Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher in Brazil [November 2013]
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.
Dear friends,
We have great news about the church plant and some sad personal news. Please, pray for us as you read the remainder of this letter.
“UNFORGETTABLE” EVANGELISTIC COOKOUT
Our latest all-day evangelistic cookout was a great success with 240 people present and 6 salvation decisions. It was a day to remember. We wanted to impress our guests with the love of Christ. Upon arrival, everyone received a nametag, had their name entered into a drawing (this allows us to receive their contact info for follow-up), and an invitation to join us the next Sunday. We had three sport tournaments with trophies and medals, rappel, “rock wall” climbing, swimming pool, Brazilian barbeque, children’s games, puppets, children’s Bible story and I preached a 30 minute evangelistic message. We wanted our guests to have and unforgettable day, but most of all, an unforgettable, life altering, personal experience with the Lord. This type of event takes much planning and preparation work, but it is well worth it all. We have great responses from these type events, as the following weeks are full of personal contacts and home visits.
KID’S CLUB
Two weeks after our “Unforgettable Cookout” we had an all-day children’s evangelistic event with 44 kids present and 2 salvations. The children absolutely loved the day. On days like this, I get a major boost of encouragement. Especially, when we play soccer – everyone wants to be on the “pastor’s team”. I now have 5 “best buds” as a result of our soccer games that day! I am so glad they feel the love of Jesus through us. It is amazing to see how connecting with children brings us to close proximity with their parents too. We will not give up on reaching children and their parents for Jesus.
GROWTH AND RELOCATION
As the church has grown, we have developed into some space challenges. Parking is an issue every Sunday, as are the children’s classrooms. Our auditorium also serves as our fellowship hall. Lord willing we plan to relocate by the end of December. We are at the end of our building’s lease agreement, so this allows us flexibility to move into a bigger location.
FELLOWSHIP AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH
After worship services everyone stacks up their chairs against the wall to make room to eat and mingle with our friends and guests. We always serve finger foods to eat after our gatherings. This allows us to enjoy each other’s fellowship for an additional hour beyond the last worship song. Our fellowship has brought a unity amongst our people and our studies have rendered a spiritual awakening into Scripture with thirst for more. I am preaching a series entitled “Synopsis: A Bible Survey”. We have a lot of fun, I wish you were here to join in.
PASTORAL TRAINING
The Lord is working in the hearts of our men and already two of them have expressed a desire into pastoral leadership. The Lord is also working in the hearts of others within the church. I am passionate about pastoral mentoring and love every opportunity to develop new leadership.
PREGNANCY & MISCARRIAGE
A couple of months ago we discovered Raquel was pregnant with our fifth child. It was a complete surprise to us, as we had a surgical procedure done a year ago. We felt blessed the Lord had given us special gift according to His will. At 9 weeks, she flew to São Paulo to be with her father prior to his open-heart surgery. The kids and I remained in Manaus. On the day of her father’s surgery, she felt pain, went to emergency room, checked in, only to find out the equipment was broken. She rushed to the next nearest hospital and they too, had broken equipment. It was only at the fourth location and a few hours later, she received medical help. While her father was nearing the end of his 8-hour surgery, she received word of the miscarriage. Our hearts were heavy laden as we cried, but God’s grace comforted us.
Pray for church planting, evangelism opportunities, discipleship of new believers, pastoral mentoring and the search for a new location. We are grateful to you for the time and resources invested in our favor.
Thankful,
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
Website | Twitter
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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher in Brazil [June 2013]
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.
Dear friends,
I am grateful for every investment you make in missions, particularly as you pray to the Father on our behalf. In this letter, I want to share with you concerning our new cycling outreach, a challenge for you to participate in a successful church plant in America, our recent salvation decisions, the auditorium expansion, our children’s cookout and also want to share several pictures.
Cycling Evangelism
Since I was 16 years old, I always dreamed of cycling as an Evangelism strategy for making new friends and witnessing. I remember as if it were yesterday, writing in my prayer book what I imaged, including an artistic sketch of a big group of cyclers. Well, 20 years later, God decided it was time. A few weeks ago, two men in their late 20’s came to visit the main Sunday service. As we talked, they told me of how they cycle daily with groups of 20 to 30 people throughout the city. I told them I loved cycling and how I had been an avid cycler during my teens. They invited me to join them in cycling. I did not have a bike so they lent me one. God’s timing was perfect (always is), I was ready for this new challenge although I felt out of shape. I have met so many new people it is unbelievable! Raquel has since joined me in cycling as well. We do not have to invest energy in organizing cycling events; we just go along for the ride, meet new people and share Christ.
