Back in France, where God has Underscored the Reality He is Still at Work
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
February 6, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Did you notice? We have no temporary address. We are home! We arrived back in Tournefeuille on February 1. What a blessing it is. The innumerable good gifts from God cause us to rejoice with thanksgiving. Thank you all who have prayed for us and Peggy, Judy’s sister during the past year. God is answering your prayers. I was able to be with my parents on our return trip as we came back via Florida. It was enjoyable to visit with Paul and Wanda and other family members and friends while there.
Upon arriving in France we found that the ladies from Church had gathered for a work day to clean our home. They also brought food and plants and flowers to adorn the interior and exterior. There was a full house on Sunday and worshiping with our brothers and sisters in Christ brought joy to my heart and tears to my eyes. What a cause for thanksgiving it was to see the evidence of how God has been working in each one’s life and the spiritual maturity it has produced.
On Saturday night I was at the Youth meeting where 16 young people were present. There were a number who normally come who could not participate that evening. The interest of all present in spiritual matters during the study of John 6 was evident. Those who are saved bring their friends and these friends are hungry for spiritual things. In addition to the Jr. and Sr. High school meetings, Philip and Amanda are now having separate meetings for High School students and College students. We prayerfully anticipate the harvest of the seed that is being sown in these young lives.
Though it is winter and people are not out as much, the Lord has enabled us to reconnect with a good number of people to whom we had been witnessing before leaving early last year. This is one of our main reasons for wanting to be back and the Lord has magnificently underscored the reality that He is still at work and will continue to use us here for His glory.
Please, continue to pray for us, God’s people here and the multitudes who need Christ.
Rejoicing in 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
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Our Savior Incarnate, Touching Lives for His Glory
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
January 6, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
May God bless each of you this year. The weather where most of you live and where we are temporarily reminds us that God is in control of the elements. Our physical world displays the power and love of our dear Heavenly Father. But, His love is most displayed in the incarnation of Jesus, God the Son, to identify with us as the Son of Man and bring us back to Himself. Nothing speaks clearer than the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. And what a privilege we have to be bearers of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Just after writing my December letter I was able to go to Florida to celebrate Mom and Dad’s 70 years of marriage. It was a rare and wonderful opportunity to be with all of my living siblings and mom and dad for a few days. At the end of this time we were able to all spend time with Bob and Charlene Wacaser who return to serve in Brazil this coming Monday, January 8.
Just a couple days after I returned to Evansville Philip and his family arrived from France. It had been 15 years since Philip and Amanda had been in the United States at Christmas time. Their co-laboring with us has multiplied the effectiveness of the ministry in southern France. Judy and I are grateful beyond words for the privilege of teaming up with them and their children, Abigail, Nathalie, Camille and Emily.
Our children who live in Chicago, their families and Laura, our oldest daughter, who lives near Cincinnati, all came to Evansville for Christmas. This is the first time that we have ever been with all of our children and grandchildren for Christmas. We thoroughly enjoyed the days that our heavenly Father gave us together.
This morning, while Judy and I were walking for exercise in the Mall, we encountered one of the men who was saved while I was pastor here and rejoiced together in the Lord. Shortly thereafter, we crossed a lady whom we have met in the neighborhood and spent some time listening to her story and telling about what God has done in our lives. This is our calling, our wonderful Savior, incarnate in us touches the lives of others for His Glory.
And, tomorrow is my birthday. While we celebrate here with Philip and his family and Peggy, Judy’s sister, it is good to know that the body of believers in Tournefeuille, France will have already met together to worship the Lord and encourage one another. Jean-Luc will be leading the services at our primary location in France (7 hours ahead of us here). Jean-Luc is a faithful developing leader in the assembly there and others will be teaching children and serving in various ways. We anticipate being back with them soon.
Thank you for your prayers for all the ongoing activities in France and for us and Judy’s sister Peggy.
Rejoicing in Christ,
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
Read more
Sharing How God is Working with Churches in Michigan, Ohio, & North Carolina
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
Read more
Good News from a Far Country
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
November 8, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
“As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.” (Proverbs 25:25)
So, we would like to share some of the good news that we have received this month.
