Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”

December 11, 2017

Judy and I hope that all of you enjoyed a great Thanksgiving Day. It was a joy to celebrate in Peggy’s home with all of our family except for Philip, Amanda and their daughters. This is a rarity for us. I think that it has happened twice in the last 18 years. We have so much for which to be thankful.

The week previous to Thanksgiving we were blessed by the Thanksgiving Conference at New Hope Baptist Church, Dearborn Heights, MI, co-sponsored with Grace Baptist Church of Wyandotte, MI. It was great to be able to fellowship with many friends of decades. What a delightful surprise upon arriving to be greeted by a longtime friend and supporter, Tammy Gerig, her two younger sons and father-in-law. My brother, Paul, took a plane to Evansville so that we could travel together by car from here to Michigan and back. We had a great visit and enjoyed the precious time with each other.

It is always enjoyable to be with churches which we have not previously visited. That was the case the first Sunday of December when we were guests of the Berea Baptist Church of Hiddenite, North Carolina. We were well received and happy to present our work to the folks there who support us. Adding to the blessing of our time there was spending time with Sheridan and Anita Stanton, both longtime friends of ours. We knew each other before any of us were married which was a while back though it seems like yesterday.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of being with the Grace Baptist Church in Fairborn, Ohio. This was not our first time here, but we did meet some new folks as well as enjoying fellowship with old acquaintances. Grace has supported and prayed for us for many years. There is a special fondness in my heart for this church as it was at a youth conference there in 1970 that God changed my direction from a career in Medicine to being a pastor and missionary. Though I had been with Grace many times I hardly knew Mark Pyles who has now been pastor of Grace for six years. The opportunity to become acquainted and discuss our ministries was priceless. It was also great to chat with the younger folks.

Our purpose in visiting churches is to encourage them in the work of the Lord and share with them how God is working in our corner of France. Thanks to all of you who are praying for Peggy, Judy’s sister. The recent scans and MRI have shown that the present treat is effective.

May the Lord richly bless you and give you great joy as you visit with your family and friends during this Holiday Season. Let us not miss opportunities to share the Love of Christ as we worship Him for His incarnation and redemptive sacrifice to bring us back to the Father.

Joyfully your fellow laborers,
John and Judy

Temporary Address
John and Judy Hatcher
1901 Shepherd Dr.
Evansville, IN 47715

Field Address
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.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