Fee Fee Baptist Church

Author: Tara Smith

  • Chi Alpha News – Vol. 62, No. 18

    Youth & Family Trip to Eckert’s Millstadt

    I am so excited to get to go back to Eckert’s in Millstadt, Ill. On Saturday, October 15 with our families! This event is always one I look forward to every year, because how could you not love everything the fall season has to offer?! There will be bonfires to roast hot dogs and s’mores, pumpkin picking, corn mazes, pumpkin canons, hayrides (that may or may not be haunted), and pig races! The cost for the event is $15/person to cover your admission to the farm and your dinner. We will plan on getting to the farm at 3:00 p.m. that afternoon. If your whole family is coming, you can feel free to meet us at the farm, otherwise you can take the bus with us there. We will be leaving the church at 2:15 p.m. Sign up in the Rafters so you don’t miss out on this super fun day!

    2023 Mission Trip Parent Info Meeting

    Sunday, October 16 join us in the Rafters right after the second service to find out where we will be going on our 2023 Summer Mission Trips! We are so excited to get to go and serve again next summer, so join us that day to get all the info you will need!

    School Encouragement

    The first month of school has already flown by, and everyone is somehow 10x busier than last year! As we really get in to the nitty gritty of the semester, don’t forget to stay plugged in here at church. We are here for you when you feel tired and weak, and we also want to be able to celebrate with you when things go well. We can’t wait to see all that you accomplish this school year, and we can’t wait to have fun with you along the way. We love you all!

  • Prime Time – Vol. 62, No. 18

    Thanks for all your help pursuing the good of our community during Impact Week. The Bible does not mention retirement so we need to keep on keeping on being the hands and feet of Jesus doing whatever we can until He calls us home. I appreciate all your hard work!

    Our next event is an in-house movie. We will have lunch followed by the movie, The Insanity of God, on Wednesday, September 28 at 11:00 a.m. Lunch price is $7. This movie is the true story of missionaries Nik and Ruth Ripkin. They will tell the story of being taught by persecuted believers how to follow Jesus, how to love Him, and how to walk with Him day by day even when it doesn’t make sense. Prepare to be challenged.

    On Saturday, October 15 we will meet at the JCCA to listen to story tellers in a 5:30 p.m. program by the St. Louis County Library. There will not be a bus or transportation for this trip, but I have heard groups are gathering to eat together at Bandanas on Dorsett beforehand. There will be room at my table for anyone who wants to join me.

    Finally, on Friday, October 28, we will go to the Economy Museum. Admission is free. We will explore the economy and money in an interactive way. You will learn everything from how people make decisions about money, how the economy affects you, and can even try to lift a 28-pound gold bar. If this doesn’t entice you, we are having lunch at Crown Candy! Enough said!

    Again, thank you for all you did this week for our community and your continued service to the church!

  • A Word From Pastor Zach – Vol. 62, No. 18

    Church Family,

    What an incredible week we just experienced as a church! During Impact Week, we were able to give 418 local missions hours to our community! It is always so encouraging to me to see our church being intentionally on mission. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus and both proclaiming and demonstrating the love of God to our city.

    Just last week, I had a problem. I grabbed my phone off the charger, but it was nearly dead. I was confused because I had it plugged into the charger all night. Then, as I looked closer, I realized the charger had disconnected with the outlet. My phone didn’t receive power because it wasn’t connected to the power source. To go out and effectively live as ambassadors for Christ, we need to make sure that we are living our lives empowered by the Spirit. To stay empowered, we need to stay connected to God. We can’t do it in our own strength.

    Jesus talks in John 15 about how we must remain in Him. He says He is the vine, and we are the branches. If we stay connected to Him, we will bear fruit. However, apart from Him, we can do nothing. Let’s make sure we stay connected to Him.

    One way to stay connected to Him is by participating in our midweek activities. Every Wednesday night, at 6:00 p.m., we have a few different Bible Study options for you that will help you stay connected to the vine. Gloria Fox will be leading our Women’s Bible Study through Job in the Fellowship Hall. I will be leading a time of prayer and a study through Praying through the Bible by Donald Whitney in the Dining Room. I know that my prayer life has been strengthened by this study, and I can’t wait to see how it impacts your prayer lives as well! Also, as an added bonus, I have been given a few dozen copies of this book by Crossway Publishing. Everyone who comes to our Prayer and Bible Study time will receive a copy until we run out.

    There are also opportunities to serve on Wednesday evenings. We’d love to have you help out in AWANA with our kids or in the Rafters with our youth. Please contact Kathy Scott or Kyle Baldwin about ways to get involved.

