Yes, we are still doing Bible studies! If you are interested in a class on Sunday mornings or a men’s or women’s class on Wednesday nights at 6:15 p.m., contact Gloria at gloria@feefeebc.org and she will get you connected.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped in every good work,” (2 Timothy 3: 17-17, NIV).
Donating blood makes a big difference in the lives of others! On Wednesday, May 13, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. we will be hosting a blood drive through the American Red Cross. In order to comply with social distancing restrictions, all donations MUST be scheduled ahead of time. Simply go to the Red Cross website (http://www.redcrossblood.org), and use the Sponsor Code FeeFeeBaptistBridgeton (no spaces), to find our drive. You can also search by zip code and date to find it. Then schedule your donation for a specific time that day. You may also call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to schedule your donation. The drive will be held in the Family Life Center. Everyone donating can drive around to the back of the church and park in the lot by the gym and enter through the gym doors. On the blood drive page on the church website there are some helpful tips about donating including who can donate and how to donate. If you have any questions about any of this please contact Andrew at andrew@feefeebc.org.
We have started a new partnership with the St. Louis Area Food Bank to become a mobile market! One of the struggles people are facing right now is being able to get adequate food for their families. Our partnership will help to alleviate that. Every other Monday from 10:00 a.m. until noon we will distribute food to people in a “drive thru” format in our parking lot to keep social distancing in place. The next scheduled Mobile Market at our location is May 18. If you are interested in helping organize and distribute the food, contact Andrew at andrew@feefeebc.org. Please help us get the word out to those in need in our community about this opportunity!
I love food. In particular, I love my wife’s enchiladas. They are unbelievably delicious. Whenever I find out that she is cooking my favorite meal, my mouth waters with anticipation. I purposefully eat a lighter lunch to make sure that I will truly enjoy the meal. Then, when I finally sit down for dinner, I savor every bite. Her enchiladas are amazing!
As we read through the book of Acts together as a church, there is a brief mention in chapter 17 of an incredible group of people. This group of people treats the Word of God the way I treat my wife’s enchiladas. Look at Acts 17:10-11:
“As soon as it was night, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”
Do you see what it says about the Bereans? They received God’s Word with eagerness! What exactly does that mean? Just like I look forward all day to eating those enchiladas, so the Bereans looked forward to hearing God’s Word. Just like I savored and devoured every bite, they eagerly received the Word!
What is your attitude towards Scripture? Are you savoring God’s Word during this time of quarantine? The Bereans didn’t just receive it eagerly, they then went and examined the Scriptures for themselves. They wanted to verify everything that Paul and Silas taught.
In a very real sense, the Bereans didn’t just sit and hear a sermon on Sunday morning, they also studied God’s Word throughout the week. I pray that you are joining with us in reading Acts together. That we, as Fee Fee Baptist Church, will be known as a church that receives God’s Word with eagerness and studies it daily!
Why is it so important to study God’s Word? Because it gives life! Look at the beginning of verse 12:
“Consequently, many of them believed…”
The Scriptures are living and active, and they point us toward Christ! When we truly study God’s Word, we see that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It leads us to him!
These are uncertain times. I know that I am tired of being cooped up. I am missing each one of you greatly. I am frustrated that things can’t be “normal.” However, in the midst of this uncertainty, I am praying that every one of us will set aside time to spend in God’s Word. As the Psalmist says, “God’s Word is sweeter than honey.” Or, we might just say it is tastier than enchiladas!
I miss gathering with you physically, church. But I’m thankful we can stay connected through prayer and the reading of God’s Word!
In Him,
Pastor Zach
Taken from L.B. Cowen’s “Streams in the Desert,” Zondervan Updated Edition
“Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” Daniel 3:25
When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the furnace, the fire did not stop them from moving, for they were seen “walking around.” Actually, the fire was one of the streets they traveled to their destination. The comfort we have from Christ’s revealed truth is not that it teaches us freedom from sorrow but that it teaches us freedom through sorrow.
O dear God, when darkness overshadows me, teach me that I am merely traveling through a tunnel. It will then be enough for me to know that someday it will be all right.
