Fee Fee Baptist Church

Category: Forerunner

This category contains everything pertaining to the Forerunner.

  • Music Musings – Vol. 60, No. 13

    Summer Concert Information

    As you know we have two concerts scheduled for this summer. The Lesters will be here on July 26, then Timothy and Hosanna Noble will be with us on August 9. Because we will need to limit number of attendees this year, we are asking that you reserve your seats by emailing Tara@feefeebc.org and giving her the number in your family that will be attending each event. This is very disconcerting to me (no pun intended), since we have always advertised and encouraged attendance as these concerts have served as a great outreach opportunity for our community. But safety is of prime concern and we must follow state and county mandates.

    The Blessing

    The Blessing is a top-rated scripturally rich worship song (ranked #2 this week). The beginning of the song is straight from Numbers 6:24-26:

    “The Lord bless you

    and keep you;

    The Lord make His face shine on you

    and be gracious to you;

    The Lord turn His face toward you

    and give you peace.”

    The song was written as a blessing over our families, our children, and our generations. It is a song that aims to turn hearts to receive blessings from heaven, especially at a time such as now. Even during a pandemic, God still commands blessings over our lives. I won’t quote the entire song, but here is a lyric from Deuteronomy 7:9 that is particularly meaningful:

    “May His favor be upon you

    And a thousand generations

    And your family and your children

    And their children and their children.”

    This song reminds us of God’s bigness as well as His nearness. It further reminds us that His promise of future hope will go beyond this moment. You can find this song on many of the streaming music services right now. Find it on YouTube under “The Blessing” by Kari Jobe with Elevation Worship.

  • Bible Study Corner – Vol. 60, No. 13

    We are in the planning stage of returning to Bible Study. To avoid crowds, classes might be meeting in person at church on different days or evenings of the week. More details will soon follow, so stay tuned!

    In the meantime, many virtual Bible Studies are continuing and if you would like to be plugged in to one, please contact email gloria@feefeebc.org or text.

  • A Word From Pastor Zach – Vol. 60, No. 13

    If you remember, back in January, we launched a new vision for the church. Our mission statement is that Fee Fee Baptist Church exists to make disciples who build their lives on Jesus and pursue the good of our community for the glory of God. We boil down that mission statement to the simple phrase, “Build and Pursue.”

    Since that whole series took place pre-pandemic, I thought it would be helpful for us to evaluate how we are doing as a church in aligning with that mission during these last few months. I think it is incredibly humbling to see how our church has been so flexible and creative in our mission to build and pursue during these last few months.

    When it comes to building our lives on Jesus, we had to really go digital. I am thankful that Fee Fee was more prepared than most churches. We already had the capability to stream services, so we were ahead of the curve among the majority of Evangelical churches. Additionally, I was so thankful for how our different Bible study leaders were incredibly flexible in switching to meet over Zoom, Facebook, or even email! We even had a digital choir! Also, I have really enjoyed our times of prayer each day, Monday through Thursday, on Facebook. Digital discipleship hasn’t always been ideal, but it has been such a blessing to see our church body adapt and respond. We are truly building our lives on Jesus in a number of ways.

    However, we didn’t just look inward and only focus on our church body and growing internally. We have taken on major initiatives to make sure that we are pursuing the good of our community. Here are just a few of the ways that our church has been meeting needs in our community:

    • We had 23 people sign up to volunteer to serve our community through our website to meet various needs that have arisen.
    • We partnered with the St. Louis Area Food Bank and have had nearly 80 volunteers work so far. Also, we have had 682 cars come through our mobile food pantry, which represented 2,717 people!
    • We have had over 20 students and volunteers serve on “Mission Mondays,” where our youth go around and help in our community doing yard work and meeting other needs.
    • We partnered with the American Red Cross and had volunteers donate blood; with another opportunity to do so July 22-23!
    • We have our Meals on Wheels crew that have been faithfully preparing meals and delivering them week in and week out.
    • We served a meal to one of the COVID-19 floors at DePaul Hospital.

    Not only that, but our church has also been exceedingly generous as we talk about missions. Your contributions to the benevolence fund have been so helpful in our efforts to provide for different people in need, including paying someone’s rent and providing work clothes for another person.

    Additionally, I was blown away that we exceeded our goal for the Annie Armstrong offering and have received $12,050 at the time of this writing.

    Now, I am not saying all of these things so we can rest on our laurels. We all know how much need there still is in our city, our nation, and our world. Instead, I want to encourage and inspire each of us. If you haven’t volunteered yet to serve, there are going to be other opportunities.

    One big change we are making is that we are moving our Impact Week to August 2-8. We gave 455 volunteer hours to our community last fall. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could do something similar this summer, even in the midst of a pandemic?!

    I can’t wait to see how God works in and through our church in the days ahead. It is a joy serving alongside you as we get to proclaim the truth of the gospel through word and deed! Let’s continue to “Build and Pursue” for the glory of God!

    In Him,

    Pastor Zach

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 60, No. 13

    Taken from L.B. Cowman’s “Streams in the Desert,” Zondervan Updated Edition

    “When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble,” (Proverbs 4:12).

