New Opportunities in New Cities for the Seminary
The Hensleys have spent nearly 20 years serving in Brazil. They have established a church in Caraguatatuba and mission points throughout the city. They have also recently started a seminary to train pastors.
June 14, 2019
Friends and family,
It has been a very busy time at our house these past few weeks. We are completing our travel plans for July. Our trip for July is to Manaus to see if there is a need for our Seminary. As we are a traveling Seminary, we are in constant pursuit of another group of Pastors that would benefit from the learning more about the Bible. So, with that in mind, we have been in contact with various Pastors in Manaus. As a matter of fact, they contacted us. We will be meeting with them in July to discuss what we have to offer and to meet with them to begin to get to know them and to get to know their needs.
They have asked us to participate in a Pastors Conference in July with them where Pastor Derek Coleman will be one of the keynote speakers. They have conveyed to us the desire of 30 to 50 people to participate in the Seminary and think that after Pastor Derek speaks in July that that number will increase. God is AWESOME!!!!!!
During this trip we will be going to another state named Rondonia. The people have promised us two things for certain there and that is that it will be very humid there. Also, that they are very excited to meet with us and talk about having our Seminary there in the town of Cubia. Just as I always say, “What an AWESOME God we serve.”
Last month we went to visit the church where Pastor Sheridan and Anita are serving. We talked with them about the Seminary and how God is using it to educate the Pastors and the church workers there in Brasil. It was a good time getting reacquainted with old friends.
Also last month I was presenting our work about the Seminary one Sunday night with the mission committee also speaking about a mission trip to Brazil. I believe that every church should have people from their church go on a foreign mission trip because I believe that such a trip broadens their vision and commitment for missions.
As we entered the sanctuary, we were greeted by Odali and Kathy Barros who were also visiting Heritage. After church we went to have coffee and catch up with each other. You see, though we both serve in Brasil, it is rare to see them in Brasil. As we talked, we took the opportunity to invite Odali to be the translator for the planned upcoming Seminary classes in Manaus. Please make that a prayer request for us.
After July we will be back in Lexington, Kentucky for a couple of months and have some time to visit your church and tell you all about what God is doing through us and because of you and your support. If you have asked us and we have not gotten back to you, please reach out to us again. Both Barbara and I feel like we have not responded to someone and that is not our wish to forget anyone.
We will be back in Brasil in September and October for the next Seminary classes in the city of São Paulo and the city of Campins, along with classes in Garça, São Paulo. Please for these five classes and their professors and students.
As in all cases, I want to commend our professors for giving of their time and talent, and not forgetting their churches who allow them to participate in the education of our Brasilian Pastors. As you know, our professors are PhD’s and Dr’s and this is helping us in the accreditation process for the Seminary. We have been doing a lot of paperwork to get the accreditation in Brazil but to do this we had to give the Seminary an American name. We put much thought into this new name and finally settled on one. Our new name is BLUEGRASS BAPTIST SEMINARY. Continue to pray for us and the Seminary as we work to advance God’s kingdom in Brazil and wherever God leads.
The month of June I have become one year younger and I give God the glory. My health seems to be going good except for the occasional pain. Pray with us as we pray that this is not a problem. But above all I just want to say, “WHAT AN AWESOME GOD WE SERVE.”
In His service,
AJ and Barb
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
Like them on Facebook.
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
Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [November 2014]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil since 1974. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
November 01, 2014
Dear Friends,
Blessed be the one and only true God and Father, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Scripture says, “Rejoice in the Lord and again I say rejoice;” and certainly, this is a great way to start each new day granted to us by our loving and gracious Heavenly Father. God’s provision is always good and appropriate for each situation that comes our way – great reason to praise and rejoice in our Lord Jesus Christ.
