Celebrating 25 Years of Sharing the Good News in France
September 2, 2024
Dear Fellow laborers,
We are back in France following a good trip to the USA for the wedding or our oldest granddaughter, Abigail. It was great to see friends and extended family members. Judy and I spent the last couple of weeks in Chicago where we had great moments with our children, their good spouses and eight grandchildren! God has abundantly blessed us in more ways than we could ever count. Both of our children who live in Chicago celebrated 20 years of marriage this summer. Their children range from 9 to 16 years old and are very enjoyable to be around.
David and Dulce celebrated their twenty years of marriage by spending a week in Mozambique. Judy and I got to enjoy their children and Lydia and Adam’s children during this time. It was wonderful. But, “ya just gotta do whacha gotta do”!
Four days after our return we had a great baptismal service at the encounter of two mountain rivers. Blandine, the hostess for our Bible studies in the city of L’Union followed the Lord in baptism. She is the only person in this Bible study with “seekers” who has made a profession of faith. All of the participants are very interested. All of them drove nearly a couple of hours to be at the baptism. There were about 50 people at the baptismal service. Most of these were not believers. We tried to give a clear Gospel message, and all were very attentive.
After the baptism we had a picnic with those who attended. Judy, Philip, Amanda and I spent most of the afternoon discussing spiritual matters with those who were there. One lady, who started coming to the Bible study at Blandine’s home about a year ago, is delighted with what she is learning about Christ. She has not made a public profession of faith, but I would not be surprised if that happens soon. On March 15th (less than 6 months ago) she began reading her Bible. She has read the entire Old Testament, the Gospels and a good number of the epistles! Jesus declared, “Seek and you will find”!
Speaking of celebrations, in a couple of weeks Judy and I will complete 25 years of sharing the Good News in Southern France. Philip and Amanda have been our partners in ministry for 23 years. Time passes fast. We thank God for the privilege of serving our Savior here. What a delight to see God change lives. Thank you for your participation with us.
Thankfully in Christ,
John and Judy
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
Young Family Back in Southern France!
July 28, 2024
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It’s only been a couple of weeks since I last wrote you, but tomorrow we are flying to the USA to attend the wedding of our oldest granddaughter, Abigail. She grew up here in France and we have many wonderful memories of those years. She trusted the Lord early in life and was an active participant in our church and various areas of ministry.
We will be flying together with Abigail’s sister, Nathalie and her husband, Brice. It is great to see God at work in this couple who will celebrate two years of marriage this week. You may remember pictures of their wedding in the Alps. It has been great to have Brice in the family.
Yesterday evening after the church meeting, we celebrated the 6th wedding anniversary of Samuel and Laura. Samuel trusted Christ as Savior about 10 years ago after a year of weekly Bible studies with us. Not too long after that, he moved to Germany for a job. He met Laura in German language classes. She is from El Salvador and was temporarily in Germany. They became friends and he took her to church. She trusted Christ and they became engaged.
They were married in Toulouse but have been living in Paris since their marriage. Laura and Samuel along with their two-year-old son, Gabriel, recently moved back to southern France. Since arriving, they have been very active in our congregation. God works in wonderful ways to save, enable His children to grow, and bless them.
Sometimes tender moments arrive in the middle of ministry. Last weekend Judy was holding the children’s class in the backyard of our Bible study location in Campagne-sur-Arize. Emma, the four-year-old daughter of the hosting family, brought a dead bird to the table wrapped in a napkin. When her mother tried to lay the bird aside, Emma was lost in tears. She was sure that the bird, killed striking their window would return to consciousness at any moment. So, ministry life is not boring!
Thank you for serving the Lord along with us.
Yours in Christ,
John and Judy
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
Bible Studies Restarting in Mazere!
September 15, 2021
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We are grateful to God for His continuous provision and your participation in what God has called us to do. Twenty-two years ago we arrived in France with a passion to communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ to French people and make disciples that God would put together in churches of Jesus Christ.