Church Planting
Church planting is such an uplifting opportunity and it is the best evangelism strategy developed by the Lord. Everyone should be a part of a successful church planting experience at least once in his or her lifetime. America is also in need of new solid churches. Consider following the Lord’s example in this way – we need more churches. I am grateful to have joined my grandfather, my father and uncles in church planting to during my formative years. Now, as I pass on to my children the experience in ministry through church planting I am grateful that they will have fond memories too. Every location has something unique. The Lord teaches us life-changing lessons through challenges in reaching people, lessons we might not learn otherwise.
Salvation Decisions and Expansion
Over the last month, 11 people have surrendered to the Lord. We continue with small group prayer meetings, home discipleship visits, breakfast, lunch and dinner meetings. Last week, the auditorium received a reorganization in its layout to accommodate more chairs. We now have room for 130 seats. Our main Sunday night service generally lasts 4 hours from start to finish. I generally preach for an hour, we sing, share and eat together. We have intense and sweep fellowship on Sundays.
Kid’s Club
Last month we reached 50 children, plus their parents through a children’s evangelism cookout and game day. It was a true success. As the children sang, heard a Bible lesson, played and competed, the adult members of the church plant made personal connections with the parents and witnessed. As a result, several families have visited during our Sunday services simply because the kids ask their parents to go to church. Most of the parents, who come from Catholic backgrounds, are not used to having a special focus on their children and they love it. One family has a 4 year old daughter who wakes up every day asking “Is today Sunday? Can I get dressed for church?”
Come and visit us anytime. If you want, give me a call. My phone number is (859) 544-9040. Yes, it is a Kentucky number and you can reach me in Brazil. Thanks again for all you do for the Gospel!
Grateful,
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
Website | Twitter
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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher in Brazil [March 2013]
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.
Dear Friends,
The Lord has opened several new opportunities for sharing the Gospel. Within this last week, I have shared the Gospel with four couples. Each one of these couples expressed their personal resistance of stepping inside any kind of church. All four of them confirmed they’d be present this coming Sunday. I am grateful for the work of the Holy Spirit in softening people’s hearts and opening their spiritual eyes. It is great to see their interest and willingness to participate and ask if they can invite others to come with them.
This month two new home small groups were started. We have a goal of 15 small groups by the end of the year. Our small groups work with a four week cycle. On the first week we meet for spiritual accountability, prayer and planning. Men and women meet separately for the accountability. On the second week we have a Bible study and share testimonies of faith at work. On the third week we share blessings, prayer requests, have Scripture reading and pray. On the fourth week, we have an Evangelistic dinner or outing with invited guests. This format has proven to be very effective in encouraging spiritual growth, accountability, connecting with new friends, Gospel witnessing and prayer.
Last week the women had their monthly get together. The men met two weeks ago as well. The relationship bonds are deepening and the new converts enjoy being a part of something they have never had before.
In March we celebrated one year since we held our first service. Albeit the first few services were not open to public and were mostly a time of prayer, Scripture study, and sharing among our small church planting team. God has truly blessed. On Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Christ with a special supper and will include all of our new friends. We expect well over 100 people to join us for Easter.
I plan to visit Goiania regarding the new church plant. I have not scheduled the flight, but plan to be there sometime in April. We have been talking by phone over the last several weeks. Two families are currently meeting weekly for a home Bible study. Pray that all goes well as we survey the city, plan and pray. Please, invest time praying for this new work.
Raquel is about to finish her doctorate. She will defend her dissertation by the end of this month. This is truly a highlight with many years of study invested and now she is finally reaching completion. We are excited and I am especially proud of her. The children are all doing well. Sarah, Laura and Benjamin all enjoying going to school. Melissa is like wildfire whenever she is not asleep. She manages to get into everything. I am sure thankful to the Lord for having a healthy family.
Thank you for your consistent support in prayer and through financial giving. Your investment in missions is greatly appreciated. We are grateful. Please, continue to give and encourage others to invest too. Please, be our state-side missions promoters.
Grateful,
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
Website | Twitter | Ativa
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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher in Brazil [February 2013]
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.
