Founder’s Day Offering 2014
For many years, we have remembered and honored our principal founders, Hafford Overbey and Z. E. Clark, by giving special offerings for the missionaries during the month of June. We call it our FOUNDER’S DAY OFFERING.
But, the Founder’s Day Offering not only memorializes our original founders in 1942 – we are also honoring our eleven faithful missionary families who are currently serving the Lord in Brazil, Peru, France, and Kenya.
Their support needs are great – and the supplies are low. We use the Founder’s Day Offering to help supply our missionaries’ monthly essential living and ministry support. And, these offerings will also help prevent our having to reduce the monthly commitments we have made to them due to a lack of General Fund supplies.
Here’s what each of us can do:
PASTORS – we encourage you to observe a special Missions or Great Commission Emphasis Sunday and give your church the opportunity to give to the BFM General Fund. Emphasize Jesus’ command to preach His Gospel to all nations. That is what our missionaries are doing. That is the original burden and vision that inspired the founding of BFM. We are continuing to perpetuate that vision and burden. That is what we are supporting when we give to BFM’s General Fund. We will use these offerings to continue to supply our missionaries’ on-going needs.
GIVING FRIENDS – if your church is not participating in our Founder’s Day Offering, we encourage you to support your missionaries by giving a personal offering. You can visit our Donate/Support page to easily contribute through the options we have made available to you.
Of course, you can give as the Lord enables you to give, and no offering of any amount is insignificant. But what if every one of our missionaries’ Giving Friends gave at least a $70 offering in honor of the 70+ years our missionaries have been faithfully preaching the Gospel? But – please do give as the Lord impresses and enables you.
Here are a couple of PDFs that might be helpful as you promote Founder’s Day:
BFM Founder’s Day Offering – Bulletin Insert
BFM Founder’s Day Offering – General Letter
BFM Founder’s Day Offering – Letter from Our President
The image below is ideal for a PowerPoint slide. To save the image, right click and click “Save Image As.”
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Founder’s Day Offering 2013
For many years, we have remembered and honored our principal founders, Hafford Overbey and Z. E. Clark, by giving special offerings for the missionaries during the month of June. We call it our FOUNDER’S DAY OFFERING.
But, the Founder’s Day Offering not only memorializes our original founders in 1942 – we are also honoring our twelve faithful missionary families who are currently serving the Lord in Brazil, Peru, France, and Kenya.
Their support needs are great – and the supplies are low. We use the Founder’s Day Offering to help supply our missionaries’ monthly essential living and ministry support. And, these offerings will also help prevent our having to reduce the monthly commitments we have made to them due to a lack of General Fund supplies.
Here’s what each of us can do:
PASTORS – we encourage you to observe a special Missions or Great Commission Emphasis Sunday and give your church the opportunity to give to the BFM General Fund. Emphasize Jesus’ command to preach His Gospel to all nations. That is what our missionaries are doing. That is the original burden and vision that inspired the founding of BFM. We are continuing to perpetuate that vision and burden. That is what we are supporting when we give to BFM’s General Fund. We will use these offerings to continue to supply our missionaries’ on-going needs.
GIVING FRIENDS – if your church is not participating in our Founder’s Day Offering, we encourage you to support your missionaries by giving a personal offering. You can visit our Donate/Support page to easily contribute through the options we have made available to you.
Of course, you can give as the Lord enables you to give, and no offering of any amount is insignificant. But what if every one of our missionaries’ Giving Friends gave at least a $70 offering in honor of the 70+ years our missionaries have been faithfully preaching the Gospel? But – please do give as the Lord impresses and enables you.
Here are a couple of PDFs that might be helpful as you promote Founder’s Day:
BFM Founder’s Day Offering – Bulletin Insert
BFM Founder’s Day Offering – General Letter
BFM Founder’s Day Offering – Letter from Our President
The image below is ideal for a PowerPoint slide. To save the image, right click and click “Save Image As.”
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Spring Conference 2013 [Ladies’ Seminar with Alta Hatcher]
The ladies at the Spring Conference had a special treat this morning by getting to hear Sis. Alta Hatcher share many stories from her life, all of which pointed us back to the sovereignty of God. {Romans 8:28}After serving in Brazil for 58 of the 87 years of her life, she is full of wisdom and still loves sharing the Gospel.
“My biggest interest is to see people saved so they can go to Heaven,” she began. “And it’s not just for missionaries to tell people how to be saved. It’s up to all Christians.”
One of her favorite verses that has been especially dear to her over the past few years comes from Matthew 21:22- “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Be sure that what you’re asking as you pray is God’s will because He knows what’s good for us and we don’t.
Sis. Hatcher exhorted us to “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). “Do you pray all the time?” she asked. She prays when she’s cooking. She prays when she’s hooking the clasp on her necklace when she is getting ready, a task that has been a challenge in her older age.
