Fee Fee Baptist Church

Tag: 2020

  • A Word From Pastor Zach – Vol. 60, No. 24

    As I write this, I think about how many things are going to be so different with Christmas this year at our church. Every time I walk into the sanctuary, there is a stark reminder of how different things are just based on what isn’t there…we don’t have our massive Christmas tree and we won’t have our Singing Tree performance this year. It’s going to be a big change.

    However, rather than lamenting what we can’t have, I want to take a second to praise our staff and volunteers for their adaptability. Sure, the Singing Tree is quite conspicuous in its absence. But we are still going to have an incredible Christmas performance. I am so thankful for all of the hard work that has been put into our Christmas presentation which will have a combination of virtual and live elements. Our staff and volunteers have worked really hard to get things prepared for this performance. I am confident that whether you are watching here, in person, or tuning in online, you are going to be entertained by this year’s performance.

    What is much more important than being entertained, however, is the reminder that God loved us enough to send His Son to rescue us! The cradle has so much meaning because it led to the cross. God made a way for us to be in right relationship with Him!

    I want to invite you to join us for our Christmas performance. It’s called Christmas: Night of Angels, and it will be on Saturday, December 19 and Sunday, December 20. On both dates, the performance will start at 3:00 p.m. There are two ways that you can watch the performances. First, you can go online to our website and reserve your spot. Since we are at 25% capacity, we need everyone who is planning on being here physically to make a reservation. It doesn’t cost anything, but we need to make sure we stay within the county’s guidelines. Or, you can always watch the performance online. It will be shown on our website and also streamed on our church’s Facebook page.

    Besides our Christmas performance, we will also have a Christmas Eve service. You will need to reserve your spot for this special service as well if you are coming in person. However, we will also stream this service online. Finally, our deacon body is leading a Christmas morning service in our chapel. We’d love to have you come to this as well.

    Finally, as we are on the subject of Christmas, I want to remind you to prayerfully give to our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Our church has set a goal of $25,000 for this special offering. 100% of your gift will go directly to supporting missionaries around the world. Please pray for our missionaries and that God will use them to reach the lost with the truth of the Gospel!

    For God loved the world in this way: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

    John 3:16

    Christmas might be different this year, but the message is the same: God loves us and sent His Son! Let’s praise Him for that! I’m praying you have a great Christmas!

    In Him,

    Pastor Zach

  • A Word From Pastor Zach – Vol. 60, No. 22

    2020 has been quite a year. With the pandemic and everything that has been going on this year, it is really easy to only focus on the negatives. However, as Thanksgiving comes closer, it is a good reminder that we need to reflect on the many blessings that God has given our church.  I love 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which says, “Be joyful always, pray continuously, and give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

    We need to make sure we are in the habit of giving thanks to God. A few months ago, we had a Sunday where we intentionally celebrated ways that God was moving and working in and through our congregation and community. We talked about the importance of building “Ebenezers” in our church and in our lives to point out how “up to this point, the Lord us helped us.” The idea of an Ebenezer comes from 1 Samuel 7:12. After God miraculously delivered the Israelites a victory over the Philistines, Samuel erected a stone monument that he named Ebenezer. The purpose of the monument was to ensure that the Israelites remembered that it was God who gave them the victory that day. Samuel wanted to make sure that the Lord was the one who got the credit, and the Israelites wouldn’t be celebrating their own strength.

    In that same vein, we want to take time to acknowledge different times that God has moved and worked in powerful ways in our church. We just recently had another such “Ebenezer moment” here at Fee Fee. A few years ago, we took out a loan to help cover the costs of the renovation of our sanctuary. Well, I am so excited to report to you that the note has been paid off and we are debt-free!

    In the midst of a pandemic, you have been faithful in your generosity to the Lord, and it is remarkable that we have been able to so quickly pay off this debt. Thank you for your faithful giving! To be able to pay off our debt during this pandemic is an indication of your generosity and God’s faithfulness. This is definitely an Ebenezer moment for our church!

    Besides that specific instance, I want to challenge you to take a look back over the last few months and count your blessings. What has God done in your life recently? How has He demonstrated His faithfulness to you and your family?

    It is my prayer that we wouldn’t fall into the negativity that seems to surround this year. Instead of just thinking about the pandemic, let’s fix our eyes on Jesus! God is still moving and working in our lives, in our church, and in our community. This month, let’s make sure we give thanks to God for what He is doing and what He has already done!

    Will you join me in counting your blessings and giving glory to God this Thanksgiving season?

    In Him,

    Pastor Zach

  • A Word From Pastor Zach – Vol. 60, No. 14

    As we enter month four of this pandemic, things can get frustrating. If I can be honest, I often feel frustrated. I miss seeing many of your faces on Sunday mornings. I miss sharing meals and studying God’s Word together on Wednesday nights. I miss hugs, handshakes, and high fives. I long for “normalcy,” and for our church to be full again.

    However, time and time again, as I have sought the Lord, I’ve been reminded of the need to persevere. To continue serving Him in any way that we can. Whenever I get frustrated, I turn my attention to Him, and I’m reminded that our mission hasn’t changed. Paul reminds us in Philippians 3 that we need to press on toward the goal! In addition, God has been incredibly gracious with little reminders of how good He is.

    Too often, I focus on the fact that three of our mission trips were canceled this summer. However, God has reminded me to stay focused and celebrate the one mission trip that is still happening. Right now, as I am writing this, Dave and Donna Potts are serving with the Concord Builders, on mission for Christ. Let’s celebrate that!

    Also, whenever I feel frustrated, I’m reminded of how we are being flexible and working to serve our community and meet needs. I am eagerly awaiting our Impact Week, August 2-8. I can’t wait to see how God moves and works in our church and in our community through that week. I’d love for you to go ahead and block that week off on your calendars and be ready to serve the Lord in a variety of ways, including: the St. Louis Area Foodbank, Loaves and Fishes, Room at the Inn, and so much more. We are going to have a myriad of opportunities for you to be the hands and feet of Jesus this summer.

    Speaking of flexibility, that has become a way of life around the church recently. One way that we are asking you to be flexible is with our July Business Meeting. We need to go over some financial reports and approve scholarships, along with other important business. We would ask that you join us on Sunday, July 19, at 2:00 p.m. as we conduct this meeting. We know it’s not the regular time that we have business meetings, but we are asking for you to be flexible and attend, if possible. There are two ways to attend. You can either come, in person, to the sanctuary. Or, you can attend online through our website. You can go to www.feefeebc.org/businessmeeting. There, you will have to enter the password: business. This password protected site will have the video stream of the building, an online ballot for you to use to vote, and a PDF copy of our minutes and reports. We need to have a quorum to get these things taken care of, so we would love for you to participate!

    Please join me in praying for our church. We want to avoid falling into an attitude of frustration. Instead, I am praying that we will persevere and stay on mission for Christ. Our community and our world need the hope of the gospel. Let’s be God’s hands and feet and share that hope!

    In Him,

    Pastor Zach

  • 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