Dear friends,
The Lord is blessing us everyday and we are thankful. The church is growing and as a result, we are encountering several growing pains. When people are reached by the Gospel of Christ, the enemy will do everything within his reach to create havoc. Nonetheless, the Lord gives us wisdom to help people and find ways to share the Gospel.
Here are three special prayer requests:
Please, pray for a couple in their late twenties (I am not able to mention names) that they may surrender to Christ and for the Lord to save their marriage. This is a couple we’ve been working with for a few months now. A couple of weeks ago they had a physical altercation. They have a son who is 5 years old and witnessed everything. Unfortunately, this is not the first time the child had seen this behavior from his parents. Pray for the Lord to transform their lives.
Also, pray for a 17 year old man (again, no names). He impregnated his 19 year old girlfriend. The girl’s mother is a widow and they boy’s parents have a rocky marriage. This young couple does not know the Savior and have been living together for the last 3 months (with their parents’ endorsement). Now that she is pregnant, both parents are furious. A few weeks ago the young couple had a severe fight and the neighbors called the police. She had him gasping for air in a headlock when he bit her arm, amongst other aggressions. I was informed that the young lady was dedicated to the “spirits” as a baby by her mother in a “Candomble” ritual. She struggles with frequent demon possession and is fearful of what the demons may do if she surrenders to Christ. Pray that the young couple and their parents may heed to the Gospel.
Pray for an opportunity to open a new church in another state. Rogério, Dani, and their son Matteus moved last week to Goiania (capital city of Goiás) due to his work. We believe the Lord is opening doors to start a church in this city. We are exchanging ideas and praying for the Lord’s will in this matter. We plan to start a home prayer group once they are settled in at their new house. I’d like to visit them soon for a city survey and planning. Please, pray for inroads within the community and for the family to develop new lasting relationships.
Goiania, the capital city of the state the Hatchers are praying about starting their newest church plant.
Thank you for your prayers and support. Continue to pray and give to the BFM General Fund. It is crucial for the work of our ministry and all of our other beloved missionaries supported through Baptist Faith Missions. Do you know of other churches or individuals in other states who currently do not support missions thru BFM? Do think they may to consider partnering with us too? Could you speak to them on our behalf? I pray that you will.
Grateful,
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
Website | Twitter
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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher in Brazil [December 2012]
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.
Family
We’ve had a great month with the family. Just two weeks ago Melissa gave her first steps on her own. It was a tremendous joy to see her walk and watch her excitement in response to our enthused reaction. We celebrated her 1st birthday on December 1st. Sarah, Laura and Benjamin are on school break and are gearing up their bikes to go to the park whenever they get a chance.
Evangelistic Cookout
This last month we had an Evangelistic cookout with 72 guests on a holiday called “day of the deceased.” We had fantastic opportunities to share the Gospel. Before eating I preached concerning the resurrection of Christ and our new life in Him. Secondly, we shared individually as we ate with our friends. One man came to Christ. I’ve also had the chance to meet weekly with a couple as a result of the connection made that day.
Christmas Evangelism Camp
We scheduled a Christmas camp on December 15 & 16. We already have several families signed-up and look forward to an exciting and fun time with our unsaved and unchurched friends. Please, pray as we make preparations for the camp and for the hearts of those who will hear the Word.
Their latest Evangelistic Cookout had 72 guests.
Christmas Gift Baskets
This week we begin making our Christmas gift baskets and visiting peoples’ homes to present them with a basket and the Christmas message. It’s much easier to visit people with whom a previous contact has already been made, as opposed to “cold turkey” visits. We’ve made many new contacts through cookouts and other gatherings. We hope to make a lasting impact through this simple gesture of love.
The current members of Ativa gathered for the Lord’s Supper.
Mens’ Fishing Trip
In January we will have a men’s fishing trip. We will leave on a Friday and return on Saturday. We will spend the night at a local lodge. Many of our unchurched friends are already inviting their friends to join us. The Gospel message is always clearly announced at everything we do together. Pray for salvation decisions during this fishing trip.
Thanks
Thank you for you prayer and support. Please, continue to invest and pray as we work together until Christ’s second coming.
Grateful,
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
Website | Twitter
Click here to give now.
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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher [October 2012]
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.
October 5, 2012
THANKFUL HEART
Thank you for your faithful prayers and investing in missions.
