Influencing Pastors & Churches through Seminary
September 15, 2023
Dear friends and family,
I am rejoicing in the Seminary classes that have been taught. We are in the planning stage for next year’s classes while our final semester is beginning this week.
This November will be extremely busy for us as the Seminary, Pastor Derek and myself, and many others will be involved in a Missionary/Pastor Conference with around 200 Pastors and families in attendance. We will be presenting the Seminary, the classes that have been accomplished, our accreditation through the Masters Program and what will be added this coming year: an accredited PhD Program! How AWESOME is the God we serve.
As of now the Seminary has graduated 23 to the Masters of Arts in Biblical Studies and Masters of Arts in Pastoral Ministries.
However, we have also completed several classes in Pastoral Ministries where the students received a certificate of completion. These students just wanted to be better trained and informed Biblically.
This week I heard from one of these students. He is now the pastor of one of the mission points that we started. At the time, this man was just a member of that mission point in Natividade da Serra. And wanted to learn more about God’s Word. This mission point has since been organized into a church. Israel was voted to be the pastor and his wife Joyce is making a wonderful pastor’s wife. The letter I received this week from them was thanking us for the influence and the encouragement given to him. You never know how your words impact those you speak to. I am including pictures of the church there in Natividade da Serra. This type of letter helps to keep me in focus the objective for the seminary to take basic evangelical seminary training to the underserved pastors and church leaders in Brazil. God is moving and opening doors for the seminary. We are looking to open more locations in the coming years. Please keep Bluegrass Baptist Seminary in your prayers. Also pray for Baptist Faith Missions because if it were not for them, we would not be in Brazil doing God’s work. Keep us in your prayers also as we will be traveling a lot in the next months.
In His service,
AJ and Barbara
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.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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Student Ordained; Planning Seminary Classes
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.
February 18, 2020
Dear friends and family,
This has been a time of planning for the year of 2020. The calling, traveling to set new places for classes, and planning the dates has been much busier than expected.
However, that is AWESOME. This means that we will be reaching many more pastors and church workers than we reached last year—and to do this we need to be out and about.
Bluegrass Baptist Seminary is reaching new areas and this means that plans sometimes have to be changed, revised and sometimes we are having to say, “Not now, but please be patient. We will get to your area soon.” Bluegrass Baptist Seminary with its accreditation in Brasil is an AWESOME blessing for pastors and church workers. Pray with us as we attempt to reach as many “areas” of Brasil as is possible.
We are continually trying to find more economical ways to travel, find hotels, and rental cars so we may reach more areas and train more Pastors. One way all may help is to donate to BFM and designate your donation to Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. But the most important thing that you can do is pray.
We are in Brasil doing this work because of BFM and their support and all they do for missionaries. Without them this ministry would not be possible.
Let me digress for a bit and tell you about an AWESOME bit of news. We are posting a picture of a family in the mission point of Natividade da Serra. This family attended the Seminary about two years in Natividade da Serra and this month the husband was ordained to the Gospel ministry. This is just one more example of how God is using the Bluegrass Baptist Seminary in Brasil.
Our God is an AWESOME God.
We ask all of you to continue pray for the ongoing ministries in Brasil, for strength and travel mercies as we travel to the many locations, and also for the future locations that God is putting in our paths and the future students. We are excited about this new year and the ministries that God is sending our way.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.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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Seminary Graduations; Stateside for Doctor’s Visits
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.
September 15, 2017
Dear friends and family,
This month has been a little different. We came to the States the first week of the month to be able to do the doctor things. We have had a good report from the cancer treatments and the psa is at 0, but that is to be expected as I am still taking the hormone shots–there cannot be a true number until I am off those shots for 6 months.
I also went to a heart doctor as I have been having some chest problems. We are waiting for the results of the tests. As per usual, it is always hurry up and wait. Your continued prayers are appreciated.
I am going back a month to tell you about some me of the great and AWESOME things that are happening in Brasil and the Caraguatatuba Baptist Seminary. In the last two months, we have had the first and second graduation of the seminary.
The first was in Caragua, as this is where the Seminary began. There in Caragua, we graduated 6 with 14 others receiving a certificate of participation with the hope of completion later. We thought it very appropriate to have the first graduation here in Caragua because the dream for a Seminary was founded here. Then the second was in Natividade da Serra where 24 people graduated. This is AWESOME because our purpose for having a Seminary was and is to train pastors to preach the Word.
Caragua Baptist Seminary is starting to make a major difference for the pastors located in the state of São Paulo, Brasil. The dream started 3½ years ago and is exploding into other regions. How AWESOME is the God we serve.
So with these two classes completed, we are looking to the future as we have another class in October that will also have a graduation ceremony. This is about 6 hours from Caraguatatuba.
It seems like we just turn around and the month is gone. I don’t know if it is really true or it has something to do with age. I’m thinking it is the first, what do you think?
We will be in the States for a little over a month and then back to Brasil for that next graduation, so maybe we will see you during that time, but if not, we will try to see you on the return trip.
Continue praying for my health and God’s work here in Brasil.
If you would like to see what God is doing with your Mission offerings to BFM, come on down. The lights are on and the food is on the table. In His service, Aj and Barb
In His service,
Aj and Barb
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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