I enjoyed a great trip to Brazil! Last letter, I was seated in the airport in Panama waiting for my fight connection to Manaus. About six hours later that night I debarked at the Manaus airport. Our son, missionary Judson, along with his wife, Raquel, and four children were there to receive me. I stayed at their house the first half of my stay. On arriving at their house, our son-in–law, Pastor Michael, and wife, Leigh Anne, and two children were waiting. Many hugs and kisses – wonderful to be with each of them – short visit – as it was late and the children had school early the next morning. I saw our daughter, Michelle, after her shift at the children’s hospital, and her son after school. The last days, I stayed at Michael and Leigh Anne’s house. Both Judson and Michael were great hosts. It was certainly great to see them all and hear and see how God is working in each of their lives.
The churches in north and northeastern Brazil are doing well. Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus has been doing remodeling of the Sunday school rooms. The church is hoping to complete the project by the end of October. It’s looking very nice and will be more usable and energy efficient. Energy cost in all Brazil is very high but especially expensive in Manaus. Pastor Michael Samples, our son-in-law, is doing the teaching and leading the church in our absence and is doing a great job.
Pastor Ivanildo Ross is visiting the new churches in the northeast to encourage them and help them with various issues. Some have not been able to complete their incorporation process in order to transfer the church facilities to each organized church. The legislation is complex, and often confusing, making it a challenge and, sometimes, reason for discouragement. The churches are doing well and growing despite the challenges. Pastor Ivanildo has been encouraged by the commitment and love the pastors have for the work of the Lord. The time in Brazil was productive and encouraging. I thank each of you who pray for God’s work in Brazil. Thank you indeed. God is answering the prayers.
Therefore, as recorded in the Scriptures, “I encourage first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, presidents and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher.”
Thanks again for your prayers and generous support to the work of missions in Brazil; may God be your great reward. We pray for you that your remembrance and knowledge of our Lord, the only true God, may abundantly increase in wisdom and discernment, that your trust and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ may be steadfast always, and that the love of his Holy Spirit may fill and overflow in your every word and action, with thanksgiving to God though Jesus Christ our only Lord and Life.
Love,
Paul and Wanda
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
rphatcher[at]gmail.com
15905 Mercott Court
Clermont, FL 34714
(239)227-6551
Click here to give.
Read more
Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [October 2014]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil since 1974. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
October 02, 2014
Dear Friends,
Blessed be the one and only true God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Each new day we are richly blessed in Christ, therefore we rejoice and are glad in Him. Certainly the Lord has provided each and every need and that with much abundance.
I’m writing this letter seated in the airport in Panama, waiting for my flight connection to Manaus. The time in Manaus will be busy, speaking and encouraging the church and planning with the church leadership. Less exciting, but very necessary, will be looking after and caring for the legal responsibilities. God is always good and gracious, His mercies endure forever; so, I am expecting a very productive and encouraging time in Manaus.
On the third Sunday of September, we all – Dad, Mom, Willa, Wanda and I – were privileged to be back at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Mims, Fl – Pastor David Humphreys. I am thankful for the opportunity I had to minister the word in the morning and evening worship times, filling in for Pastor David who was on a much needed and deserved vacation. We had dinner with several of the church families. The food was delicious and the fellowship wonderful. It is always a treat to be with God’s people and hear and talk about the wonderful blessings our Heavenly Father graciously grants each day.
In Manaus, I am looking forward to seeing and spending some time with our children and their wonderful families. We certainly have missed being with them and enjoying all that God is doing in their lives. I guess you could say it will be catch-up time.
God bless each of you. Thanks for your prayers and generous support to the work of missions in Brazil; may God be your great reward. We pray for you that your remembrance and knowledge of our Lord, the only true God, may abundantly increase in wisdom and discernment, that your trust and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ may be steadfast always, and that the love of his Holy Spirit may fill and overflow in your every word and action, with thanksgiving to God through Jesus Christ our only Lord and Life.
Love,
Paul and Wanda
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
rphatcher[at]gmail.com
15905 Mercott Court
Clermont, FL 34714
(239)227-6551
Click here to give.