    In addition to those options, we also will be having a meal one Wednesday evening a month before these various midweek options get underway. For September 21, we will be having meatloaf! Make sure to sign up for this meal, which is free (but donations are accepted).

    Will you join me in praying that we stay connected to God throughout the week? We want to bear fruit, and to do that, we must remain in Christ!

    In Him,

    Pastor Zach Crook

  • Announcements – Vol. 62, No. 18

    Sympathy

    Our love through Christian sympathy is extended to

    …Bernice Moore on the passing of her husband, Ron Moore, on September 7.

    … Roberta Taulbee on the passing of her daughter, Mollie Gershon, on September 11.

    … Diane Wright on the passing of her sister-in-law, Madeline Benton, on September 14.

    “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted,” —Jesus.

    Mobile Market

    Our upcoming 2022 dates will be:

    • October 10
    • November 14
    • December 12

    One of our favorite things is 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).

     

  • Music Musings – Vol. 62, No. 18

    Christmas Choir

    Christmas Choir rehearsals begin on Sunday, September 18 from 1:15-2:45 p.m. in the Choir Room. Our Christmas musical is called Hope is Born – Emmanuel. This musical celebrates His coming and gives voice to our yearning for His promised return.

    Hebrews tells us that the HOPE is a sure and steadfast anchor for our souls.

    “We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go,” (Hebrews 6:18, The Message).

    There will be 3 performances this year:

    Friday, December 16 – 7:00 p.m.

    Saturday, December 17 – 3:00 p.m.

    Sunday, December 18 – 3:00 p.m.

    You are welcome to join us even if you can’t make it to the first rehearsal!

    Impact Week

    It was an honor and privilege to sing during Impact Week for many of our dear home bound folks. They loved seeing us and we loved seeing them. There is something about the old classic hymns that brings our hearts together – young and old.

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 62, No. 18

    “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father,” (John 14:12).

    All the great heroes I know have been ordinary people. They didn’t run countries, and they don’t have museums named after them. They’re moms, dads, and teenagers who saw a need in the people around them and did what they could to meet those needs.

    When I think of heroes, I think of people like Dorothy Day, who lived among the poor so she could better serve them, and my friend John, who started an organization to train governments in other countries on how to end human trafficking.

    I think of Mother Teresa, who held people as they breathed their last in Calcutta, allowing them to die with dignity, and I think of my friend Jeff, who uses his gift with words to make people fee less alone. Even the famous ones tried to stay under the radar.

    Heroes come in every age and size. Sometimes they’re household name, and sometimes they’re unknown. But what binds them together is this: they heard about a need in the world, and they figured out how to use whatever they could to alleviate the suffering in other people.

    We don’t need more degrees or status to change the world. We only need eyes to see a need and a faith that believes in redemption. Jesus wouldn’t have said we’d do greater things than Him if He didn’t think we could do it. Stop listening to the voices saying you can’t make a difference, and start listening to the One telling you He wants you to take your next step. What’s your next step?—

  • Announcements – Vol. 62, No. 17

    Media Center

    Come visit our newly remodeled Media Center! We are open—come in anytime to look around—choose from a variety of media options! Books (simply read and return—no check-out required!), DVDs, and puzzles! We also have some used Bibles for anyone needing one. Additionally, we have a few FREE greeting cards if anyone can use them. We are so excited to share our new space with you and can’t wait to see your smiling faces again!

    Mobile Market

    Our upcoming 2022 dates will be:

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

    One of our favorite things is 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).

    Backpack Ministry

    Our Backpack Ministry is in full-force again wit this new school year. This ministry provides a bag of easy-prep foods for school-aged children in our school district. We don’t like seeing kids go hungry, and food security is something a lot of families in our community deal with. We want to make sure kids have something to eat when they aren’t at school. But we can’t do this without you, Church! We need donations of granola bars, snack crackers, macaroni & cheese, fruit cups, applesauce cups, canned pasta, rice cups, single-serve snacks or meals, and other easy-prep meals. You may leave these items in the Donation Center in the section marked “Backpack Ministry.” Alternatively, you can have these items shipped from any big box store to the church:

    Fee Fee Baptist Church (Backpacks)

    C/O CHURCH OFFICE

    11330 St. Charles Rock Road

    Bridgeton, MO 63044

    Thank you so much for your giving hearts!

    Sympathy

    Our love through Christian sympathy is extended to

    …Family and friends of Mattie Gibbons, who passed away on August 20.

     

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 62, No. 17

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

     “What do you think?” (Matthew 21:28).

