This category contains everything pertaining to the Forerunner.
All Bible studies will resume on September 13. Small groups for the youth, and prayer/Bible study in the dining room.The women will be doing a study called When You Pray. This is a 7 week study with video sessions by Kelly Minter, Jackie Hill Perry, Jen Wilkin, Jennifer Rothschild, Jada Edwards and Kristi Mclelland. All Wednesday night activities are from 6 – 7:30 pm
Of course we will continue our regularly scheduled Bible studies from 9:45-10:45 a.m. each Sunday
Impact Week
Impact week will be here September 17-23.
For the past several years our music ministry has gone out “hymn caroling” for our homebound members and to nursing facilities. These people really appreciate hearing the familiar traditional hymns they have enjoyed throughout their lives. You will be blessed to participate in this activity. It is rewarding to bring so much joy to our lonely homebound members. You may sign up in the connection center to participate in this activity.
The Singing Tree
As you know we are making every effort to revive our long time tradition of our “Singing Christmas Tree.”
The thing is – we need singers to populate the tree! You do not need to be a regular member of our choir to participate. We need singers of all ages. We need singers who are not afraid of heights and who can climb steep steps. Of course we will always accommodate those singers who need to remain seated or to sing from a lower “branch.”
Our rehearsals will begin on Sunday, Sept. 10 from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. You will be provided with hard copies of the music as well as rehearsal recordings.
Dress rehearsal will be Wednesday, Dec. 13 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM.
Performances dates: Dec. 15th – 7:00 PM
Dec. 16th and 17th – 3:00 PM
Please join us to present the Nativity Story from the spectacular “Singing Tree”
We have 2 events this month. On Wednesday, September 6, we will head to Sikeston, MO for a stop at the Sikeston Depot lunch after at Lambert’s Café. Get ready to catch a throwed roll! The bus will leave at 9 a.m. (Note that this time is earlier than usual). This is a permanent historical exhibit that combines history, art, and special exhibits. The museum is free but donations are accepted. Lambert’s café is an unique experience if you have never eaten there. They throw you a homemade roll, you order off the menu and there are lots of pass arounds including fried okra and fried potatoes. Expect to get filled up. The bus ride is $5 and you will buy your own lunch!
On Monday, September 25, we will go to the Missouri Botanical Gardens to view the Chihuly exhibit. There are thousands of pieces of blown glass forms in 20 dramatic installations throughout the garden’s grounds. Because we are going during the day, admission is included in garden admission. Garden admission is $6 if you are a STL county resident. Lunch will be at Joey B’s. To see all of the Chihuly glass is a long walk but you can choose to see as little or as much as you want. The bus will leave at 10 a.m.
September also includes Impact Week. I hope that you will participate in some of that week’s projects and attend the celebration at Redemption ranch on Sunday, September 24. It is always a good time with great worship, good food and great fellowship with the entire church family. There will not be services at the Fee Fee building on that day.
Loaves and Fishes
We need to start the sign-up cycle for this ministry again. If your small group, Bible study class, or any other group would like to provide a meal, please let Gloria know. We provide a meal for the residents each 3rd Tuesday of the month. This meal should feed approximately 29 residents which includes children and families. Thanks in advance for your help!
School Supplies and Free Market
Please have your school supplies and new backpacks turned in by the end of the day on Wednesday, August 2 as we will be loading them with the required school supplies on Thursday and Friday.
Also, please be here between 8 and 8:30 am on Saturday, August 5 to give away your treasures to bless our community. Bring a chair and sunscreen. Hope to see you then.
English Second Language Ministry
The Fee Fee English Second Language (ESL) ministry meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays evenings from September thru May. The staff and students of your ESL ministry are very appreciative of the church’s continued support. In addition to providing the very excellent facilities we use as classrooms, Fee Fee has included an amount in the budget that allows the purchase of a few copies of the Easy English NEWS. This is a monthly newspaper for young adult English Language learners. Thank you church!
Classes will resume Tuesday, September 5, at 6:30 p.m. in Room B-1.
