Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”

March 9, 2020

Dear Fellow Disciples of Jesus,

This morning Judy and I received a very welcome call from Jean-Luc and his wife Rose. They are members of the church at Tournefeuille and were calling to see how we were doing and to let us know how much they missed us. We are truly blessed to serve with them and others like them in France.

Last week we had a great time of fellowship with the folks of New Life Baptist Church in Lexington. God has blessed them with an excellent building from which to minister and we enjoyed getting acquainted with new members in this body of Christ. The previous weekend we spent three days with Emmanuel Baptist Church of Bellbrook, OH discussing how to follow Jesus making disciples. Judy and I were very encouraged by the interaction with the followers of Jesus there.

Though the word “missionary” does not appear in most translations of the New Testament, it is clear that all of us who are disciples of Jesus are His light on earth and we are instructed “to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called”. At the meetings in Bellbrook we became acquainted with Mike and Marci. They along with others shared how God had opened doors to communicate about their faith in Christ. I asked permission to share with you what they told us, and here is a bit from Mike and Marci in her words.

How it started –

Mike and I felt the need a few months ago to “reach out” where we can and thought home was the best, and, to be frank, easiest way to widen our comfort zone. I had been giving treats from baking to the neighbors in our condo so it seemed natural to have “Muffins and Prayer in the Stairwell”. Notes on doors for time and date and here we are. *It’s important to note that our first effort was ignored. But…God’s timing, not ours!

And… more recent news –

Thought I’d update on the “Muffins in the stairwell” happening. Monday before last we had three show up for what actually became coffee and brownies and prayers. Since there were only the five of us, we invited them in and it went great.

We met again last night and had two more! (Again, no muffins but great cookies from Kroger-God has given me grace on the scales!)

Last night it was decided that we would try to meet every other Monday. Prayer has been wonderful and the one couple that is moving has promised to keep meeting with us.

We ask special prayers for our young single neighbor upstairs. She is quite shy but seems to enjoy our “God talk”. We are hoping for God to lead us into a conversation on salvation soon.

We have what is a single gentleman downstairs who is an alcoholic and is basically walker bound. I leave goodies and encouraging notes for him as he seldom comes out or answers the door. Praying for him and patiently “wooing” him and trusting our God.

There is one other family downstairs that are polite and enjoy the goodies but show no interest. I’m sure God has His own plan and we’ll remain available.

Our current plan is to put chalkboard adhesive paper on our front door with a bag of chalk. We will put daily Bible verses on it and leave room for prayer requests when we aren’t home. We are learning to be hospitable, (I still tidy more than usual but I’m a work in progress.) And we are learning to REST in Him, not just SUBMIT!

That’s it for now. Just wanted you to know God used you to make an impact in our and other’s lives. Praying for you faithfully. God bless you!

Mike and Marci Walker

Well, I hope their words encourage you “to love and good works” as they have encouraged me. And… let others in your church and fellowship know how God is opening doors around you. In fact, I would be delighted to hear from you. I will not put it in my newsletter without your permission!

With you following the call of Jesus,
John and Judy

John Mark & Judy Hatcher
JMHatcher[at]aol.com

For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
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