Two years after our arrival, God brought our son Philip and his wife Amanda to join us in the ministry here. They had felt God’s leadership to this part of the world for several years. Their daughter, Abigail, was five months old when they arrived. Today she is in her third year of preparation to be a doctor in Physical Therapy. So much has changed yet much remains the same. Only two or three French people out of each thousand profess personal faith in Jesus Christ. Many are atheist. We rejoice that some have come to faith in Christ, followed the Lord in baptism and are serving the Lord here, other places in France and other countries.
And, there is so much more to do.
The church at Tournefeuille is still meeting in person with some joining us live using the internet. We have had good services. The Covid virus has made it more complicated to interact with and communicate the Gospel to those who do not know Christ. However, God is not caught by surprise and does not change. We must continue to pray for wisdom to do what He wants us to do.
Next month we will restart Bible studies in the city of Mazere after a hiatus of four years that appeared to be permanent.
Your prayers for our home location and meeting place are greatly appreciated. It appears that by this time next year we will be living and meeting about a mile and a half west of where we are now. This will place us in the neighboring city of Plaisance du Touch. This city was established around 1000 A.D. Philip and his family have lived there for a number of years. We have had many church and youth meetings there and we hope that God will use the move to enable us to share the Good News with more people.
Thank you for your continuous participation and prayers. May God bless each of you.
From France,
John and Judy
Contact Info:
John & Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, 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
Seeing God’s Hand at Work in the Lives of Others
July 14, 2021
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today is Bastille Day in France. It is similar to the 4th of July in the USA. This celebrates the overthrow of the monarchy in France. At this moment all is quite and at 11 o’clock in the morning it is 61 degrees Fahrenheit. While the western part of America has had extreme heat this summer, we have had unusually cool and rainy weather here.
The Lord has blessed the church meetings during the past month. It is good to see God at work in the lives of the members. There have also been some special moments that exemplify God’s continual work in our lives and the opportunities that He gives us to be His witnesses where He has placed us.
Last Sunday we had a surprise contact with Amelia, the first lady to make a profession of faith here. She has lived south of Barcelona, Spain for quite a while and it had been about 10 years since we had last seen her. We enjoyed having her in our home for dinner and having a time of fellowship with her. I am including the a “selfie” she took with us on her way out.
Earlier this week, we were at our local grocery store when a young lady in store worker clothing ran up to us (all wearing masks) and excitedly told us how great it was to see us and how she wanted to spend time with us and tell us about what is happening in her life. This girl was a school mate of our oldest granddaughter, Abigail, and for many years came to youth meetings. Judy invited her for dinner this past week and she poured our her heart. She needs Christ and the Lord has reopened this door. Please pray for I..s and our witness to her. The Lord will know for whom you are praying.
Judy and I just finished listening to a recent message by Brian Nussmeier. He and his wife Sherri became a part of our congregation in Evansville in the late 70s three weeks after he had trusted the Lord in the state of Washington. He had just completed service in the Navy and God led them along with two very small children to the church in Evansville, his hometown. What a blessing it was to hear his message on discipleship to the church where he is now an elder.
Our Heavenly Father has and is good to us beyond our imagination. My reading this morning in Romans included chapter five where Paul tells of God pouring His love into our hearts. May it overflow to those who are so needy around us.
We are inexpressibly grateful to God for placing you in our lives!
From Tournefeuille, France,
Judy and John Hatcher
Contact Info:
John & Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, 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
46 Years of Marriage; Visitors from L’Union
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
March 11, 2019
Dear Brother and Sisters,
Last week Judy and I celebrated 46 years of marriage. As many of you would agree, the time passes quickly. Judy has certainly been a wonderful partner. We have had the opportunity to serve the Lord on three continents in very different settings. She not only is a model of encouragement, she has been a tireless worker.
Besides her continual zest in serving the Lord through in ministry beyond our family, Judy has truly been a great mother and grandmother.
This past week we also celebrated the 18th birthday of our oldest grandchild, Abigail. This summer Philip and Amanda will be taking her to Evansville, Indiana to begin her studies in Physical Therapy. We will certainly miss her in many ways. She is a good teacher, excellent musician and has touched the lives of many of her friends as a missionary. Among many other activities she is now leading a student Bible study with high school friends and acquaintances. She and another believer decided to do this and are now each leading studies on the High School grounds about the life of Christ through the Gospel according to Luke.