Please invite people who might benefit from this program.
Mobile Market
Our partnership with the St. Louis Area Foodbank will continue into 2023 with more Mobile Markets. Upcoming dates are:
Anyone is welcome to come get groceries on the second Monday of each month, at 10:00 a.m. (until the food runs out). If you would like to volunteer for this ministry, talk to Kathy Webber and she will make sure you have a spot to serve!
The International Pantry
needs fruit and vegetables for the 120 families they serve every week. Please place donations in the marked opening in the hall. Thank you!
Sympathy
Our love through Christian sympathy is extended to:
… The family and friends on the passing of Karen Zarf on July 2nd
… Denise Nash and family on the passing of Ed McConnell on July 17th
Welcome, New Members
On Sunday, July 2
Baptized: Gabriella Jones
If you would like an updated directory please call the office.
There is a place for everyone in Bible Study on Sunday morning at 9:45 a.m. Contact Gloria if you need to know where you fit in.
Also a reminder that all Wednesday night activities and Bible Studies will resume on Wednesday, September 13.
There’s a worship song that has been a favorite of mine for a long time. It’s called “Pieces”, and it’s by Steffany Gretzinger. Here’s a YouTube link if you’d like to listen to it:
The chorus is about the Lord and it says:
You don’t give Your heart in pieces
You don’t hide Yourself to tease us
This song speaks of God and how His love is pure. He doesn’t give part of Himself or hide Himself from us, but gives us everything. He GAVE us everything at the cross. He gave His whole self, and He is available for all who call on His Name!
Sometimes the cares of this world or the troubles in this life can deter us from seeking His face. But He holds NOTHING back from us. Be encouraged today that He holds nothing back from You! The more you seek Him; the more you will find Him.
Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for me with all your heart.”
Proverbs 8:17 says, “I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me find Me.”
When life get hard, press into Him. Jesus became human on this earth, and He sympathizes with our weakness. (Heb. 4:15) There is nothing you can tell Him that He doesn’t already know. Humble yourself, and let Him know what you’re thinking and how you feel, And then watch His overwhelming love and grace pour over your life. His Spirit will give you the strength to live this life “abundantly”. (John 10:10)
Prayer & Worship
Don’t forget to join us on Sunday, August 13th at 6:00 p.m. for a special night of prayer & praise
The New Testament describes the church in many ways. For Paul, the church is a body, with Christ as the head and we the members. Matthew’s gospel pictures the church like a community of learning disciples who are being trained to go out into the world. John imagines the church like a community of light contrasting with the dark world. In Acts, the church is a Spirit-led community fulfilling God’s plan to gather people from every nation. The church in 1 Peter is a group of Christians who, like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house. Revelation sees the church as a community of persecuted believers who refuse to submit to the powers of greed and violence, while waiting for the day when God sets the world straight again.
The church in Hebrews, which I want to focus on here, is a community on the move. Brothers and sisters find themselves on the same journey to God’s good future: “Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (Heb 13:13-14). The success of this journey is not guaranteed, though. Hebrews calls all of us to be faithful to God and to one another if we hope to enter this city that is to come. Like the wilderness generation, who failed to enter the Promised Land when God told them to, we must “make every effort to enter God’s rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs” (Heb 4:11). The good progress of the community is dependent on our unity. We are called to be united in trusting obedience to God. And this means that we must look out for each other: “Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But exhort one another every day” (Heb 3:12-13). We as a church are on the move in obedience to God’s calling, and we must make sure not to leave anyone behind. When we see our friends slipping, it is up to us to pick them up. It is up to us to “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God” (12:15).
We can only fulfill this vision if we commit to one another. This means diving deeper into the church and connecting with our sisters and brothers: try sitting in a new place, try attending a different service than usual, join a Sunday school (if you aren’t in one already), serve in a ministry, attend a social event, etc. We can only watch out for one another if we know one another. None of us can follow Jesus alone. We are all bound together on this journey to the Promised Land, to the city that is to come. Thanks be to God for our community of fellow believers.