Thank you Bro. David Pitman & Addyston Baptist Church, Addyston, OH for
taking us on for support. Thank you also to Atlantic Shores Baptist Church,
Virginia Beach, VA; Friendship Baptist Church, Bristol, VA; New Hope Baptist
Church, Dearborn Heights, MI; Darwin & Cathy Smith, Lexington, KY; and Ron
& Judy Logan, Lexington, KY. WE ARE TRULY GRATEFUL!! Now, let me tell you about family news and some exciting moments of our latest church plant.
FAMILY DETAILS
Everyone is doing well. Sarah is 7 years old and studies hard on her math. Laura is 6 years old and is reading and writing amazingly. Benjamin is 4 years old, is learning to read and knows all of his numbers. Melissa is 11 months old and has 4 little teeth. At times, Raquel and I feel overwhelmed with family and ministry, but wouldn’t change a single moment of God’s plan for us.
CHURCH PLANTING: INITIAL PLANNING
On January 7, 2012 two couples, a lady, Raquel, the children and I went on a
van ride to pray and discuss where the Lord would lead us to start a church in
Manaus. I invited each one to make a personal commitment to join us and plant
a church. Everyone in the van that day committed wholeheartedly to start a
new church. The following weeks were filled with excitement as we visited six
different churches on Sundays and met from 5:00pm until 7:00pm to pray, study,
brainstorm and plan. During this time we also selected our name – Ativa: Uma
Igreja Batista (Active, a Baptist Church).
EVANGELISTIC COOKOUTS
During the weeks to come we organized several cookouts in homes where family
and friends were invited. Our contact list grew tremendously. Our fifth event was
a one-day camp where 95 people participated. Several people heard the Gospel
and made decisions.
MEETING AT HOME
Our first Sunday service was March 18, 2012 and met at our home. We had no
music, but the great food led to tremendous fellowship. A sense of belonging
began to grow amongst the team members, the newly saved and the unsaved
attendees. Excitement grew every week as people asked questions and decisions
were made. By the end of April, we had 30 people attending our home services.
During this period a member of the congregation asked “Where should I give
my tithe?” It is worth noting, we did not have a specific moment for tithes and
offerings during the service. We didn’t have a treasurer either. That week we
selected a treasurer and a vice-treasurer, and a box was placed on a corner table
during Sunday services. Those who attended began to give generously, even
though we never spoke of the matter. Six weeks latter we purchased a simple
sound system, three microphones, an acoustic guitar and a two-tone percussion instrument. With low monthly expenses our new congregation was able to save towards what the Lord was about to do.
BUILDING QUEST
Children singing on Sunday (building still under retrofitting)
In May, we began to search for a building to lease. We wanted a building on an
easy to find street, with good visibility. As we looked around the city we ran into
a serious problem – the outlandish cost of rental property. The reason? Manaus
is a host city for the World Cup 2014 and buildings are now exponentially
expensive to lease and/or purchase. Our small budget only allowed us to commit
to $1,000/mo and we needed a location to accommodate at least 150 people
(projecting growth over the next years). The cheapest we could find was $7,500/mo and with little to no parking. I even found a place that could accommodate 200 people and had six parking spaces for $15,000/mo. That’s right, fifteen thousand per month! And yes, that is the cost in US currency. To put the price absurdity into full perspective: the minimum wage in Brazil is currently at US$297.00/mo. Not encouraging… but we sure prayed and searched.
Despite the challenges, the Lord blessed! He gifted us with a small warehouse
to seat 140 people, with two small rooms, and a bathroom. The location is on
one of the main throughways of the city. Guess how much? Yes, $1,000/mo.
Unfortunately, it only has one parking spot. Yet again, the Lord blessed us.
Around the corner, within a hundred yards we found a walled parking lot for 30
cars! We met with the congregation and agreed to lease the lot at $25/Sunday.
BAPTISMS, ORGANIZATION & RETROFITTING
On August 12, 2012 we baptized 13 people (including our daughters Sarah
and Laura) and were organized with 37 members through Tabernacle Baptist
Church. It was an exciting Sunday for us all. We continued to meet at our home
while retrofitting the warehouse for services. Everyone came to help scrape the
old paint of the walls, repair the roof, clean, paint, and install doors and curtains.
Tabernacle Baptist Church donated the needed metal and the welder to build
and install a sign for on the front of the building.