God has greatly used Philip, Amanda, Abigail, Nathalie, Camille and Emily in what He is doing here. We are so grateful for the partnership we have.
Yesterday, we had a great Sunday meeting with several visitors from L’Union, another city in the Toulouse metropolitan area. They are members of a family who are longtime friends of ours. Years ago, Wendy, a single missionary who works with us, and Judy taught English classes in Blandine’s home using Bible stories as the subject matter. Later, Blandine’s children were regular participants in our Youth meetings and brought their friends. This Sunday, the son, Kerwan, was here with his mother. He is now a 2nd year University student preparing to be a History teacher and shows a good interest in spiritual things. Blandine also brought a neighbor who was here for the first time. This lady expressed how much she enjoyed the Bible reading. I gave her a Bible and she was thrilled. When I suggested to Blandine that we would be glad to start a church meeting in their home, she seemed quite interested. This is something for which you can pray.
You might like to practice your French so here is part of an email I received this morning from Douceline (Blandine’s sister). She lives in Mazeres, about an hour to the south and in whose home we held Bible studies weekly for many years. She was also here yesterday.
Coucou John & Judy,
Un grand Merci pour ce repas, votre gentillesse et votre disponibilité ! Claude a été super contente ! C’était une super idée de lui donner la Bible… Merci aussi pour votre proposition concernant les études sur L’Union. Que notre Seigneur vous bénisse pour tout ce que vous faites pour vos frères et sœurs ! Que notre Seigneur œuvre dans le cœur de chacun et que ces études puissent voir le jour si c’est dans sa volonté !
We are here to let the light of Jesus shine through us so that others may know Him, trust Him and follow Him. There is no better life.
Your partners in France for Christ,
John and Judy
John Mark & Judy Hatcher
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
Read more
Gospel Presented to Unbelievers through Christmas Play
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
January 7, 2019
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We hope that you have had a good holiday season with your family and friends and are getting off to a good start in 2019. Our past year has been filled with many blessings in spite of some sad moments.
The year closed well for the church at Tournefeuille. The children and young people presented a drama of the birth of Christ among the humans He created. It was a story within a story presented as an imaginary discussion between a believer and an unbeliever about the coming of our Savior. Abigail, our oldest granddaughter, translated the drama from English to French and the players prepared and practiced for several weeks.
The play was presented on Sunday, December 23 to a house packed with guests invited by family members and friends. There were several first-time attendees. Among those present were a number of non-believers. One teenage member of our congregation brought her mother, father, brother and paternal grandparents who are atheist. What a thrill it is to us that these and others who need Christ heard the Gospel presentation. My eyes overflowed with tears as I rejoiced and prayed for the salvation of these who are in need of Christ. Please pray with us that the Holy Spirit will use what they saw and heard to draw them to our wonderful Saviour.
Today is my birthday. God has blessed me with a wonderful life up to this point. Thanks to all who sent birthday wishes. From the eternal perspective our present life will look like a speck of dust no matter how long we live. My desire is to live giving evidence of Christ and proclaiming His Good News so that others may receive Him and live eternally in His presence.
Judy and I are grateful beyond words for the family and spiritual family that our Father in heaven has given us. Thank you for the part that you play in our lives. May God continue to channel His light through you wherever you live.
Serving Christ with you,
John and Judy
John Mark & Judy Hatcher
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
Read more
Evidence of God at Work in Believers in France
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
December 6, 2018
Dear Co-laborers in the service of our Saviour,
This is my last letter to you this calendar year. It has been an unusual year in many ways. Returning to the ministry in France at the beginning of the year brought us great joy.
My mother, Alta Hatcher – known to many of you, left this world to the presence of the Lord in March. Her departure was not complicated and her last words were repeatedly, “I love you, Jesus.” This year has been marked by the departure of several who had a special place in our lives. We miss them greatly. But, to be “absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” This thrills our hearts and encourages us as we seek to be a light where God has placed us.
Just after I sent my last letter, my nephew Odali arrived with his entire family. He is married to Amanda’s sister, Carrie. Philip and Odali had worked out the details of this trip to surprise Amanda on her 40th birthday. It was a surprise to us all and we certainly enjoyed our time with them. Odali is the son of Odali and Kathy Barros who are also supported by BFM as missionaries in Brazil.