She then shared several of her life experiences with us, all of which were used to point to the sovereignty of God. She was saved at the age of 7 years old after coming under conviction in her Elizabethtown church and begging her mother for several days to read all of John 3 to her. One evening, her mother finally read the chapter right before they went to bed. When they read verses 14-16, that is when Alta realized that Jesus died for her. She was familiar with the Numbers 21 story of the Israelites in the wilderness where they were dying after being bitten by serpents and how when they looked to the serpant on the pole they lived. The next day, she wanted to tell her 6 year old friend that she was saved!
Though saved, her mother thought she was too young and did not allow her to be baptized, telling her that she could be baptized the following Sunday if she obeyed all week long. When the Sunday came, she was not allowed to go forward for baptism because she had disobeyed one time. Therefore, she struggled with doubts because for a long time she thought that Christians didn’t sin. She encouraged all in the room to be careful what you say to children.
At 8 years old, she was trembling wanting to go forward, but she was scared her mother would spank her. She was saved four years before she was baptized and joined the church at the age of 11. At 9 years old, she was called to be a missionary while hearing her mother tell a friend about a single lady missionary in Africa whom they thought had died. She knew she wanted to be a missionary and knew that meant she needed to marry a missionary. She started to pray for a missionary husband at the age of 10 and strongly encourages children to start praying for their spouse at the ages of 7, 8, and 9.
God answers prayers in ways you don’t expect! She was a student at Georgetown College, where the students were all girls with the exception of 9 preachers. When World War II had just ended, she was invited to teach 3rd grade back in E-town. She walked 3 miles two times a week to study music and learn how to play piano. (She sees the sovereignty of God at work here because in all their years of planting churches, she has played the piano and taught children.)
The year she had left to teach, thousands of soldiers returned and enrolled at Georgetown, one of which was John Hatcher. A missionary from Rio came and preached and John was called to missions in Brazil. The missionary started a club for those interested in missions and one of the ministries they decided to do was pick up new students who needed a ride when they were returning for the new school year. They went through a list of new students and John asked if his friends knew of any students on there who wanted to be a missionary. All of Alta’s classmates screamed her name! John wrote her a letter to let her know he’d pick her up at the train station when she was coming back to school. And…he didn’t show. He was called to preach a revival that evening, but he met her the following morning. They courted two months and married six months later.
Alta Hatcher with 4 of her 5 children in Brazil circa 1958
(courtesy of Hershael York)
In 1955, they moved to Brazil. 70% of the people there did not know how to read or write so they started a school so they could learn how to read their Bibles. They started Chapada Baptist Church and left there with 23 members in 1961. Now the church has grown to 4000+ with their son David as pastor.
When they bought a house in Urai, children started to come visit them, so she started to teach them using flannelgraph. On teaching children: Always tell them HOW to be saved! “During every class, I always taught the Bible, but every class I should have also taught them HOW to be saved,” she said.
The Hatchers have always been good stewards. They received a $23,000 inheritance from her parents and after leaving it in the bank for about 10 years, they used it to build 4 churches. They are also still driving the same truck they’ve had for the last 43 years, which was bought by Bro. Fox’s 9-12 year old Sunday School class at Ashland Avenue Baptist Church.
This is only a snippet of what she shared with the ladies and by no means even an abridged biography of her extraordinary life, but her stories reminded us that God has a purpose in every little detail of our lives for His glory and our good.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” -Romans 8:28
Aren’t you thankful for Alta Hatcher?
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History of BFM by H.H. Overbey (circa 1950)
H. H. Overbey wrote this undated article or letter apparently in response to an inquirer asking about Baptist Faith Missions.
We are dating it ‘circa 1950’ because in the text of the letter, he states with reference to Brother R. P. Hallum: ‘In 1946 he made application to this mission and was accepted and went back to Peru in 1947.’ Then, referring back to the work in Brazil, he further states: ‘Just a few months ago, Brother Lawrence Smith, his wife, and baby went to Brazil as missionaries.’
He also explains in this same letter how the missionaries’ newsletters came to be called ‘The Mission Sheets’.
This text is excerpted from the fuller original letter because in it he was also describing some of the logistics employed at that earlier time (for example, correspondence between the fields and the States and how the missionaries received their support funds, etc.) which have since been updated and streamlined – but our founding convictions, distinctives, and principles all remain the same.
We believe you will find it to be still very interesting “INFORMATION ABOUT BAPTIST FAITH MISSIONS”.
INFORMATION ABOUT BAPTIST FAITH MISSIONS
by Bro. H.H. Overbey (circa 1950)
How did this mission begin?
In 1923, J.F. Brandon went to Brazil with his family as a missionary under the Amazon Valley Baptist Faith Missions, which was started by Brother H.B. Taylor, who died about 1932.
After about 5 years on the field, Brother Brandon returned to the U.S. on furlough. He resigned from the AVBFM and went back to Brazil being supported full time by the First Baptist Church—Paducah, Kentucky—of whom the late Brother D.B. Clapp was pastor.
After four years Brother Brandon again returned on furlough and the First Baptist Church had split and part of the membership had organized another church, so the First Baptist Church gave up the support of Brother Brandon.
