Spring 2024 Classes for Bluegrass Baptist Seminary
February 8, 2024
Dear friends and family,
The holidays are over and some of our New Years resolutions are upon us! Well, all I need to do with mine is quit eating! With the holidays and trip to Brazil, my waistline has been enhanced. So—— well, I need not to go into explanation.
Our calendar for academia Spring 2024 is planned and the courses that will be offered have been finalized. The courses that will be offered are: Old Testament Elective, Introduction into Apologetics, New Testament Elective, Writing your Thesis, and Greek. They will be presented in March through May.
To better help the Pastors and others interested in a better understanding of the Scriptures, we are offering these courses 100% online and live. Hopefully and prayerfully this “online” offering will make our Seminary more accessible to all who are interested.
So, with this in mind I want all to understand our mission statement: “Our mission is dedicated to providing excellent training to enhance Pastors and Church leaders, empowering them to boldly and effectively spread the truth of the Gospel!”
Our second semester for the academic year 2024 will begin in August. Our prayer is for the Seminary to expand and reach out to many areas of Brazil. So, we are endeavoring to attend Pastors Conferences, Mission conferences and towns where we have previously had classes before COVID to help accomplish this goal. We went to a conference in November and our plans are to go to another in July this year.
There is a new four-year basic Seminary in Brazil that has been started by three of the graduates from Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. Its name is ETEBABI and it is backed by the Bible Baptist Church in São Paulo. Isn’t that AWESOME?!!!!!
I would like to ask for your help. Please pray for our progress with the Seminary and all our planned expansions. And for other countries to get interested in Bluegrass Baptist Seminary even though it’s accreditation is only in Brazil.
I went to Kentucky to have a promotion for Bluegrass Baptist Seminary so I took advantage of being there and went to my cancer doctor. He did all the necessary tests and even though they all seemed good he wanted me to have them done again. So, I am asking for your prayers for these tests and also for our travel. As per usual, please pray for BFM, for the supporting churches, and for those who help us with Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. We serve an AWESOME God and He uses each one of us to accomplish His purpose here on earth. So, pray for where He can best use you in His Kingdom’s work.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
The Love of a Father
February 8, 2024
Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ,
Kijabe is currently covered in thousands of little, white butterflies. I look out and in every direction I see little, white butterflies. They are all flying in the same direction, so they can’t just be the same butterflies flitting about. This has been going on for two weeks. I cannot even begin to imagine the number of butterflies that have flown by. At times it almost looks like it is snowing.
I am currently in the midst of this new term, and I am very much enjoying the classes and I think the students are as well. In Basic Theology class we have some awesome discussions on our various theological topics. These are my first-year students, but they are already good, deep thinkers. I know I have asked them a tough question, though, when the only response I get is silence. My other class is Biblical Financial Management with my last-year students who will graduate in July. We are having a good time and having deep discussions in this class as well, even though you might think it hard to have deep discussions over financial management. But my goal in the class, as I keep reminding my students over and over, is not to help them become rich (I could care less whether ever are or not) but that they might honor and glorify God with their money and in the way they manage the finances of their churches. The financial principles I focus on more are about integrity, stewardship, and honoring God rather than just budgeting, planning, reporting, and other financial stuff (although I do teach them budgeting, planning, reporting, and other financial stuff). These are critical issues for my Kenyan students. Pastoral and church ministry can actually be a trapping for unsuspecting ministers. It is so acceptable among many pastors to mismanage and even steal funds from the church that this generation of future pastors and church leaders need to learn these lessons before heading into the ministry of the kingdom of Christ.
It is not all just classes, classes, classes for me though. Some of my best moments for discipleship come in the everyday times of spending time with my students. I was sitting at lunch with some students, both male and female, and the discussion we had really hit me hard and made me realize just how much love and discipleship my beloved students need. Having finished our food, one of the female students said, “Mwalimu (teacher), I want to marry your son” (don’t worry, Josiah, I haven’t committed you to anyone). I have actually been told this from Kenyan women many times before and the reason has ALWAYS been the same. So, when I asked her why she wanted to marry my son I expected the usual answer – Because he is a rich American and I want to marry a rich American and not be poor. So, I was quite surprised when the dialogue went like the following. Student: You love your wife, right? Roger: Yes. Student: You show her that and tell her that right? Roger: Yes. Student: You love your daughters, right? Roger: Yes. Student: You show them that and tell them that right? Roger: Yes, all the time. Student: My father has never told me he loves me. He never calls me or talks with me. The only time I talk to him is when I call him to ask him for school fees. I want to marry your son because he will love me and love my daughters and they will know that they are loved. Roger: I’m sorry that your father doesn’t know how to communicate his love to you but I’m sure that he really does love you. Student: Mwalimu, I really don’t know that is true. I really don’t know that my father loves me. He has never said it or shown it to me.