Thanks for your support of our Summer Concert Series!
We have had some magnificently talented artists and your show of appreciation has been gratifying. Thanks to Vance and his many helpers for getting the platform set up for each unique concert and helping with sound tech as needed. Also – a huge thanks goes to the Social Committee as they set up refreshments for each event. Everyone loved the ice cream and special toppings they prepared. We also had greeters at each door making our guests feel welcome. These are all very important jobs and we want to gratefully recognize the efforts made by our church family. Thanks to all of you.
Christmas! Yes, it’s time to think about Christmas at Fee Fee.
Before the pandemic hit in 2020, Fee Fee enjoyed a longstanding presentation of the “Singing Christmas Tree.”
This year we are in the process of making a strong effort to bring back that beloved tradition. The “tree” event requires a sizeable number of singers (all ages), to populate the tree. There will also be needs for actors, angels, costumers, mom wranglers, construction crews, sound and light technicians, ushers and greeters. AND the list goes on as we count down to the performance.
Save the dates: December 15 7:00 P.M. and December 16 & 17 3:00 P.M.
Think how you can help make “the singing Christmas tree” a reality for this year.
I can’t believe I’m already writing my August Forerunner. Time flies when you’re having fun. I’ve got a couple of things to add to your summer fun so here goes.
We have had to make a change of plans for our Monday, August 7 trip. During the flooding last July, Old St. Ferdinand had a lot of water damage and it has not yet opened back up. So instead we are going to the Omnimax to see Ocean Odyssey. The cost for a senior is $8.95. This is the story of one of the flows within the ocean called the East Australian current. This is a massive oceanic river that stretches the length of Australia’s east coast. I didn’t even know that the ocean had rivers in it. Should be interesting to see how it affects us.
The bus will leave church at 10 am, we will watch the movie at 11 and then have lunch at Favazzas on the hill. I’m excited to try a new restaurant since Zia’s is closed on Monday. Thanks to Gloria Young for noticing this and researching what was open!
Adult VBS begins Monday, August 21st and runs though Thursday, August 24 from 9:30-noon. Note we are starting one half hour later than we have in the past. We will be meeting in the rafters as we did last year – that is the youth area on the third floor. Ronna will start us off with some music and we will have a snack time of muffins and fruit about half way through. This year’s topic is “Stuff you should know and share with others”. We are going to talk about the real Christmas story, love languages, the Mona Lisa and other assorted topics that will intrigue you and you will want to share your wisdom with others! Mark your calendars.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE for the great support you provided for STELLAR VBS and Sports Crusaders Basketball Camp. Thank you for praying, giving financial support for VBS and our sports camp team to eat and have a place to sleep; for decorating, for teaching, for loving our kids and caring for their safety and surety of knowing Jesus. What a fun week it was! I will be able to give you a report on kids’ lives changed in the next article.
THANK YOU
“ On the behalf of Sports Crusaders, we are overwhelmed with the amount of generosity and love this church has shown. It is evident that God is doing a mighty work through the people that make this church great. Thank you for welcoming and hosting such a successful camp. We will never forget the love that was showered upon us this week.”
Promotion Sunday, August 6 is for our preschoolers, children, and youth. Meet your kids’ teachers, thank them for serving, and enjoy donuts & drinks as we start the new year.
Other events in August:
Swim Night is Friday, August 4 from 6-8 p.m. It’s always a great night for families and it’s FREE so invite friends and neighbors to come to the Bridgeton pool on Fee Fee Road.
Monday, August 22 is first day school for the Pattonville School District. Be in prayer for teachers, students, and staff.
Family Day August 27, so your elementary children will be with you in worship. What a great time to be an example to your kids on how to worship. Beforehand, have a discussion with your children on why we worship and how to worship. It would be a great family discussion. Preschoolers will have worship care as usual.
Sneak peek: Impact Week is September 17-2 with a celebration at Redemption Ranch on the 24th.
The summer is almost over. Start this new church year by joining in on the many opportunities to serve your church and the Lord.