    The Lord only builds a bridge of faith directly under the feet of a faithful traveler. He never builds the bridge a few steps ahead, for then it would not be one of faith. “We live by faith, not by sight,” (2 Cor. 5:7).

    Whether the barrier is a river, a mountain, or a gate, all a child of Jesus must do is head directly towards it. If it is a river, it will dry up as he comes near it, as long as he forges ahead. If it is a mountain, it will be removed and “cast into the sea,” (Mark 11:23 KJV), providing he approaches it with unflinching confidence.

    Is some great barrier blocking your path right now? We sit and weep in vain, while the voice of the Almighty tells us to never stop moving upward and onward. Let us advance boldly, whether it is dark and we can barely see the forest in front of us, or our road leads us through the mountain pass, where from any vantage point we can only see a few steps ahead.

    Press on! And if necessary, like the ancient Israelites we will find a pillar of clouds and fire to lead the way on our journey through the wilderness. God will provide guides and inns along the road, and we will discover food, clothing, and friends at every stage of our journey.

  • Family Front – Vol. 60, No. 13

    It has been so good to worship together in person these last few weeks.  It was wonderful to have kids in worship again! We have provided onetime-use Praise Packs with a few activities for a child to go along with the worship service. I’d like to see the children engaged rather than just ‘busy.’ Of course, you are free to bring your own activities for your children to do. It is okay, too, if you choose to stay at home to worship! We will look forward to seeing you again soon as you feel comfortable getting out.

    Ministry Opportunities

    Despite the sheltering in place, we have some great opportunities to serve our community.  We still have the Mobile Food Market every other Monday and another blood drive on July 22-23. Watch for other opportunities for volunteers to serve in the near future!

    KidsZone Bible Study

    Just a reminder, there are weekly Bible plans on our church website that you can use at home as well as some downloadable activities. The KidsZone lessons follow the sermon series, “I AM,” the statements of Jesus in the book of John. You can find these on our website on the KidsZone page.

    I miss you all 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.

    “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go,” (Joshua 1:7).

  • Prime Time – Vol. 60, No. 13

    These are exciting words – “Mark your calendars!” for Adult Vacation Bible School! We will meet July 27-30 (Monday through Thursday) from 9:00 a.m. through 11:30 a.m. in the Dining Room. We will be sitting at the round tables and social distancing. I’m hoping you will attend but completely understand if you do not yet feel comfortable. I have absolutely no idea what I will be teaching but am open to suggestions. I was thinking it is about time for an Old Testament book. Please email gloria@feefeebc.org or text me with any ideas!

    I hope you are still reading with us from the Gospel of John. As I read chapter 16 today, Jesus was telling His disciples that He was about to leave them, but He was going to send the Holy Spirit who would always be with them. I love the fact that we are never ever alone. The Spirit of the Living God is in us – encouraging us, empowering us, and leading us.

    My friend Laura Jo Jones shared a video with me yesterday about shoulder taps. A man was having dinner with his wife, and while looking around the restaurant, he noticed an elderly lady all dressed up who was soon joined by her family. As he sat there, he felt the Spirit tell him to tell her how nice she looked. He thought this was strange but the impression would not go away. After he paid his bill, he went up to the lady, squatted in front of her and said, I just wanted to tell you how lovely you look. To his surprise, she looked him in the eyes and responded, “I know who you are.” He assured her that they had not met before, but she replied, “my husband died a year ago and that is something he would have said to me. Thank you!”

    We need to respond when the Spirit taps us on the shoulder. Even though it might seem silly or uncomfortable, respond in love and obedience. God can use us at just the right moment to bless others and ourselves when we are listening to His Spirit.

  • A Word From Pastor Zach – Vol. 60, No. 12

    2020 has been an interesting year, hasn’t it? Honestly, interesting might be too kind of a word for what 2020 has been…it has been absolutely ridiculous! It seems like the story that I thought might dominate the first half of 2020, the horrible wildfires in Australia, happened years ago. In reality, it was dominating the news cycle just months ago. If there is one thing that 2020 has taught me, it is that any illusion of control that humanity has tried to assert has been rendered useless.

    While that might seem incredibly discouraging, I actually think there might be a silver lining in the storm cloud that has been 2020. Humanity has to come to grips with the fact that it is not in charge. This is one reason why I think studying the “I Am” statements that Jesus makes in the book of John is so helpful for our church this summer. It is a reminder that He is the one who is in control. He is the one who we should rely on.

    Pastor Louie Giglio wrote a book titled I Am Not But I Know I AM. In that book, he says, “As we will soon discover, admitting we are not God—not in control, not running anything, not responsible for everyone’s well-being, not the solution for everything and everyone, not at the center of all things—doesn’t belittle us; it frees us.”

    He absolutely hits the nail on the head. When we admit we aren’t in control, it isn’t belittling…it’s freeing! We are free to trust God and not try to figure everything out on our own. We are free from trying to be perfect and are led to trust in Christ’s perfection instead. 2020 has shown us that we don’t have all the answers. But the good news is that we know the One who does!