    There are plenty of voices in the world who present their opinions like they’re solid fact. People tell us which food are healthiest, which companies are ethical, and the best way to raise our kids. These same people are also prone to tell us what to believe in our faith. I think that’s why so many people hesitate to go to church or start exploring what it means to follow Jesus. The faithful seem to have developed a fear of admitting to having any questions marks in their faith. This always seemed strange to me for a religion that says faith is all about finding answers. We should all have a long list of questions. Jesus passed right by the people who acted like they had all the answers and found some fishermen who didn’t have any. These are the people He uses to change the world.

    Jesus showed us how comfortable He was with questions. He asked more than three hundred of them. He used them when people asked Him things, and it made the religious types squirm.

    He demonstrated how faith isn’t just about subscribing to a doctrine or a lifestyle. What was going on in the heart was just as important as all the information in the head.

    When people questioned why Jesus and His friends weren’t sticking to a tradition, He shot back one of His own questions: “Why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3). Don’t hold your faith like an answer sheet; embrace what you don’t quite get, let people know what you’re wondering about, and you’ll find more of God there than in any catchphrase. You’ll connect with a lot more people that way too.

    No one’s going to believe any of our answers if we don’t let them know we have a couple of questions too.

    What questions are forming in your heart today? —

  • A Word From Pastor Zach – Vol. 62, No. 17

    Church Family,

    The day that this article is getting We are now one week away from our fourth annual Impact Week! When we launched this local missions-oriented week of service back in 2019, I don’t think any of us could have anticipated how God has worked in and through this incredible week. Partnering with great organizations in our city like Loaves and Fishes, Room at the Inn, Thrive, and the St. Louis County Area Foodbank, among many others, has been such a blessing.

    For Impact Week this year, we have projects that include each of those non-profit organizations I listed above, along with providing a meal for our police department, coffee for Pattonville’s Early Childhood Center, cleaning up local parks, hosting a blood drive, and having our monthly Mobile Market. You can sign up for any of these projects, or you can organize your own with your family or your Bible study class. From baking cookies for firemen to making cards for health care workers, there are a lot of different ways we can stay on mission and be the hands and feet of Jesus!

    In Matthew 12, John the Baptist is stuck in prison and is struggling with doubt. He even sends a couple of his disciples to go and ask Jesus if He was actually the Messiah or not. Do you know how Jesus responds to this question? He tells John’s disciples to go and share with Him what they have seen and heard.

    Jesus then alludes to prophecies in Isaiah when he shares about all the things that he is doing. He was telling the disciples that the proof was in the way He both proclaimed and demonstrated the Gospel. For Jesus, He proclaimed that the Kingdom of God was at hand. Then, He backed up that proclamation through His many miracles. He both shared the Gospel with His lips and demonstrated it with His life.

    In the same way, we have the opportunity during Impact Week to share the Gospel through proclamation and demonstration. We need to be ready to turn everyday conversations into Gospel conversations. Further, by going out and serving the community and meeting needs, we are going to demonstrate to our community the reality of God’s love for them.

    It is my prayer that we can show our community through Impact Week that we really do love where we live. I believe that our demonstration of the Gospel through our local mission work is going to allow us open doors to proclaim the truth of the Gospel to our neighbors.

    Will you join me in praying for our church during Impact Week? Let’s pray that we can be living proof of who Jesus is and what He has done for us!

    In Him,

    Pastor Zach Crook

  • Family Front – Vol. 62, No. 17

    AWANA is Back!

    September 14 begins AWANA for our kids. AWANA is another way for kids to learn scripture and have fun with friends. 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 on September 14, 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! Families can still register their child for AWANA on September 14 – so bring the form filled out that evening. The following week, on September 21, we will actually start AWANA Club!  If you would like to be part of this group of great teachers and helpers, talk to Kathy! We need every parent to help us this year by staying the first 10 minutes to work with 1 child on their memory verses, just listening to them say the verses they are learning each week. This will help us tremendously in guiding children in learning God’s Word.

    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. (meet there at 9:00 a.m.). Reservations are required. Signup sheets are in the Welcome Center, 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. You can turn hunger into hope with your own two hands by packing nutritious meals for hungry children around the world.

    Trunk or Treat

    Put Sunday, October 30 on your calendar for our annual Trunk or Treat event right here in the church parking lot. Be thinking how you want to decorate your trunk. We will be collecting candy starting October 1.

    Drama Opportunity for Kids

    This fall we will be producing another kid’s Christmas story video to use in the Christmas production in December. If your child would like to be part of the that, talk to Kathy.