Church building inauguration night with 102 people (84 adults and 18 children)
BUILDING INAUGURATION
On September 23, 2012 we had our inaugural service and kicked off a six-week Evangelistic message series. That evening we had 102 attend (84 adults
and 18 children). The Lord also gave us two salvation decisions that evening.
On the second week a tropical storm hit hard, and most of our invited guests
stayed at home. Despite the downpour of rain, we still had 63 attend and one
reconciliation. Pray for us this coming Sunday, it’s our third week.
PRAYER
Please, invest time in prayer for all of those who will need discipleship. Also,
pray for each one of us to continue in good health. Consider coming to visit us in
Brazil. And, continue to give generously to missions.
Grateful,
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
Website | Twitter
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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher in Brazil [February 2012]
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.
Dear friends,
In this issue is a testimony of how the Lord saved a hopeless teenager from suicide and into new life in Christ. You will also be encouraged about a new church plant and get a quick update on our family.
Suicidal
A couple of weeks ago I received a desperate phone call from a mother who pleaded for help. Her 17-year-old son had attempted suicide and was in dire condition at the hospital. According to his Facebook post, it was approximately 3:00pm when he swallowed 70 muscle relaxants in the attempt to take his life. His mother arrived home from work at 6:30pm unaware of what happened earlier that day. She found him in convulsions laying on his bed. Quickly she called a neighbor with a car & rushed him to the nearest hospital. Only to discover there was no room & to look for another hospital. They stopped at multiple locations in search for an available ICU bed. It was only at the fifth hospital where they were able to find an available bed. At this point, with his vital signs virtually null, fluids in his lungs & with possible neurological damage the doctors informed the mother his chances of survival were slim to none. In hopelessness, she was instructed to give her last farewell to her son. Shortly after she called me for help. I have visited them daily at the hospital. The good news is that the Lord was merciful and allowed him to live, leaving the doctors confused by his comeback with no neurological damage. A few days ago, he surrendered to Christ and found new life. Unfortunately, many people live without hope. Our Messiah is the only hope. I am so grateful this teenage boy finally found a reason to live. Pray for him and his mother.
Church Planting Innovation
In August of 2011 the Lord laid on my heart to take on a new challenge. The previous four years of my ministry were focused on supervising construction/remodeling of buildings, in training & equipping pastors, while guiding them side-by-side (mentoring & coaching) as THEY led the church plant as senior pastors. Leading dedicated men in a “pastoral team in training” was fantastic and worked great!
Unfortunately, the Brazilian legal system is changing. Many new laws are already in place against churches, and more are on the way. So, upon our return to Brazil the Lord led me to do something different – to be the senior pastor of a new church plant & to train pastors in a slightly different fashion. In late 2011, I began church-planting conversations with two other couples the Lord laid on my heart. God is incredible. He confirmed our prayers and this is what happened:
On the second Sunday of January we had our first team meeting. We began with a prayer tour in a van throughout our city. We asked God to lead us where to start a church. Since then, we have met once a week for 5 hours at a time each Sunday. We decided not to focus on a church building, but instead invest more time on the people and meet in homes. Three weeks ago we started a weekly home prayer meeting on Wednesdays and now have 16 people attending. Last Sunday we had our first pre-evangelism cookout. We had 5 unsaved first time guests at the barbecue. We plan to have these cookouts every two weeks until May and reassess. Each event is hosted & sponsored by a different couple of the team, who are in charge of inviting friends and colleagues to their house. At the cookout we all mingle and connect with the new friends. The prayer before eating is a crucial moment for the guests to identify us as Christians, pave the way for the Gospel presentation and connect them into the Wednesday prayer meeting. March 25th will be our inaugural Sunday service. The new work will be called “Active Baptist Church”. Pray for us. It sure has been a lot of fun.
Family Life
Sarah, Laura and Benjamin are enrolled in school and doing well. Melissa Nicole was born December 1, 2011. She cries a lot due to gases. Sarah has shown to have a good ear for identifying instruments in songs as she hears them play on the cd player. Laura loves to tell stories and jokes. She has a charming laughter. Benjamin is a fast runner and likes to go with his daddy to the store. Raquel is lovely, as always. I am doing well. I’ve lost 5lbs since January.
Please, continue to support, challenge others to invest into the Kingdom through Baptist Faith Missions and pray for us. And, if the Lord leads, speak to your pastor, reach out and start a church! America still needs church-planters.
Grateful,
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
Website | Twitter
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