A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Jean-François, the pastor who is caring for the congregation that meets in the Mazeres region about 50 miles south of Toulouse. After asking about news from our side and how Peggy was doing he wrote, “Il m’apparaît de plus en plus évident que l’implantation d’une assemblée serait pertinent, les compétences sont là et les personnes il me semble en attente, je te le laisse a ta réflexion. En espérant vous voir prochainement, Dieu voulant. Que le Seigneur vous dirige, priez pour moi.” Now that you have tried out your French, I will give it to you in English: “It seems to me more and more evident that planting a church in this location would be appropriate. There is competence and the people are waiting for this. I will let you think about it. Hoping to see you soon, God willing. May the Lord guide you, pray for me.”
A full house at the Tournefeuille Church
A full house at the Tournefeuille Church
You may remember that I called on this young man to take leadership of this group when I needed to return suddenly to the USA at the end of March. He did and does so willingly at his own expense. So, there is something that you can rejoice in and pray about. I did ask Jean-François if he would be interested in being the pastor. He works a full-time job and is involved in another church plant and has other Bible studies. This man of about 50 is single and the only member of his family that is saved. His father is an atheist and his mother a devout Catholic. He has witnessed and gives a great living testimony to his family. He was saved not long after we moved to France and I had the privilege of spending several hours a week with him in discipleship during several years.
Last weekend Rose and Jean-Luc, a couple from our church called us to find out about how we were doing and to encourage us. They and 3 of their children are very active in the Tournefeuille Church. A couple days ago Amanda told us that they had a full house Sunday. I am including a couple of snapshots one of the guys took of some of the people there.
Some of the senior saints in Evansville whom John Mark served as pastor years ago.
Here in Evansville things are going well. Yesterday we had lunch with some of the older folks I served as pastor. Well, older now, we were all a bit younger back then. The faithfulness of these disciples of Jesus Christ and scores of others who are active participants and leaders in a good number of churches here and elsewhere is very encouraging to us. I am including a snapshot of the senior saints who were together for lunch.
In Christ,
John and Judy
jmhatcher[at]aol.com
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
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20+ Young People at First Youth Meeting of the School Year 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.”
September 28, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Thank you for your continuous prayers and support. We thank God for each of you. At the beginning of this month we were able to spend a few minutes in a video conference with more than 20 young people who were meeting in France for the first Youth Meeting of this school year. This is something that the young people wanted to do. How encouraging it is to see their interest in spiritual things.
Reports from the church in Tournefeuille are good. We miss the fellowship of our church and congregations there as well as the daily front line opportunities that we have in France to connect with French people who need eternal life. However, we are very thankful for the leaders and participants who are faithfully serving Christ there and reaching others around them.
John, Judy, & Peggy
Judy has now been cleared by her doctor for full activity following her knee surgery and has graduated from physical therapy. She continues to work hard at getting full strength and usage back. She also participates with Peggy in an outreach to ladies who are in the United States from other cultures. We both enjoy participating in a weekly Bible study that meets here in Peggy’s home. It is always exciting to see young believers growing in the knowledge and application of God’s Word in their daily lives.
Peggy is doing better and we are encouraged by her progress.
During the first two weeks of the month I was able to be in Florida to celebrate with the family my mother’s 92nd birthday. What a blessing it is to have parents who love the Lord and encourage us and the whole extended family to serve the Lord. The days there turned out to be more exciting than we had planned. Hurricane Irma came directly over Paul and Wanda’s home where Dad, Mom and Wanda’s mother live. Despite a few exciting hours the Lord protected us all and I was glad to be there to help. Thanks to all who were praying for us and others during the storm. Our hearts go out to those poor folks in the islands who suffered so much.
This is a reminder to us that we live in a world that “groans in travail waiting to be delivered”. We look forward to new heavens and a new earth where we will be forever with the Lord. May God help us to display the love of Christ in our lives and communicate the Good News of Jesus to all around us who so desperately need it.
We are looking forward to seeing some of you during the Thanksgiving Conference hosted by New Hope Baptist Church in November. Look for the information on the Baptist Faith Missions site and join us if you are able.