Read more
Missionary Update: Odali & Kathy Barros in Brazil [May 2014]
Odali and Kathy Barros served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil together from 1987-2013. In late 2013, they transitioned to Manaus in Northern Brazil to start sharing the Gospel and planting churches in villages along the river.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We praise God for all the things that He has done the last couple of months. As we mentioned in our last letter, we were visiting the communities that are within an hour or two from where we live. After going several places, we have finally found several places to work. One of the communities is called Ubim. There were a couple of adults who used to go to the church where my brother is pastor. They moved to this community. While we were there visiting the town, we asked some people if they knew these people. Praise God, the first person we asked knew them and where they lived. We went to their home to visit them and ask them if they would like to have services in their home. They said, “Sure you can have services here.” Praise God!
While we were visiting one day, I decided to go by the school and see if there was a possibility of using the school building for some special program. Well, was I surprised when I talked to the principal. Said, “Sure, and it would be great if you could do something for the kids in school. You can come every Thursday if you want and stay from 9:00 to 11:00 am.” We will have our first program with them next week. We are really excited. There are 300 kids in the school from 1st grade to 8th grade. We will start working with 180 kids from 1st to 4th grade. There are some kids that come to the service we have on Monday that go to that school. We are really excited and looking forward to what God is going to do in this community. This community is right off the river, a highway on one side and the Amazon River on the other. On the river side you go to an Indian village. Toe this village you have to be invited or have permission from the chief. The chief´s daughter has been to one of our services. Also, we visited another community farther away. We had visited it before and were checking to see if they had a Baptist church. There is no Baptist church but we did find a Baptist man who wants to have services is his home. God has just done so many wonderful things. We are already making plans to get started there.
This month we also helped at my brother’s church with a fundraiser. They are trying to finish the church building. The building they use does not belong to the church and they need to move. The fundraiser went well and the raised $ 3,000 dollars. They were all very excited. We were glad we could be of help to the church.
We thank all of you for your prayers and for your financial support. Please continue to pray for us as we work in these new places that God will direct us each step of the way, and that many may come to know the Lord and Savior. God bless each of you!
In Christ,
Odali, Kathy
Titus, Jonas and Gabriel
Odali & Kathy Barros
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
Blog
Manaus, Brasil, SA
Read more
Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher of Brazil [April 2014]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
March 31, 2014
Dear Brethren and Friends,
Alta and I greet you from the Mission House in Lexington, KY. We arrived in the States on the 28th of March. Paul and Wanda had made arrangements for us to come to Manaus to bring Alta and I home for furlough. David came to Urai and helped us on the trip to Manaus. We were in Manaus for eight days. On our last Sunday before leaving Urai, the Church in Urai had a special service for us with pastors and people from all their missions and churches we had begun. It was an emotional experience.
The next day we flew from Londrina to Manaus. On the 28th of March, we arrived in Nashville where Paul rented a van. We arrived in Lexington with all our baggage on the 28th. We are living in the Mission House that was prepared and waiting for us. We plan to be in the Mission House for at least two months and to attend the Spring Missions Conference at Thompson Road Baptist Church on April 28, 29, 30.
On our first Sunday home, we attended the Bible School and morning service at the Thompson Road Baptist Church where Brother Dave Parks is pastor. That night we attended the services at the New Life Baptist Church where Brother Steve Wainright is pastor. We were blessed to have fellowship with the dear people of these two faithful churches.
Paul, our son, and Wanda are on furlough, also. They are caring for us. We will probably be living in Florida part of this year also.
WORK IN BRAZIL – Praise the Lord, the work in Brazil continues to grow and reach out.
Alta and I thank you for your prayers and financial support through our sixty years as missionaries in Brazil. God bless you.
In the Name of our Lord Jesus,
John and Alta Hatcher
1012 Balsam Drive
Lexington, KY 40504
859.277.3716
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
Read more
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
Click here to give now.
Read more
