What Does Being a Missionary Entail?
August 9, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We hope this finds you enjoying your summer. Judy and I walk daily for exercise and to keep our bodies from getting too creaky. It is a joy to talk to the Lord as we walk thanking Him for the beauties of creation He has placed around us. The good health God has given us is a great blessing.
You may wonder from time to time what being a missionary entails. We can not speak for others, but our lives involve people and the Lord. One aspect is keeping our eyes and hearts open to contacts that God brings across our paths. Seeking to display the love of God in actions and words is very important. We look for opportunities to tell about our Savior and what He has done and is doing for us and inviting them to trust Him.
We look for ways to connect regularly with people and seek opportunities to give a word of testimony here and there. A list of these activities would be quite long. One that we have been doing for about a year now is weekly English Conversation with two ladies who are 60 years old. One of them we crossed a few times in our daily walks. One day we began talking when we met and she indicated that she would like to be able to speak in English because her daughter’s future husband was Australian and could not speak French. The other lady was someone we had known for years. We crossed her one day in our walks as she was heading into the community center to sign up for English conversation classes so that she could speak to her only grandson whose father is Malaysian. Since the son-in-law doesn’t speaks French, their family language is English. So, each week we meet for one hour and speak only English. We have talked much about spiritual matters, not just in English, but outside the “hour” in French. We hope and pray that both of these ladies will trust Christ as Savior.
One part of our lives for Christ in France is leading three different groups in different cities to know God better through His Word. These are much like the Bible studies the Apostle Paul had daily in Ephesus when he was thrown out of the synagogue. Two are primarily groups of believers and one is all people who God has stirred to seek Him through their friendship with the hostess who really wants to see them saved.
We do counseling with believers to help them deal with issues in their lives and become God’s light where they are. We have prayer meetings and live Bible studies at a distance using the internet.
God has blessed us more than we can explain. He fills us with hope and encouragement and you are one of the ways through which He does this. May God continue to bless you.
Your sister and brother in Christ,
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.
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A Baptism, A Wedding, & New Bible Study
August 8, 2022
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The past few weeks have been very busy and wonderful. Judy and I have driven hundreds of miles, have seen God at work in many different ways and have had wonderful moments with our family.
Early in the month was our neighborhood dinner. It was at the very first of these that we met the first person who started coming to our first Bible study and who later trusted Christ as Savior. This year we met four new families with children who have moved into our neighborhood. All of these are in homes within 100 feet of ours. I was able to speak briefly with two of these couples about what we do here. They informed me that they respected the beliefs of others but were themselves atheist. This is an answer we hear often.
On July 24 we drove north about 200 miles to baptize an 80-year-old lady, Michelle Pascale. We met her for the first time 15 years ago and she trusted Christ 7 years ago. She asked me to preach from John 4 about the Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well. “I am that woman,” she said. This lady has 6 children and all but one were at the baptism along with their spouses and children. This weekend was also Michele’s birthday. She invited her children to celebrate her party hoping that they would also attend her baptism and hear the Gospel. Some said that they would not attend the baptism. However, God allowed us to befriend most of them before the baptism and I invited them to attend. ALL of them attended and in later conversations with me and other believers, they expressed how they were touched by the message. Please pray for Michelle’s family.
Our daughter, Lydia, and son-in-law, Adam, and their four children (our grandchildren) arrived from Chicago on the Tuesday after the baptism. They came to attend Nathalie’s marriage. Nathalie, our second grandchild and Philip and Amanda’s second child was married to Brice Arlot on August 5. Brice is a fine Christian young man from the city of Briançon, the highest European city in the Alps. Philip and Amanda are not only family, we have been working together in the mission work here for 21 years. We cannot begin to describe the central place they and their daughters have had in the service of the Lord in Tournefeuille and surrounding cities. I was honored to be asked by Nathalie and Brice to celebrate their wedding. What a joy it has been to see her come to Christ and herself serve as a missionary to refugees in Austria.
The trip to the Alps was about 400 miles each way around, up and down mountains. It was well worth it to be able to enjoy the outdoor wedding in a beautiful setting in the Alps. We met many believers and many who need Christ who are members of Brice’s family and friends.
Philip bringing in Nathalie to be married to Brice. 
Philip and Amanda Hatcher. Parents of the bride. (Our son and daughter-in-law and co-workers.) 
Marriage setting
Judy and I are delighted to be starting a new Bible study in the city of L’Union in the home of a family to which we have ministered for many years. Several people, seekers that we have never met are planning to attend this Bible study. Thank you for your prayers for this new opportunity.
We are continuing to enjoy Adam, Lydia and their children as I write.
May God’s riches blessings be enjoyed by you. We are delighted to be in the Lord’s service with your help.
Your brother and sister,
John and Judy 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
Fellowship with Friends & Family
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
July 30, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Thank you for taking a few moments to read about what God is doing around us. We thank God for each of you who partner with us as we proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in Southern France and seek to make disciples to Jesus.
Our son David and his family arrived a few days ago from their home in Chicago to spend a good part of the summer with us. We are delighted by this opportunity to spend precious time with them. It has the added benefit of keeping us younger.
