Pastor Zach will be kicking off the summer with a new series called

    “I AM,” taking us through the Gospel of John during June and July. Starting June 8, you can download the Bible reading plan that goes along with this series from our website under Downloads.

    Mobile Food Market

    Partnering with the St. Louis Area Food Bank, we will provide opportunities for families in our community to get free groceries for their family every other Monday. The next Mobile Market will be on June 15, at 10:00 a.m. until noon in the church parking lot, this will occur every other Monday. Contact Andrew to volunteer, andrew@feefeebc.org.

    It doesn’t look the way we thought it would, nonetheless, we want to say…

  • A Word From Pastor Zach – Vol. 60, No. 11

    I hope that you have received our letter about our regathering plan. Phase 1, which will be two worship services at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. will begin on June 7. There will not be any childcare or Bible Study classes at this time.

    I think it goes without saying, but things are going to be different as we regather for corporate worship. We want the focus to be on Jesus and worshipping and glorifying Him when we gather. For this reason, we have developed these four simple guidelines to help smooth our transition as we hold services on our campus again.

    So, in the heart of both love for God and for our neighbor, here are our four guidelines as we regather:

    1. Extend Grace – People have a lot of opinions on what we should and shouldn’t be doing as we navigate through this pandemic. Let’s extend grace to those that are doing things differently than we might be. Also, let’s extend grace to our leadership and be flexible as things might change and look different than we are used to.
    2. Give Space – We need to be conscientious about maintaining proper social distancing between family groups. Think of it this way….6 feet is basically two adult arm lengths.
    3. Allow Time – We need time to move people in and out of our building for our services, and to clean between services. Please don’t come into the building until 15 minutes before the start of the service, at the earliest. Also, allow time for ushers to dismiss you at the end of service and leave promptly when it’s your turn. Feel free to fellowship outside!
    4. Use Wisdom – If you feel sick, stay home. If you’ve been around someone who is ill, stay home and join us for worship online through our website or Facebook Live. We recommend wearing a mask, and will have some available if you need one. We want to use common sense for the common good.

    As a reminder, the church campus will remain closed for any other activities during Phase 1 of our Regathering Plan. We will still have people in the office to help with emergencies and day-to-day operations, but we want to ensure that our campus is clean and safe. We appreciate your patience and flexibility as we navigate these uncharted waters.

    With all that being said, we can’t wait to worship together on June 7! If we just keep in mind those simple guidelines of extending grace, giving space, allowing time, and using wisdom, I believe we can honor God and our neighbor as we worship together corporately.

    We are praying for each of you and we are confident that God is still at work!

    In Him,

    Pastor Zach

  • Bible Study Corner – Vol. 60, No. 10

    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 Friday, will continue through the month of June. You can join in every weekday on our Fee Fee Baptist Church Facebook page.

  • Community Connection – Vol. 60, No. 10

    St. Louis Area Food Bank Mobile Market

    At our first Mobile Market we had over 130 cars come through our lot, which represented over 500 people that received food that day! Thank you for being the hands and feet of Christ by providing for the needs of our community. Remember we are going to do this every 2 weeks for the time being. The next dates for the Mobile Market will be on Monday, May 18, and Monday, June 1. On Mobile Market Mondays, from 10:00 a.m. until noon, we will distribute food to people in a “drive thru” format to keep social distancing in place. If you or someone you know need help providing food for their family, then this event is for you!

    Mission Trip Updates

    Out of an abundance of caution regarding COVID-19, all of our summer mission trips (Dominican Republic trip, youth trip to North Carolina, and Windermere trip), have all been cancelled. This was not an easy decision at all but we, and all of the organizations we were working with, felt that this is the wise decision.  Please still be praying for all of these groups and the work that they do. Also, let me take this opportunity to update you on the Dominican Republic Water Project. The well has been dug and initial equipment has been put in place! A couple months ago we sent a payment to have the building constructed.  Because of all the COVID-19 concerns, the construction has been put on hold for the time being. We have one final payment to send to pay for the rest of the equipment within the building. If you would still like to give to support missions this summer, you can give towards the “DR Water Project” to help pay for that equipment. We are almost at the finish line for this project and I can’t wait for the day when our partner village is finally drinking clean water! If you have any questions about this, please contact Andrew at andrew@feefeebc.org.

  • Chi Alpha News – Vol. 60, No. 10

    The Latest Update

    Hey Chi Alpha! I hope everyone is well and pushing towards your goal of finishing your school year strong. I know that this has been an interesting and very different end of the year than some of you were expecting, but I am so proud of you and how you have responded to this change. 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! On Sundays we are looking through the Book of Ephesians with JD Greear, and on Wednesdays our series is called “Different” with Jonathan Evans. Both series can be found on RightNow Media so you can follow along. I look forward to seeing you all soon!

  • Family Front – Vol. 60, No. 10

    You may have read some of the same things in my article for the last couple of issues, so I am going to share a few things that I have learned, or re-learned, through these days.

    1. God is still in control. He is able. He is aware of all of our needs. He is faithful.
    2. He has caused me to ‘Be still’ more so I can hear Him. I like to be busy doing His work, worshipping with other believers, being with the kids and providing good discipleship opportunities for kids…without that I was feeling a bit out of sorts, without purpose. God reminded me ‘doing’ or ‘going’ less is okay.
    3. I can do more with technology than I thought I could. It is still rough at times but God has granted us good tech people to assist.
    4. Our church people are faithful through all this. Bible study leaders are contacting their classes. That is especially true of our kids’ teachers. They are a great group of caring adults that love our kids and desire for them to know Jesus better and share Him with their friends.
    5. Prayer time with other believers is rejuvenating and has been sustaining for me.
    6. Worship of our Almighty God can even be done across cyberspace! Isn’t He a great God?!

    Thank you God, for what you are teaching us and what You will continue to teach us through these days. Let us not take for granted the gathering of believers ever again! AMEN!