Fee Fee Baptist Church

Category: Pastor Andrew Yakel

All of Andrew Yakel’s Forerunner articles.

  • Community Connection – Vol. 60, No. 16

    Thank you for making an Impact!

    Thank you to everyone that participated in making an impact in our community during Impact Week! You were definitely a blessing.  We were able to provide needed improvements to a neighbor’s house. We packaged food at St. Louis Area Foodbank that will bless hundreds of people in the area. We wrote cards to encourage people. We did yard work at a local homeless shelter. We provided groceries for a neighbor. We prepared dinner for a homeless shelter. Thank you for being willing to sacrifice to share the message of God’s love with those around us!

    Swim Night Rescheduled – Friday, August 21

    Our Swim Night has been tentatively rescheduled for Friday, August 21. We will continue to monitor the progress of restrictions by the county and make appropriate changes if necessary. Ready to get out of the house? Want a fun night of swimming for you and your family? Then join us Friday night, August 21 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Bridgeton Pool (4201 Fee Fee Rd.) for our annual Swim Night. Swimming is FREE for everyone! So bring your family and friends to this fun night. You can read about the steps that the Bridgeton Pool is taking to stay safe during COVID concerns on their website.

  • Community Connection – Vol. 60, No. 15

    How are you going to make an Impact?

    Signups have started for Impact Week! You can go to feefeebc.org/impactweek to see the full calendar of events and find the link to sign up to serve that week. If you have any trouble signing up, please contact Andrew and he’d be glad to sign you up. If you do not see something that works with your calendar then I would challenge you to think creatively about how you can make an impact in your community. You could buy some groceries for a family in need. Write cards to people who need some recognition like postal workers, school staff, emergency responders, hospital staff, or grocery store workers. You could do some yard work for a neighbor or pick up trash at a local park. There are lots of different possibilities that you can make an impact that week. Our goal is to have everyone in the church involved in serving in some way that week. If you have any questions contact Andrew (andrew@feefeebc.org). Take a photo documenting your impact this week and send it to Andrew letting him know that you served!

    Swim Night – Friday, July 31

    Want a fun night of swimming for you and your family? Join us this Friday night, July 31 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Bridgeton Pool (4201 Fee Fee Rd.) for our Swim Night. Swimming is FREE for everyone! So, bring your family and friends to this fun night. You can read about the steps that the Bridgeton Pool is taking to stay safe during COVID concerns on their website.

  • Community Connection – Vol. 60, No. 14

    Upcoming Events

    We have 2 great service events coming up soon. You can get more details about both events on our website or app. If you have questions you can contact Andrew (andrew@feefeebc.org).

    Impact Week – August 2-8

    Signups will begin very soon for Impact Week! Impact Week is all about pursuing the good of the community around us. We will be serving at local foodbanks, homeless shelters, and homes in our community. We will also be hosting the Free Market on Saturday, August 8. You can read more about how to be a part of that in Gloria’s Prime Time article. We realize there will be some of you who don’t feel comfortable being around people just yet, but we still want you to be able to serve, so think creatively about what you could do. Maybe you could buy some groceries for a family in need. You could write cards to people who can’t get out of their house. You could do some yard work for a neighbor. Our goal is to have everyone in the church involved in serving in some way that week.  If you have any questions you can contact Andrew (andrew@feefeebc.org).

    Loaves and Fishes – July 21

    Once a month we provide dinner for Loaves and Fishes homeless shelter. We are still in need of a group (Bible Study class, family, or individual), that would be willing to provide dinner on Tuesday, July 21. If you are interested in helping meet that need for that night please contact Gloria (gloria@feefeebc.org).

  • Community Connection – Vol. 60, No. 13

    Blood Drive on July 22-23

    Our blood drive back in May went so well and the American Red Cross was so thankful they asked us to host another one. On Wednesday, July 22 and Thursday, July 23 from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. we will be hosting another blood drive. To comply with social distancing restrictions, all donations MUST be scheduled ahead of time. There are a few ways you can schedule your donation. You can go to the Red Cross website (https://www.redcrossblood.org/) and use the Sponsor Code FeeFeeBaptistBridgeton (no spaces), to find our drive. It can also be found by searching by zip code and date. You may also call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Then simply schedule your donation for a specific time one of those days. The blood drive will be held in the Family Life Center. Everyone donating can park in the back of the church in the lot by the gym and enter through the gym doors. On the blood drive page on the church website you can find some helpful info about donating including who is eligible to donate and how to donate. If you have any questions about any of this please contact Andrew at andrew@feefeebc.org.

    Impact Week – August 2-8

    Impact Week is back!  Last year we did our first Impact Week and it was such a great event we decided to do it again. Impact Week is a week focused on pursuing the good of the community around us. With all of our mission trips getting cancelled this year and so many people in need right now, we thought this was a great time to get out there and serve people in our own neighborhoods. We are looking at serving places like St. Louis Area Foodbank, Loaves and Fishes, and doing our Free Market again (so we will be collecting school supplies) as well as many other unique opportunities. More details will soon follow, but just wanted you to already be praying about how you might serve that week!

