Jud and Raquel Hatcher serve the Lord in Manaus, Brazil. They are part of the “SeedFactory” church planting initiative, which is a movement to plant churches in all 26 Brazilian capitals. Since 2006, 43 churches have been started in 5 states.

September 3, 2015

Dearest of friends,

I just want to start out by saying thank you. Thank you, Lord, for blessing our family and for blessing the families and churches that bless our family. A personal thank you to the following churches and their pastors that have blessed us since we arrived in the States:

1. New Life Baptist Church – Pastor Steve Wainright
2. Calvary Baptist Church – Pastor Jeff Hurst & Pr. David Mitchell
3. Thompson Road Baptist Church – Pastor David Parks
4. Center Point Church – Pastor Tim Parsons & Pr. Todd Thomas
5. Addyston Baptist Church – Pastor David Pitman & the women’s ministry
6. Concord Baptist Church – Pastor Jimmy Reagan
7. Grace Baptist Church – Pastor Mike Pyles
8. Buck Run Baptist Church – Pastor Hershael York
9. Thomas Road Baptist Church – Pastors Jonathan Falwell, Matt Willmington & Dave Adams
10. East Keys Baptist Church – Pastor Dan Hillard
11. The Baptist Church at Andover – Pastor Eddie Schwarberg & Pr. Donovan Stewart

So much has happened during these last several weeks since we returned to the United States—it is unbelievable. For starters, the Lord provided us with a great car for a great price. We purchased a KIA Sedona 2009, in clean condition. Already we’ve driven over 5,000 miles in 6 weeks as we’ve traveled and visited family, friends and churches.

Jud is currently assisting in teaching a Church Planting course for Pastoral Students with Dr. Matt Willmington.

A casual family picture of the Hatchers!

Secondly, the Lord opened up the door for me to serve at Liberty University’s School of Divinity as part of our stateside assignment (furlough) during this year. Several months back, while in Brazil, I contacted Dr. Dave Adams, who is the director of Pastoral Leadership program at Liberty University and requested to serve with him in any capacity that I might gain additional mentoring. (Dr. Adams was one of my professors at Lexington Baptist College along with Dr. Ed Overbey, Dr. Hershael York, Dr. David Hatcher, Dr. Larry Robbins, and others.) Through Adams’ leadership I was invited to assist in a non-remunerated role as Adjunct Faculty for Pastoral Leadership in the School of Divinity. Per agreement, my financial support continues through Baptist Faith Missions. I was also grateful for the response received from Bro. Dave Parks as he communicated with the directors of BFM concerning this matter. The Lord has opened many doors for additional mentoring and networking opportunities. I’m overwhelmed by the receptivity of the faculty and staff and overjoyed with gratitude with this one-year partnership. I’ve had the privilege of interacting with world-renowned faculty and leaders, including Jonathan Falwell, Drs. Ed Hindson, Elmer Towns, Troy Templeton, Jonathan Geukgeuzian, Scott Phillips, Chris Gnankan, Troy Matthews and others. I am currently under the mentorship of my dear friends Dr. Dave Adams and Dr. Matt Willmington—what a delight it is to see strategic leaders in action. I see this moment as additional training grounds for what lays ahead in Brazil when we return in July 2016.

Finally, the Lord has directed us every step of the way in our transition from Brazil to Lexington, KY, and then to Lynchburg, VA. We are currently renting a three-bedroom townhome in a quaint neighborhood with campus transportation to and from work. The kids are enrolled in a local public school and loving it. We look forward to connecting with you and at each opportunity.

Jud Hatcher

Judson Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
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