Celebrating grandson Téo’s 4th birthday
Relaxing time with Joachim and Family
Samuel, a young man who trusted Christ and was baptized in our church here in Tournefeuille a few years ago, was united in matrimony with a delightful young lady this past weekend. Though they now live in Paris, the marriage was held here to make it possible for local friends, family and spiritual family to participate. Philip’s family led and presented the music. The bride was saved and baptized in the Paris Center Baptist Church where Samuel is now a member. The mobility of our present world was clearly exemplified by the numerous nationalities of those present. It is a reminder to all of us that God often opens doors to other people groups by bringing them to our doorstep. Are there others in your community that you need to get to know so that you can present the Gospel in action and word?
Yesterday we had a packed house for the Sunday meeting. This is a bit rare in the month of July which is vacation time. Other than the previous week when nearly everyone in our assembly was out of town, we have had good attendance this summer. We are now studying the letter to the Galatians. One of the men in our assembly has expressed the delight that he sees in this book where we are reminded that God has saved us to set us free. He says that this is quite a contrast to the religion in which he was reared that constantly laid down requirements and never gave assurance.
A couple weeks ago Philip’s family, Judy and I had the privilege of having dinner and an evening of fellowship together with Joachim and his family. He was the first person baptized here. Philip and Amanda were the primary disciplers of this family which was with us for several years. We miss them greatly since they moved away but are grateful that they are actively involved in a good church near Hamburg, Germany.
Thank you for your active participation in what God is doing here and may He make you fruitful as you serve him where you are.
In Christ in 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
News from a Disciple 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.”
July 1, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Sometimes it is good for you to get news “straight from the horse’s mouth”. So, I thought that you might like to read a portion of this personal note I received from “Sam”. I have his permission to share it with you. Sam made a public profession of faith and was baptized about 3 years ago. We became acquainted with Sam, who is a software engineer, through his sister who was a member of the church in Tournefeuille. He came to me asking me to have Bible studies in English. He had two goals: Improve his English and understand what God wants from us.
Each week for a year Sam would spend about 3 hours with me in Bible study. Since he was single, we invited him to come straight from work and have dinner with us. In addition to the Bible studies we also had great discussions each week while eating wonderful meals prepared by Judy. Sam always brought desserts from a French pastry shop. When we had been having Bible studies weekly for a year, the light went on, Sam trusted Christ and followed the Lord in baptism. We continued having Bible studies.
Over a year ago Sam took a job in Paris (8 hours by car north of us). He was able to find a church, but it takes an hour each way to get there from his house. We continue to have regular contact and when he is in the Toulouse area he comes to the Tournefeuille church. I will let you read a few words I received from him this past month.
Hi my dear brother John,
I never replied to your email about forgiveness, but I’ve read it with great attention, and today, I read it again.
Today, at work, I parked on a parking place reserved for another company in the same building. The neighbor wanted to make his point by parking right behind my car so I couldn’t leave. He left a note under his windshield so I can call him, which is what I did. He came with another coworker and they both criticized me for taking a parking place that wasn’t mine. I accepted my bad, said that I was sorry and that I won’t take his parking place anymore, and asked him to move his car so I can go back home.
He said: “No, I will work until 9 PM”. Somehow, he wanted to make me pay, he wanted me to feel miserable. I told him that he could left a note on my windshield, I would have stopped parking on his place, there’s no need to block me now the evening, but he didn’t want to listen anything, so I walked back home.
No need to say that this attitude made me very angry. I said to myself how stupid he was: I apologized, I said that I won’t do it anymore, what did he want more? I felt sometimes people really seek for destruction. If I just listened to my human feelings, I would seek for revenge, after he would revenge on me and going to work will become a hell for both of us…
I took some time to cool off tonight, and I read again your email about unconditional forgiveness, and it helped me 😊 I feel that I need to let it pass, forgive this man, though what he did was illegal. If I had to pick up my children at school for example, or something more urgent…
Otherwise, I don’t know if you remember, I have a friend Denis that has been condemned to 10 years in jail. I kept writing letters to him, trying to understand his state of mind, comfort him as much as I can and encourage him. He didn’t really believe in a God that would be worried about his existence, as to start with, he goes to jail for an attempted homicide while he was not in control of his body as he lost his mind because of a melancholic depression. He told me that when it happened, he was like a spectator of his own body… I suggested him to read the Bible with a book that you may know “Dig Deeper into the Gospels” which explains the Gospel of Mark, and he accepted it.
He wrote me a letter after that, that I share with you: … (I [John] did not include this interesting note as I had no permission from Denis to do so, but it was very encouraging.)
I feel very encouraged and I try to keep on corresponding with him and help him dig deeper into God’s Word. Thanks God, I got a very good teacher for myself 😋
I’ve been in Toulouse last weekend, I talked a little bit with Philip, got some news from you. It’s been a while I haven’t been at your church, and though I like it, I realized that it’s hard to develop some roots in God’s word just by going to the church on Sunday. I realized that what I liked the most with your church in Tournefeuille was the Bible study with you in fact. They were most of my spiritual bread, and I am really grateful for that. I think that the gospel of John, Acts or Romans, I naturally associate it with you, and there were great memories.
I keep Peggy, Judy and you in my prayers. I’m not very good for those kind of situations, and I don’t really know what to say. I love the three of you, that’s what I feel.
Getting apart is sad, but we all have this hope to see each other again in God’s presence and I’m looking forward to rejoicing all together.
With love,
Sam
So, this is just one of many examples of what you are participating in as disciples of Jesus are made in France. Just think of all these people you will meet in the presence of the Lord.
Yours in Christ,
John and Judy
Stateside Address
John and Judy Hatcher
1901 Shepherd Dr.
Evansville, IN 47715
jmhatcher@aol.com
Field Address
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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