Fee Fee Baptist Church

Category: Forerunner

This category contains everything pertaining to the Forerunner.

  • A Word From Pastor Zach – Vol. 62, No. 6

    Church Family,

    There are three big things that I want to bring to your attention in this edition of the Forerunner: Easter, Prayer, and our Associate Pastor, Andrew Yakel.

    First, did you know that the APM research lab found that in 2022, 84% of Americans said they are either extremely (55%) or very worried (29%)? Additionally, 26% of all Americans report that absolutely nothing makes them hopeful.

    Those statistics are alarming! That is why the theme of our Easter services this year is simply “Hope.” I want to encourage you to invite your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and relatives to celebrate Resurrection Sunday with us here at Fee Fee on April 17. We are going to focus on the hope that is found in Jesus. I promise you that I will clearly present the Gospel and share about the hope that we have because of the resurrection.

    Additionally, we will be bringing back our Easter breakfast! In lieu of our normal Sunday morning Bible Study, we will be having a hot breakfast in our gym. Please join us for a fellowship meal together as we celebrate our risen Savior!

    Second, we want to refocus on our Prayer Warriors Ministry. We know that prayer moves the heart of God. If we want to see God move in our church and in our city, we need to get on our knees! If you are interested at all in being a part of this ministry, I want to invite you to an informational meeting Sunday, April 3, at 4:00 p.m. in the Dining Room. We are challenging people to agree to pray for our services during a particular month. In addition, we will be having a united prayer time of that month’s volunteers on the first Sunday of the month at 8:00 a.m. in the Media Center. Come join us as we discuss this vitally important ministry and talk about ways to seek God’s face together as a congregation.

    Finally, I want to take a moment to recognize our departing Associate Pastor, Andrew Yakel. The Bible says that we are to give honor where honor is due. Andrew has faithfully served Fee Fee for over a decade! He has poured his life into this church, and I am so thankful for the way he has served God so well here at FFBC. Further, I know that God is going to use him in a big way in his new role at the St. Louis Area Food Bank. We are going to miss him, but we know that God’s Kingdom is bigger than just our church.

    We want to make sure that we honor and encourage Andrew, Teresa, and the girls as they step into this new venture. Please bring cards and show your support to the Yakels on their last Sunday with us, March 27. Also, we will be having a special time to fellowship with them between our two services that Sunday. So, before you go to Bible Study, or after Bible Study and before the 11:00 a.m. service, make sure you stop by the café for some refreshments and let Andrew and the Yakels know how much they mean to us.

    Please join me in praying for Easter, our Prayer Warriors Ministry, and the Yakel family.

    In Him,

    Pastor Zach Crook

  • Community Connection – Vol. 62, No. 5

    Blood Drive – March 18

    We still have some spots left at our upcoming Blood Drive on Friday, March 18 from 12:00-5:00 p.m! You can go to www.feefeebc.org/blooddrive or go to the Red Cross website (www.redcrossblood.org) and use the Sponsor Code “FeeFeeBaptistBridgeton” to find our drive and schedule your donation. You can also call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). The drive will be held in the Family Life Center, so please park in the gym parking lot for easy access. On the blood drive page on the church website you can find some helpful info about donating including who can donate and how to donate. If you have any questions about this, please contact Andrew (andrew@feefeebc.org).  Thank you for saving lives by donating blood!

    Volunteer with Joni and Friends

    On Saturday, March 26, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. we have an opportunity to volunteer at the Joni and Friends 2nd Annual Walk ‘n’ Roll.  This event raises disability ministry awareness and needed ministry funding.  Joni and Friends have been providing hope and help to those who are disabled for decades now.  We are going to volunteer at this event by helping with set up, clean up, and serving lunch.  There is no age limit to serve so kids are welcome to serve with their parents! Sign up to serve in the Connection Center at church or by contacting Andrew (andrew@feefeebc.org).

    Mobile Market

    On the second Monday of every month we will distribute food starting at 10:00 a.m. Anyone in the community can pull through our parking lot and have free groceries put in their car! Also, please pass the word along to anyone in your life that you know may benefit from free groceries.

    Our upcoming 2022 dates will be:

    • March 14
    • April 11
    • May 9
    • June 13
    • July 11
    • August 8
    • September 12
    • October 10
    • November 14
    • December 12

     

  • Bible Study Corner – Vol. 62, No. 5

    It’s exciting to see our Bible Study numbers growing again! If you haven’t been to a Sunday morning Bible Study before, our church has a lot to offer. We have something for everyone and hope you will join us on Sunday mornings at 9:45 a.m. Ask Gloria (gloria@feefeebc.org) for suggestions for where you would be a good fit.

    We also have Bible Studies on Wednesday night for men and women from 6:00-7:30 p.m., a Bible Study on Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m., and an online Bible Study on Facebook Live on Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m. (which is later posted on our website). With so many opportunities, we hope you will join us!

    Finally, if you are interested in joining a small group or starting a small group, or becoming a part of a Marco Polo group, contact Gloria.