I have been told that someday I will stand at the top of the Mount of Olives and experience the height of resurrection glory. But heavenly Father, I want more— I want Calvary to lead up to it. I want to know that the shadows of darkness are the shade on a road— the road leading to Your heavenly house. Teach me that the reason I must climb the hill is because Your house is there! Knowing this, I will not be hurt by sorrow, if I will only walk in the fire.—George Matheson
“The road is too rough,” I said;
“It is uphill all the way;
No flowers, but thorns instead;
And the skies overhead are gray.”
But One took my hand at the entrance dim,
And sweet is the road that I walk with Him.
“The cross is too great,” I cried—
“More than the back can bear,
So rough and heavy and wide,
And nobody near to care.”
And One stooped softly and touched my hand:
“I know. I care. And I understand.”
Easter this year was unique to say the least. We gathered online to celebrate Christ’s victory over the grave. While it may have been different let us remember:
Some Easter celebrations may be rescheduled…
But we still worship our Risen King!
Easter egg hunts may be postponed…
But the Resurrection did not delay!
Easter baskets may be hard to come by…
But Jesus’ love and grace are in abundance!
Places of worship were empty…
But so is the tomb!
Though times are difficult right now, JOY comes in the morning. And what greater JOY than the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!
As I was trying to think of creative ways to show the love of God during this quarantine, I came across this story from the International Mission Board about a missionary family in Colombia. I hope it’s encouraging to you and challenges you to think about how you can reach those around you:
Sarah McNeill sensed a city-wide quarantine coming. Her preparatory grocery run included school supplies since her kids would transition to learning at home. She put printer paper and poster board in her cart and, with an idea blooming, added yellow, blue and red tissue paper. The McNeills live on the 11th floor of a 13-story residential building. Like many in Bogotá, Colombia, their neighbors are fearful of COVID-19. As Sarah conversed with one concerned neighbor, she was able to show the difference knowing Christ Jesus personally makes in times of crisis. “There were tears in her eyes. It was like she didn’t think I understood,” Sarah explains. “We do understand, and we are trying to take precautions, but we also just have hope and we trust that God is in all those details.” With neighbors in fear, Sarah resolved to spread hope.
The three youngest McNeills made homemade cards for each household in the building. They included Philippians 4:6-7 and signed their family’s name with their apartment number. They also used the tissue paper Sarah purchased to make thirteen flowers in Colombia’s national colors. Using fishing wire, they hung them in each floor’s stairwell with a message of hope. Five-year-old Holly said, “We want to help others not be so afraid and not be so sad about the coronavirus.” The McNeills’ joy grew when they heard neighbors’ delighted exclamations at the surprise flowers or saw their cards displayed on doors. Some neighbors even wrote back. “I was sad, and I felt strange all day,” one wrote. “But I arrived home and I saw your card. Thank you, neighbors, for this. Thank you for hope and the happiness of my heart.”
Two months ago, the McNeills started a small group in their home. It usually takes a long time to build rapport to the point that a neighbor will join in Bible study. Through Sarah’s response to COVID-19, “we took a step forward with all of our neighbors.”
I miss you in KidsZone and AWANA, kids and parents! If you need anything, (and that includes prayer), don’t hesitate to let us know. Parents, you have a lot on your plate: homeschooling, your own work at home, keeping family happy and healthy. Know that I am praying for you daily.
On our website each week, you will find a weekly KidsZone for preschoolers and children. I hope you will worship with your children. There is also a worship bulletin that kids can use to follow along with worship services as they sit with you.
If you need additional resources, you can find many of them through Right Now Media. Just give us permission to put your email into our account and you can access Right Now Media for FREE! It is a great resource for kids’ videos and Bible Studies covering all topics and ages. I especially enjoy “What’s in the Bible” series by Phil Vischer. What an opportunity you have right now to lead your kids to know Jesus better!
We invite you to involve your kids during our Daily Prayer on Facebook Live every weekday at 7:00 p.m., by having them share prayer requests. What a precious time this has been!
Summer Fun Week is coming and will be here before we know it! Vacation Bible School and Sports Crusaders Basketball Camp will be June 22-26. “Wilderness Escape” is our theme for VBS this year, and will be from 9:00 a.m. to noon; Basketball Camp will be from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. These plans are all rather tentative at the moment so pray with me that we will make wise decisions if rescheduling our events is required.