The Benton Baptist Church—Benton, Kentucky—of which Brother Dewey Jones was pastor sent Brother Brandon back assuming his support. Other churches joined in with the Benton Church and helped in the support. Brother Jones began to want the church to give up the work and to support the Co-operative Program instead, and in 1941 got the Benton church to vote to do so. This left Brother Brandon without support.
The writer lived in Wheaton, Illinois at that time and wrote to Brother Brandon to come visit in his home and discuss the work. Brother Brandon came and stayed for about two weeks and we discussed the work every night after I would get home from work.
Finally I told Brother Brandon that if he would write a letter to me about the work, I would mimeograph the letter and mail it out to those interested and since he was going on faith we would also go on faith on this end of the line and try to get churches and individuals to support him.
Brother Brandon and I came to Detroit and discussed the matter with Brother Z.E. Clark who was then pastor of Harmony Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan. Brother Clark agreed to act as treasurer, I agreed to act as secretary and editor of the paper, and Brother Brandon went back to Brazil in 1942 on faith, believing that the Lord would supply.
In 1942 we sent out the first mimeographed letter, one sheet printed on one side to about 30 people. The next month we sent out more and the next a few more. The mimeographed sheet grew to be two sheets printed on both sides which made four pages. Someone referred to the mimeographed letters as the MISSION SHEETS, and that is how the paper got its name. Finally we began to print the paper and then we enlarged the size of it as it is today.
What has J.F. Brandon accomplished in Brazil?
Brother Brandon has organized 11 Baptist churches in Brazil. He organized the first one in Cruzeiro do Sul in 1929, the second one in Japyni in 1951. Both of these are in the Acre Territory of Brazil. In 1932 he organized the third church at Coary and the fourth one in Esperanco, in 1934 he organized the fifth one in Codajaz. The sixth church was organized at Boa Fe in 1935. In 1935 he organized the church at Catua. These last five churches are all in the State of Amazonas and were taken away from Brother Brandon by the Convention in 1939. In 1943 he organized a church at Morapirango which was the eighth church, then in 1944 one at Parana and in 1946 one at Amonho for the ninth and tenth ones. These last three are in the Acre Territory, the same as the first two organized. Then on July 4, 1948, he organized the eleventh and last church at Manaus which is the capitol of the State of Amazonas.
In addition to these churches Brother Brandon had as many as thirty preaching points where he visited on journeys to take the gospel.
In 1949 Brother Brandon came back to the States with leprosy and is now a patient in the U.S. Marine Hospital in Carville, Louisiana, which is a hospital for lepers. This mission supports him and his wife and two youngest daughters, who are at home in school with their mother in Benton, Kentucky.
What about the work in Peru?
In 1935 Brother R.P. Hallum, his wife, and 15 year-old daughter went to Peru under the Amazon Valley Baptist Faith Mission, the same as Brother Brandon did in 1925. Brother Taylor had died and there were several thousand dollars left in the treasury.
Brother Hallum worked in Peru and organized the First Baptist Church in Iquitos, Peru and opened several preaching points on the nearby rivers that empty into the Amazon River.
No one took over when Brother Taylor died and Brother Hallum continued his work under the AVBFM until the funds that were left in the treasury ran out. In 1946 he made application to this mission and was accepted and went back to Peru in 1947.
He opened up a preaching point on his way back in Buenaventura, Colombia, and left it in charge of a native Baptist Colombian preacher. Since then, a church has been organized in that place also. There is also a native Peruvian preacher who is a missionary who works with Brother Hallum in Iquitos.
So as of today, we have works in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia, which was started as explained above. Just a few months ago, Brother Lawrence Smith, his wife, and baby went to Brazil as missionaries and he is doing well with the language and is now ready to make a visit to the churches in the Acre territory and see how the work is coming along and to encourage the saints who have been alone since Brother Brandon left.
How are the new missionaries sent out?
They go out under the authority of the church of which they are a member. They apply to this mission and the directors of the mission. These brethren question the new missionaries and if they find them to be sound, etc., they are accepted and then they are sent out on faith with the understanding that they will be supported as the Lord provides.
How is the Mission financed?
By freewill offerings from the churches and individuals who the Lord leads to give. No one is asked to give, no one is obligated to give, and those who give can quit giving if they want to without any interference from anyone.
How do those who support the churches know what the missionaries are doing?
They read letters which are directly from the missionaries in the monthly paper telling about the work from month to month and what is being accomplished, etc. This way every supporter gets a monthly letter from all the missionaries.
How can one support the work?
All a church or individual has to do to support the work is to send their offerings to the Treasurer… The mission work is as much theirs as it is ours or anyone else’s. There is nothing to join or unjoin and no one is obligated. It is a Baptist Faith Mission work.
Isn’t it possible for a church to send out and support their own missionary without having to have a mission such as Baptist Faith Missions?
Yes. But how would they do it? Or how many would do it? That would be the ideal way if the church was large enough to support their own missionary themselves. However, sometimes when a church changes pastors, the new pastor may now want to support missions that way and lead the church to do otherwise and then the missionary is without support.
Also there is so much red tape to sending out a missionary and keeping up with the work that it is more than a church can or will do…although we believe it to be sound and right.
[Download a BFM History by HH Overbey.]
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