  • Family Front – Vol. 62, No. 5

    Family Game Night

    On Wednesday, March 23, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. in the Family Life Center we will be having a Family Game Night! We will play big games in the gym and also have table games available.  Bring your own games to play and a snack to share.

    Missions

    On Sunday, April 3, our elementary children will be able to attend the North American Mission Study that will go from 9:45 a.m. through KidsZone and end at 12:00 p.m. This will be taught by our Bible Study teachers. We will focus on prayer for our Southern Baptist missionaries serving through the North American Mission Board and the people they serve. We will also highlight the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering.

    Mother Daughter Spa Day

    Come prepared to pamper yourself and do a craft on Saturday, May 14, from10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. More details, including cost, to follow.

    Father Son Fishing Day

    On Saturday, June 18, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Put it on your calendar and plan to spend a fun morning fishing. Place to be determined.

    VBS 2022 & Soccer Camp

    It’s not too early to begin setting time aside to help with VBS. Put July 18-22 on your calendar for our 2022 VBS called “MOMUMENTAL – Celebrating God’s Greatness.” There will be many different areas to help: registration, music leadership, station leader or helper, family group leader or helper, snacks, photographer, sound, PowerPoint, and more! If you have soccer skills or are athletic, there are volunteer spots available for Soccer Camp also. VBS will be in the mornings and Soccer Camp will be in the afternoon. The cost for this week of fun is FREE for VBS and $55 for Soccer Camp. Email or talk to Kathy (kathy@feefeebc.org) if you are interested in serving!

  • Prime Time – Vol. 62, No. 5

    What a difference a week can make in St. Louis weather! Today is a beautiful 72 degrees, and last week we were awaiting freezing rain, sleet, and snow. While we can’t count on the weather, we can count on our faithful God. While our world seems out of control, God is sovereign and in control. Thank Him for your blessings today and trust Him completely in the days to come.  He is loving and kind and good!

    Our next trip is to the St. Louis Science Center to the OmniMax to see Wings over Water on Friday, March 11. Tickets are $11, but we will probably get a group discount or senior discount. We will leave church at 10:00 a.m. and go to the 11:00 a.m. movie. Afterwards we will go to the Fountain on Locust. Make sure to save room for ice cream!

    The Scott Joplin House tour will be on Monday, March 28, leaving the church at 10:00 a.m. This is a state historic site which features a player piano in the modest flat rented by the king of ragtime and a museum about Scott Joplin’s life. Cost of the tour and museum is $6. Lunch will be at Crown Candy. I challenge you to a BLT!

    Also mark your calendars for Saturday night, May 14 for our Annual Legacy Banquet. We will have great food, great fellowship, and great music!

  • Chi Alpha News – Vol. 62, No. 5

    DNOW Weekend 2022

    Sign-ups for DNOW 2022 have officially begun! Our annual DNOW weekend is happening April 1-3. This year, our theme is “Stand”, and our students will be challenged to put on the whole Armor of God to withstand the battles they face every day in their lives, all while enjoying amazing worship, a guest speaker, playing fun games, and building stronger community together. The total cost for this weekend is $40 ($10 deposit due at registration). Register now in the Rafters, the Connection Center, or online at dnow.feefeebc.org. The best part about this weekend is that guests are completely FREE! So, invite your friends to this weekend, and let’s see how God moves in the lives of our students!

  • A Word From Pastor Zach – Vol. 62, No. 5

    Church Family,

    It seems like we just started 2022 and spring is just around the corner! Can you believe that Easter is next month?! In addition to the warmer weather that comes with spring, we also have the encouraging signs of COVID numbers dropping over 90% what they were in our area in January. Let’s definitely pray that those numbers keep dropping, especially with Easter right around the corner!

    Speaking of Easter, I recently read an interesting study from Lifeway Research and Evangelism Explosion about how widely receptive Americans are to spiritual conversations. The research found that 51% of Americans say they’re curious as to why some people are devoted to their faith. Of that 51%, 60% of them were people who considered themselves “religiously unaffiliated.” Basically, over half of our country are curious and want to know more about why we are devoted to Christ. Think of the evangelistic implications of that! Half of our country want to know why we love Jesus!

    And, while the pandemic has had some devastating effects on our country, there is a bit of a silver lining to the COVID cloud. According to the study, 32% of Americans say that COVID-19 has made them more interested in spiritual matters. Think about that, 1/3 of our fellow Americans are now more interested in spiritual things now than they were two years ago. What an incredible opportunity we have to engage with the lost!

    So, the good news is that people are ready to hear about the Gospel. As Jesus says in Matthew 9, the harvest is plentiful! However, the research conducted by Lifeway also shared a troubling statistic. When responders were asked if their Christian friends talk about faith, 60% said that their Christian friends “rarely talk about faith.”