In Christ,
John and Judy
John, Judy, Peggy, & Sarah
10/18/2017 – PS: I did not realize that this letter never made it out of my box. The news during the last couple of weeks from the field is good. We also had an enjoyable visit with Sarah Wainright this past Sunday. Besides being a friend and sister in Christ she works diligently to publish and post our news. We thank God for her faithful service.
Temporary Address
John and Judy Hatcher
1901 Shepherd Dr.
Evansville, IN 47715
jmhatcher[at]aol.com
Field Address
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Every Disciple is a Missionary
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
August 31, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The news from Southern France is good. Participation in the Sunday meetings has been good. This coming Saturday, September 2, will be the first youth meeting for the new school year. It has been a great blessing to have Philip and Amanda and our grandchildren serving with us. What great missionaries they are. Our Granddaughters have been very effective in reaching their friends in the public schools where they attend. Their parents have done and continue to do a great job in encouraging the girls in their walk with Christ and have been great examples as they reach out to their neighbors, co-workers and others with whom they have formed relationships in their community.
Our passion is to make disciples and every disciple is a missionary. This is how the Gospel impacted lives in the first decades following the baptism of the Holy Spirit at Jerusalem on Pentecost. Note Luke’s inspired words, “And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. (emphasis is mine) Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. (Acts 8:1-4) Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord. (Acts 11:19-21)
Judy has completed the therapy following her kneecap surgery but continues to work hard at getting full normal use of her leg. We walk in the neighborhood and exercise at the YMCA in Evansville. In these two activities, we have been able to make many contacts and have had many good conversations. Judy is now meeting weekly with a lady she met who needs Christ. They are studying through the Gospel of Matthew.
Peggy is doing better. One of the blessings we have is to participate in a Bible study she has with a couple in her home. The lady trusted Christ after being in a Bible study with Peggy for over a year and a half. She has followed the Lord in baptism. The husband is very interested. Just since we have been here the study has gone through the two letters from Peter and is now in first John.
Thank you for your faithful participation in the ministry in France and the continued support as we serve here while waiting to return to France.
Rejoicing in Christ, John and Judy
Temporary Address
John and Judy Hatcher
1901 Shepherd Dr.
Evansville, IN 47715
jmhatcher[at]aol.com
Field Address
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Exhorting Churches and Exhorted in Return
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
August 3, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This month I had the privilege of speaking in three churches and was blessed by observing what the Lord is doing in each. The first of these was Emmanuel Baptist Church in Oldtown, Kentucky. Judy’s father was pastor of this church for many years and was followed by John Lybrook who really has a shepherd’s heart. We have many friends in this church and it was a joy to reconnect with them. The reality of the passing years hit home to me as we visited with folks who are now parents that I remember as very young children.
The second church was Resurgence where we had the privilege of seeing a number of folks whom I had served as pastor. It is a fairly young church and is in the inner city of Evansville. There is good evidence that Tom, Grant and Odali, the three elders, are doing an excellent job and work with a group of committed believers who have a heart to reach others in their community.
This past Sunday we were in Lexington, Kentucky, enjoying the fellowship of the New Life Baptist Church. We have been friends with the pastor, Steve Wainright, and his family for many years and it was a joy to be in their home. I have known some of the folks in this church my entire life. Sarah Wainright is our media person who prepares the Mission Sheets for publishing and maintains the Baptist Faith Missions News website. We also had the blessing of visiting with Dave and Debbie Parks. Dave is our liaison with all the churches that support us and truly has a servant/shepherd heart. We enjoyed visiting with old and new friends alike in this congregation.
One of the things that I have (and Judy, when she has been with me) noticed is that these congregations have reached their families. All three of them are made up of children, young folks and those who are older. We think this indicates a healthy church body.
The news from France is encouraging. Please continue to pray for the believers there and for the salvation of those who need Christ.
Judy is well on her way to complete recovery from her injury. Thank you for your prayers for her and her sister, Peggy. Ask God to use us for His glory while we are in the USA.
May God richly bless each of you,
John and Judy Hatcher
Temporary Address
John and Judy Hatcher
1901 Shepherd Dr.
Evansville, IN 47715
jmhatcher[at]aol.com
Field Address
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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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
Read more