“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth,” (Job 19:25). What a promise to give us hope to stand on!
How did you celebrate Easter this year? For me, it was honestly the strangest Resurrection Sunday that I can remember. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for the common grace of modern technology. As of April 13, we have had nearly 2,000 views on our Easter service videos! However, I reached a point of longing at some point that evening.
My longing had to do with my desire for things to “go back to normal.” I am a people person and I am getting tired of not seeing my church family and friends. I’m getting tired of not playing basketball and coaching my boys’ teams. If I’m honest, I’ve never been great with patience. The uncertainty of when this pandemic will end put a cloud over my Easter Sunday. Honestly, I went to bed on Easter evening quite conflicted. I was so thankful that we could celebrate virtually, but it left me wanting more.
And then, by God’s grace, I read Acts 1 on Monday morning. As a church, we launched a church-wide reading initiative as a follow-up to Easter. We are reading through the book of Acts together, from April 13-May 10, one chapter a day. The Spirit made verses 12-14 just jump off the page to me.
What happened in those verses? Jesus had just ascended, and He had promised that the Spirit would come “in a few days.” Scholars say that there were 10 days between His ascension and Pentecost. The disciples had just had their Resurrected Messiah leave, and they were waiting on the Spirit. They weren’t sure exactly what that meant, but I am sure they were anxiously waiting. So, what did they do as they waited? Verse 14 says, “They were all continually united in prayer…” (CSB).
Just like the disciples, we are in a period of waiting. We aren’t sure when this pandemic will end. I’m optimistic that we will get to meet together physically again soon, but we honestly don’t know right now. As a people designed by God for community, social distancing is difficult. Maybe you, like me, have had a time like I had on Easter evening. A longing for things to “return to normalcy.”
That is why Acts 1:14 hit me like a ton of bricks. It reminded me of what our priority should be during this time. Instead of impatiently wondering when this time will end, God reminded me of the thing that will unite us during this time: prayer!
I have been so encouraged by our daily prayer times on Facebook live. I have been encouraged by many of you who have shared ways that you are praying for others. I have been encouraged by the privilege of praying with many of you over the phone. Acts 1:14 was a reminder to me of the most crucial thing our church can do during our time of waiting. We can unite in prayer!
God reminded me that in this season of waiting, our calling hasn’t changed. We are still going to build and pursue. We are still called to love God and others. It is true that we have to practice social distancing, but we still are called to be missionaries. We are just called to be digital missionaries during this time period.
After reading Acts 1 on Monday, I was encouraged by the power of God’s Word. Let’s unite in prayer like the disciples did. Instead of being impatient and lamenting how things were, let’s embrace the fact that God has placed us in this season for a reason. Honestly, we will all go through different struggles during this time. Things have drastically changed and it is completely natural to feel discombobulated. However, I believe that if we take those feelings to God in prayer, we will be strengthened and encouraged. We cast our cares on him because he cares for us.
I believe that we are called to unite in prayer. I also believe we are called to be filled with the Holy Spirit and be digital missionaries. Let’s read God’s Word together and unite in prayer during this time. And let’s share the hope that is found only in Jesus.
In Him,
Pastor Zach
During this time that we are apart from each other, let’s be sure to be diligent to connect the best that we can. Each Sunday and Wednesday, we will still be having Bible Study together. I will be recording a lesson from a RightNow Media series and posting it to our Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages. You can find us on all those platforms at Fee Fee Youth. Additionally, I will be posting Daily Devotionals on Facebook and Instagram to give you some encouragement throughout the week. Please reach out to me if you need anything, kyle@feefeebc.org. I am praying for each of you!
Many in the church are finding creative ways to stay connected and still have Bible study. Whether you are using Zoom meetings, the Marco Polo app, email, or any other method, we are still studying the Word together.
If you are not connected to a Bible Study, all you need is a computer, smart phone, or tablet. Let Gloria know you are interested and we will get you connected somewhere.
We also are providing our services at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. each Sunday on our website or Facebook, as well as live prayer on Facebook each weeknight at 7:00 p.m. Please join us and invite others. If you do not have a way to connect, please call the church office at (314) 739-1525 and we will deliver a CD or DVD to your house.