At this point in the conversation the other female student spoke up and confirmed that this was the exact same relationship she had with her own father. Then all the male students that were sitting around the table piped up and said all of their relationships with their fathers were also the same. I felt very sad for my students and tried very hard to convince them that their fathers truly did love them but none of them were convinced. I am not a perfect man, husband, father, son, brother, teacher, missionary, or Christian by any means. At least I can try and model, as best I can, Christian love to these beloved students. I told them all, “I can’t promise you that your father loves you, but your Heavenly Father loves you, Jesus loves you, and I love you too.” It may have been the first time they had ever heard a father figure say that to them.
Blessings to all,
Roger, Julie & Chloe
CONTACT INFO
Roger & Julie Tate
Moffat Bible College
P.O. Box 70
Kijabe, Kenya 00220
rojuta@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Portugal Mission
The Wacasers recently visited their missionaries in Portugal, Yago and Manoela. Continue to pray for this young couple as they passionately share the Gospel and disciple new believers there.
You can read more updates about Yago & Manoela from months past by clicking here.
Contact Info:
Bobby & Charlene Wacaser
Currently Stateside on Furlough from Brazil
Phone: (813) 501-9328
E-mail: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online
Read more
English Immersion VBS + Upcoming Conferences
January 31, 2024
Dear friends,
Thank you for praying and holding the ropes as we minister to people in Brazil. Please, read how your participation is impacting the Kingdom.
English Immersion a Success
In January we experimented with an English immersion modular for teens: a type of Vacation Bible School for youth who desire to learn English through Biblical content—a lot of singing and activities, all done in English, with the purpose of teaching language and presenting the Gospel. Even an individual who has no experience with the language can learn a lot in a week. Our daughters Sarah and Laura helped me with this project. It was well received by the local community and several parents asked if there would be one for adults too. English immersion modules are intense, but by the end of the week, both the teens and their parents (just from listening to their kids) were singing in English.
Soccer Athletes & Families
Soccer practice with middle and high school students is in full throttle. Pray for us as we disciple students who recently became believers and for those who still need to surrender to Jesus. The Lord is opening several opportunities to engage with the parents of the student-athletes. In February we plan to have several families over to the house for dinner and engage them with home hospitality.
25th Wedding Anniversary
On January 8th, Raquel and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. As is our family tradition, we celebrate our anniversary with our kids. We had a special time together when we went hiking in the woods and went to the beach, enjoyed time with each other, and made incredible memories.
Pastors & Leaders Conference in São Paulo
On March 9th, there will be a DayCamp conference for pastors, church leaders, and their families at a small campground near Marília, São Paulo. It will be a unique time of prayer, preaching, and playing together. The place has a pool and a synthetic soccer field. Our “Togetherness Network” (Rede Convivencia, in Portuguese) purpose is to foster fellowship among pastors and leaders to recruit, train, place, and network a new generation of pastors and leaders for local churches.
Church Conference in Paraná
On March 29th (Easter weekend), will have a Church Conference near Londrina, Paraná. Churches from São Paulo and Paraná will come together for a day of preaching, singing, and eating together. The purpose of this conference is to embolden churches to reach new people for Christ through Evangelism strategies and to inspire churches and their leaders to invest in training the next generation by providing ministry and service opportunities to challenge them to live out an audacious life in Christ, within their church and community.
Request
We humbly reach out to you, our faithful supporters, with a pressing fundraising need: purchase a car. Would you be willing to give for this urgent need?
Due to the increasing demand and rising expenditure on transportation, we urgently need to acquire this vehicle. The estimated cost for this much-needed resource is $10K.
As we step into the new month, we ask for your continued prayers and support. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Let’s continue partnering in this Kingdom work.
Always grateful,
Judson Hatcher
Contact Info:
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
São Paulo, Brazil
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
(872) 400-6522
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
News & Reports – February 2024
The Online Edition of the February 2024 BFM News & Reports is available at the link below.
*Remember you can click on any headline to view the post/letter on our website.
Read more
BFM Spring Conference 2024
We hope you will make plans to join us for the BFM Spring Conference!