This month has been one of good Sunday and weekday meetings. The evidence of God at work in believers is a cause of gratitude to God. Please pray for the service on the Sunday before Christmas when the children and youth of church will be presenting the Gospel in a special program.
Judy has had some good opportunities with a young lady who has come for years to the youth meetings. Her mother is muslim and her father, separated from her mother, is atheist. She is a school friend of our oldest granddaughter here, Abigail. Amanda, our daughter-in-law and co-worker here, has also had opportunities to communicate with this young lady about Christ. Please, pray for this friend of Abigail.
We enjoyed the live interaction that we were able to have with those of you who were at the Thanksgiving Conference at New Hope B.C. The faithful support we receive through Baptist Faith Missions provides for our needs and is a constant source of Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Dinner in France
I have included a photo of our Thanksgiving Dinner with Philip and Amanda. They had us in their home to celebrate Thanksgiving on the Saturday after the U.S. Holiday. Wendy, who works with us and four friends of our granddaughters were with us as well.
Abigail, along with another Christian friend, are organizing a fellowship group for Christians at their High School. In a school of three thousand there are just a handful who profess faith in Christ.
You have probably seen news of the riots and disruptions that have been taking place in France this past month. These began as demonstrations against the increase of taxes on fuels which already were about 80% of the price we pay at the pump. The manifestations have been an inconvenience but have caused us no real harm. Thank each of you who have prayed for us.
May the Lord bless your time together with your families this Holiday Season.
From France,
John and Judy
John Mark & Judy Hatcher
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
Read more
Disciples Disciple
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
October 8, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I hope you had an encouraging day with God’s people yesterday as we did here. Our time of worship yesterday was very uplifting. Before Sunday School and teaching time, members of the congregation are invited to choose songs that God has brought to their minds and hearts. Between the singing of songs, the opportunity is given for the believers to read aloud scripture passages that God has used in speaking to them during the previous week. They are also encouraged to give witness of their gratitude for the way they God has worked specifically in their lives during the week.
This is our practice because God’s word clearly teaches us to “…consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another…” (Hebrews 10:24-25) and “speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16)
On Sunday afternoons we have a church leadership meeting to discuss how we are seeing God at work and how we can best proceed to do what He has given us to do. We are very encouraged by the spiritual growth of the members of the congregation and the way they are applying God’s teaching to their lives daily.
Besides Sunday School and worship there are a number of gatherings that take place during the week for learning and mutual encouragement. Here is what this week looks like: Tuesday morning, Judy participates in a ladies’ prayer meeting that is hosted this week by Amanda in her home in Plaisance-du-Touch. Tuesday evening I lead a Bible study from Ephesians in a home in city of Pibrac. Wednesday morning Judy participates in a Bible study led by our co-worker Wendy in the city of Toulouse. Wednesday afternoon I have a live interactive Bible study on internet studying the Gospel of John. Thursday evening Philip is leading a Bible study in Job held in a member’s home in the city of Cugnaux. Saturday evening Philip and Amanda host the Youth meeting in their home.
These meetings don’t take place in a vacuum. Philip works as an engineer and will be in Sweden a couple days this week. Philip and Amanda’s family is very active with four teenagers going to 3 different schools in three different towns and Amanda gives many piano lessons several days a week. All of us have other activities where we seek to contact unsaved people. We love it and wouldn’t have it any other way. Disciples disciple. Last weekend our two older granddaughters, Abigail (17) and Nathalie (16) were at a rustic conference location. They along with two of their Christian friends implemented a Bible program they had put together for the entire weekend and took care of a dozen children ages 18 months to 11 while missionary friends of ours from Bordeaux had leadership training for the leaders in their church plant and outreach ministries.
God has raised up good teachers in our church. There are two ladies and two men in the church who also teach. There are folks who were saved here who now are active as members and teachers in churches in other countries. What a joy to serve here and have you as our ministry partners. Please pray for us. Pray for God to help us to be effective in communicating the Good News of Jesus Christ and continue to make disciples who will also make disciples.
In God’s field in France,
John and Judy Hatcher
John Mark & Judy Hatcher
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
Read more