    Throughout the book of John, Jesus makes seven “I Am” statements that reveal to us different aspects of His character. He calls Himself the following: the Bread of Life; the Light of the World; the Gate; the Good Shepherd; the Way, the Truth, and the Life; the Resurrection and the Life; and the True Vine.

    Each of these “I Am” statements are packed with truth that give us a clearer picture of who Jesus is and what He came to accomplish during His time here on earth. It is my prayer that an in-depth look at these different statements will be an incredible source of encouragement for us as we continue to navigate through this pandemic.

    2020 has shown us our limitations as a society. However, even though we are so limited, we serve a limitless God! God is sovereign, on His throne, and He will be our Solid Rock. We can all say with confidence that even though we are not, we know “I AM!”

    Please join us this month as we read through the book of John together and find encouragement in who Jesus says that He is.

    Finally, it was so encouraging for us to be able to gather again for corporate worship on June 7! I was thankful to see many of you, but I also know this pandemic has made it where many of you are still worshipping with us online from home. I miss you and can’t wait until it is safe for all of us to worship together again!

    I’m praying for you, church! I can’t wait to see how God works in and through us in the days ahead.

    In Him,

    Pastor Zach

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 60, No. 12

    Taken from Mrs. Charles E. Cowman’s “Streams in the Desert,” Vol. Two

     “The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand,” Psalm 121:5.

     There cannot be shade without sunshine. There is no night without day. There are clear skies above the clouds. Only he who has rested in the shade, kept vigil through the night, or walked under the clouds can light the paths for others.  —M.T.

    God is above the clouds!

    — the darkest; most depressing;

    The clouds of disappointment, burden, anguish, pain;

    The clouds of long suspense;

    — of tidings most distressing;

    God is above the clouds!

    — and skies will smile again.

    — J. Danson Smith (from “Thou Remainest,” London, England).

  • Music Musings – Vol. 60, No. 12

    Heavy Hearts

    Our hearts are heavy with the events of the past couple of weeks: the violence, riots, the hatred, the bigotry. It seems that hate is growing stronger and some are developing a numbness to it.

    Now is the time to let God’s love shine through us as we make choices to love instead of hate and stand up against injustice instead of sitting on the sidelines. It is time to love without an agenda, advocate for those who need it and forgive as we are forgiven.

    The following excerpt from a writing attributed to St. Francis of Assisi is an exemplary prayer for peace. May this be our prayer today.

    Lord, make me an

    instrument of your peace.

    Where there is hatred,

    Let me sow love.

    Where there is injury, pardon;

    Where there is doubt, faith;

    Where there is despair, hope;

    Where there is darkness, light.

    Where there is sadness, joy.

     

    O Divine Master,

    Grant that I may not so much seek

    To be consoled as to console;

    To be understood as to understand;

    To be loved as to love.

     

    For it is in giving that we receive;

    It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

    And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

     

    And now on a lighter note…

  • Prime Time – Vol. 60, No. 12

    I’m always amazed at how God’s timing is so perfect. I’m not sure why I haven’t fully come to expect this at all times but it still often surprises me.

    At this writing, I had just read Chapter 2 of John, and was also preparing the Women of the Word’s Bible Study for the upcoming weekly Zoom meeting. I kept coming back to John 2! In this chapter, John records Jesus’ first miracle – turning water into wine. John, as you know, records seven signs to show us that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Water to wine is the first sign. This miracle/sign is recorded only in the Gospel of John as is the raising of Lazarus from the dead!

    Coincidently, the women are studying “The Rock, the Road and the Rabbi,” which takes us on a tour of places in the Holy Land where Jesus walked and helps us understand things from a Jewish perspective instead of our tendency to Westernize scripture. We started last week in Bethlehem and this week went to look at Nazareth for Jesus’ life. This was before He started His public ministry and His first miracle, when He was still hanging out with mom and the family and His first five disciples.

    To explain the importance of having a Jewish perspective on Scripture, Rabbi Jason, a Messianic Jew, helped us understand the mistranslation of Jesus and His earthly father’s occupation. The Greek word “tekton” means builder. Translators of the KJV writing in England where trees are in abundance determined the occupation to be a carpenter but the Rabbi explains that Jesus was most likely a stone mason explaining that the only trees in Nazareth were sycamore fig, balsam, and olive trees.  When you think about this, it explains why Jesus uses analogies about cornerstones and tells us that upon this rock, I will build my church.

    But, as usual, I digress. Moses first sign to the Egyptians was transforming the Nile into blood bringing death.  Deuteronomy 18:18 promises a prophet greater than Moses and that points us to Jesus, who is above all. It is not surprising then that Jesus’ first sign was to turn water to wine – a sign of life! While water is necessary for life, wine is a picture of God’s super abundant grace. Throughout Scripture, wine is symbolic of God’s grace and our joy as a result. Wine is one of the primary signs of the abundant blessings we have through the transformation that comes in our life because Jesus came to redeem us. It was time to celebrate. Are you experiencing the abundant life of being in His kingdom here and now? If not, ask Him to transform your life to one of abundance as you submit to Him.