  • Community Connection – Vol. 60, No. 12

    Blood Drive on July 22-23

    Our blood drive back in May went so well and the American Red Cross was so thankful they asked us to host another one. On Wednesday, July 22 and Thursday, July 23 from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. we will be hosting another blood drive. To comply with social distancing restrictions, all donations MUST be scheduled ahead of time. There are a few ways you can schedule your donation. You can go to the Red Cross website (https://www.redcrossblood.org/) and use the Sponsor Code FeeFeeBaptistBridgeton (no spaces), to find our drive. It can also be found by searching by zip code and date. You may also call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Then simply schedule your donation for a specific time one of those days. The blood drive will be held in the Family Life Center. Everyone donating can park in the back of the church in the lot by the gym and enter through the gym doors. On the blood drive page on the church website you can find some helpful info about donating including who is eligible to donate and how to donate. If you have any questions about any of this please contact Andrew at andrew@feefeebc.org.

    Mobile Market, June 29

    Our next Mobile Market is Monday, June 29 from 10 a.m. until noon! We will be distributing food that day in a contactless manner to anyone in the community that needs some groceries. If you or someone you know is needing some help getting through this time, everyone is welcome to drive thru that day and we will put FREE groceries in your car. Please help us get the word out to our community so we can be a blessing to as many people as possible!

     

  • Community Connection – Vol. 60, No. 11

    Blood Drive Results

    Thank you to everyone that came out and donated blood at our Blood Drive on May 13! We ended up being able to collect 20 units of blood. The American Red Cross representative said that because each donation could help up to three patients, these pints of blood could help up to 60 lives! The Red Cross was also very excited that there were 10 new donors from this event. Your willingness to show love to our community in this way is greatly appreciated. We are currently working on scheduling another blood drive later in the summer. The dates will be announced as soon as they are scheduled.

    Food Donations

    We have had such big success with our Mobile Markets that we’ve had a lot of people asking if they can contribute food. The answer is yes…sort of. The Mobile Market food is provided by St. Louis Area Foodbank. However, we are continuing to have more and more people ask for food donations from the church outside of just the Mobile Market. We believe that will continue to rise. We would love to have food donations given to our food pantry to be able to meet all those needs. If you would like to donate food directly you can bring it to the church during office hours or you can give money online through the church website. Food insecurity was already a problem in our area, and this is going to continue to increase as a need due to the current state of things. As always, thank you for your support!

  • Community Connection – Vol. 60, No. 10

    St. Louis Area Food Bank Mobile Market

    At our first Mobile Market we had over 130 cars come through our lot, which represented over 500 people that received food that day! Thank you for being the hands and feet of Christ by providing for the needs of our community. Remember we are going to do this every 2 weeks for the time being. The next dates for the Mobile Market will be on Monday, May 18, and Monday, June 1. On Mobile Market Mondays, from 10:00 a.m. until noon, we will distribute food to people in a “drive thru” format to keep social distancing in place. If you or someone you know need help providing food for their family, then this event is for you!

    Mission Trip Updates

    Out of an abundance of caution regarding COVID-19, all of our summer mission trips (Dominican Republic trip, youth trip to North Carolina, and Windermere trip), have all been cancelled. This was not an easy decision at all but we, and all of the organizations we were working with, felt that this is the wise decision.  Please still be praying for all of these groups and the work that they do. Also, let me take this opportunity to update you on the Dominican Republic Water Project. The well has been dug and initial equipment has been put in place! A couple months ago we sent a payment to have the building constructed.  Because of all the COVID-19 concerns, the construction has been put on hold for the time being. We have one final payment to send to pay for the rest of the equipment within the building. If you would still like to give to support missions this summer, you can give towards the “DR Water Project” to help pay for that equipment. We are almost at the finish line for this project and I can’t wait for the day when our partner village is finally drinking clean water! If you have any questions about this, please contact Andrew at andrew@feefeebc.org.

  • Community Connection – Vol. 60, No. 09

    Blood Drive on May 13

    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.

    St. Louis Area Food Bank Mobile Market

    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!

  • Community Connection – Vol. 60, No. 08

    A Missionary Story

    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.”

  • Community Connection – Vol. 60, No. 07

    Easter is coming!

    Easter is coming next week, April 12!  While you may not be able to invite people to join you for worship in person, we still want you to invite people to church online! There are a few ways you could do this:

    If you are not on Facebook, ask your friends and family to watch the service live on the church website (www.feefeebc.org) along with you. Then afterwards, call them or text them and have a conversation. Ask questions like: Did you enjoy the service? Which point of Pastor Zach’s stood out the most to you? Which song was your favorite and why?

    If you are watching on Facebook and want to invite specific friends or family members, you can host a watch party. While you are watching the video, hit “Share” and at the bottom of that list is “Start a Watch Party.” Then you can have a private conversation just with your friends and family members that join you to watch.

    If you don’t want to host a watch party, you can also hit “Share” and at the top of that list select “Share Now (Public).” Then any of your friends who watch can join the conversation with everyone else on Facebook that is watching.

    However you do it, invite people to join you for worship this Easter. Even though you can’t meet in person, the Gospel message can still be shared! Most importantly, be praying for the lost this Easter season. As this virus causes more fear in our world, people desperately need the hope that comes through salvation through faith in Jesus.