    Do you see the issue at hand? People are ready to hear about our faith. The pandemic has made people think about spiritual issues to a greater extent than they did pre-COVID. However, 60% of the individuals surveyed said their Christian friends rarely talked about faith. Scott McConnel, the Executive Director of Lifeway Research said, “There is a quiet chasm between the religiously devoted and those who have no religion in the U.S. The irony is that religious devotion intrigues many people, yet many avid Christians fail to share why faith is so important in their lives.”

    Let’s not keep the gospel a secret! Let’s look for opportunities to share about who Jesus is and what he has done in our lives. Easter is a natural time to share your faith and invite people to an Easter service with you. Or, invite them to our Pursue Sunday on March 20 so they can hear how Christians are making an impact in our community.

    Let’s pray that we won’t keep the good news to ourselves. Let’s share the hope of Jesus with a world that desperately needs it!

    In Him,

    Pastor Zach Crook

     

    1https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Evangelism-Explosion-Survey-of-Americans-Report.pdf

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 62, No. 5

    “Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, 29for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes,” (Matthew 7:28-29).

    The Sermon on the Mount is considered one of Jesus’ earliest and most outstanding collections of teachings. It includes the Lord’s Prayer, the Beatitudes, and a host of other familiar sayings and parables.

    But the most essential part of the Sermon is not what it says. Matthew notes that the first reaction to this set of teachings was amazement that Jesus was saying these things on His authority. Why were Jesus’ listeners surprised at this claim?

    Whenever the scribes taught, they appealed to the highest authority to substantiate the truth of what they said. Rabbis would often provide lengthy genealogies—lists of their past teachers—to support what they taught. They appealed to others. In contrast, throughout this sermon, Jesus appealed to the highest Authority there ever was—Himself. He was God in the flesh, the divinity in human form. Every single time He said, “But I say to you…”, it was a theological thunderclap. Yet He told it fourteen times!

    Jesus entered the scene as a type of Moses. He was a Second Moses like He was a Second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:47). He was teaching on a mountain; Moses received the tablets on Mount Sinai. But Moses was an intermediary between God and humans; Jesus was both a human Intermediary as well as God Himself. Instead of writing on tablets of stone, He writes His Word in our hearts.

    As we march through the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, do not forget the incredible claim Jesus made concerning His authority. If Jesus expected His listeners to pay attention to His words because of His authority, how much more should we pay attention to Him, not just in this sermon but also in our whole lives! Jesus was not just a messenger; He was the Author. He humbled himself and became a human being so we might know what is true, and more importantly so that we might know Him who is the Truth.—

  • Music Musings – Vol. 62, No. 5

    March Playlist – I imagine you have been holding your breath waiting to see what the March playlist would look like!!! Well, here it is! It seemed appropriate to offer a tribute to Irish music for March. I hope you enjoy it!

    Listen here: https://bit.ly/3vC3T4O

    Who is Like Him  

    The Sky Family

     

    Come Thou Fount

    Celtic Worship

     

    In Christ Alone

    Celtic Worship (ft. Steph Macleod)

     

    Because He Lives

    Celtic Worship

     

    Morning Has Broken / Morning Chorus  (Medley)

    David Phelps

     

    My Lighthouse

    Rend Collective

    Amazing Grace

    Celtic Thunder

     

    Joy of the Lord

    Rend Collective

     

    You Raise Me Up

    Celtic Woman

     

    I’ll Fly Away

    Daniel O’Donnell

     

    40 (inspired by Psalm 40 and Psalm 6)

    U2

     

    Revival Anthem

    Rend Collective

  • Prime Time – Vol. 62, No. 4

    Once again, we have a change of plans for our activities. Instead of going to Warm Springs Ranch on March 11, (since it isn’t open until April), we will go to the Science Center to watch Wings over Water on the Omnimax. The bus will leave at 10:00 a.m. Lunch TBA. I am open to suggestions! The cost will be $11.00 plus lunch.

    I hope you have the Scott Joplin House and lunch on your calendar for March 28! This is a state historic site and features an authentic player piano that fills the house with his melodies as you walk through the flat on Delmar.  There is also a museum which celebrates Joplin’s life. The cost is $6.00, plus lunch.

    Speaking of calendars, here are the tentative plans for the next quarter. Thank you for your patience as we navigate the waters of closed restaurants, staff shortages, and the supply chain. Flexibility is a wonderful quality.

    Pencil in these activities for the upcoming quarter:

    Tuesday, April 12 Lunch then dying Easter eggs and building Easter baskets for the children at Loaves and Fishes.
    Tuesday, April 26 Luncheon and tour of Oakland House – $22.00.
    Monday, May 9 Warm Springs Ranch – $16.00 plus lunch.
    Saturday, May 14 Prime Time Banquet.
    Thursday, June 9 Heritage Museum and Lunch at Lewis and Clark.
    Friday, June 24 Josephine’s in Godfrey, Illinois – Lunch and shopping.

    I am looking forward to many of you joining us on these fun excursions. Invite some friends to join us. Remember we were made for connection with God and with others.