Friday, April 12 – Saturday, April 13, 2024
Grace Baptist Church
2920 Beaver Valley Road
Fairborn, Ohio 45324
Contact:
Church: 937-878-9992
Pastor Mark Pyles: 304-545-0603
Theme:
The Preeminence of Christ
FULL SCHEDULE:
Friday, April 12
6:30- Opening- Pastor Mark
6:35- Special
6:40- Congregational singing
6:45- Message – “Christ’s Preeminence in Creation” – Pastor Kevin Ridder, Chillicothe Baptist Church, Chillicothe, Ohio
7:30- 7:45- Break
7:45- Special
7:50- Congregational singing
7:55- Message – “Christ’s Preeminence over the Church” – Dr. Sheridan Stanton; veteran missionary to Peru (32 years) and now pastor of Berea Baptist Church, Hiddenite, NC
Saturday, April 13
9:00- Welcome and BFM update- David Pitman
9:15- Special
9:20- Congregational singing
9:25- Message – “Christ’s Preeminence in Reconciliation” – Pastor Landon Copley; Cedar Grove Baptist Church, Standing Ground, KY
10:10- 10:25- Break
10:25- Zoom with BFM missionary
10:40- Special
10:50- Congregational singing
10:50- Message – Missions Report- Sheridan Stanton on Peru and Mark Pyles on Brazil trip
11:35- 1:00- Lunch
1:00- Zoom with BFM missionary
1:15- Special
1:20- Congregational singing
1:25- Message – “Christ’s Preeminence in the Ministry” -Pastor Terry Adkins; New Hope Baptist Church, Dearborn Heights, MI
2:10-2:15- Closing- Pastor Mark
Read more
Blessed Christmas Musical & Plans for 2024
January 18, 2024
Dear Brethren,
Sure hope you all had as blessed Christmas as we had. The Christmas Musical lasted 6 nights this time. We had over 1000 people every night. On Christmas night we had over 1500. Over 350 of our members were part of the effort. My daughter Crissy writes the script and produces the whole thing. She has a close crew who works with her, of course. One of the TV networks did a long in-studio interview with her. That kind of thing used to end up in my lap, but not anymore. The transition to others is happening. We had heavy rains right up to the first night. Then the Lord said, “Stop!” The rains resumed the very next day after Christmas. The very best part though was that 20 souls were saved.
We had just under a thousand people at our New Year’s Eve service. Two more people were saved that night.
January is usually a slower month. We let folks rest a little before the flurry of activities of the new year kick in. All this month I am preaching from texts about the second coming of Christ. The messages have stirred Christians and there have been more folks saved, too. Two of our pastors are taking their vacations during January, so I have been more active than usual in and out of the pulpit.
We are also restarting our construction cycle and even starting some new building projects. There is still much to be done on our buildings, inside and out. We are also putting in a deep well at church. There are times that city water can’t keep us supplied. Water and electricity have always been a problem here in Cruzeiro do Sul. We are also doing some building at camp Salém.
Bev and I went to visit our congregation in Guajará, Amazonas last Sunday morning. We had a great time with the small group there. A few weeks ago we had to pull our missionary out. He and his wife were about to kill off what had been built up over the years. He is a 50-year old teenager who can’t handle his finances and his wife walked all over him running the show at the congregation. Not a good formula for success. Pastor Pedro and I (plus wives) sat them down to give them the news. We have brought them back in to try to help them find their way for future ministry. We shall see. Not an easy thing to do, but it is part of working with so many different people. Anyway, the few that are left are ready to dig in and get back to work. Bev and I thoroughly enjoyed our time talking with them and making plans for the coming days. They have a big brand-new building that will seat 300 people. There are only about 30 members left, but it will come back, by God’s grace.
Tomorrow I’m off to the upper Moa River. We leave at 6:00AM and hope to make it all the way to the mountains before dark. Two of our missionaries are going with me as well as one of our pastors. Exciting stuff.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
In Christ,
Mike Creiglow
CONTACT INFO
Mike & Beverly Creiglow
Caixa Postal 24
69980 Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre
Brasil, SA
mdcreig@hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Numerous New Opportunities & Many Answered Prayers
January 17, 2024
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We hope this finds you enjoying the beginning of the new calendar year. Thank you for your faithful support. Things are going well here and God has blessed us with good health.
The Lord has encouraged us during the last few months with numerous new opportunities and many answers to prayers. Here is one example: On the eve of the 29th day of December we received a lengthy text from someone we thought had brushed us off two months earlier. We had been having Bible studies with this individual and then it seemed like they were avoiding us by making excuses about not being able to schedule the next Bible study. My opinion of what had/was happening was totally wrong. We are now back to regular meetings with this lady. She has been through some trying times.
Our weeks are filled with meetings with individuals and groups. Some of these are with people who are seeking but not yet believers. Some are with people who have recently put their faith in God. Making disciples takes time. There are 9 different meetings in 7 different locations with people from 6 different cultures. Most are in person, but some are over internet. Each of these is a different study. Most of these meetings are with Judy and me. Some involve other believers. There are also other encounters that are one-time events that open new doors.
The enabling and wisdom we need come from God. Only God can give eternal life to people. However, just as our Father used many people to prepare us for the work that He has given us, He uses us to give the Good News and prepare other disciples to serve Him in the work He is doing. It is not mass production and simply ticking steps off the chart. Every individual is different and it is not a cookie cutter production. Our example is Jesus. No two encounters between Jesus and those who needed Him described in the Scriptures are the same. He sought the Father’s will and we want to do the same.
Thank you for your prayers and contribution to what God is doing here.
Serving the Savior with you,
Judy and John
Contact Info:
John & Judy Hatcher
2 T Impasse de la Picardie
31830 Plaisance du Touch
France
JMHatcher@aol.com
Present USA phone 1-812-416-1033
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
