Encouraging Brazilian Pastors, Evangelizing Students, & Youth Camp
July 15, 2024
Family News
Everyone successfully completed their school year and was promoted to the next grade. Sarah graduated from high school and two weeks later was accepted into ESPM, a Brazilian university. She plans to study communications and publicity. I (Judson) celebrated my birthday with dengue fever. The fever lasted for almost a month. Thankfully, the cold sweats, brain fog, and constant itching are over! Raquel is in excellent health and is actively engaged in serving others.
Evangelism, Five Decisions at Camp, and Ministry At Large.
The soccer school allows us to evangelize students every week and build bridges with the parents. Our teams participated in a one-day tournament, winning half of the matches against other teams.
Through Rede Convivencia (Togetherness Network), under the leadership of Pastor Eliezer, we had a youth camp with 40 students, which rendered five salvation decisions. Benjamin (my son) traveled 6 hours to join the camp and also made important decisions during the camp.
Last week, I visited several pastors and their families in our Rede Convivencia. We made stops in São Paulo state in Pompeia, Marilia, Vera Cruz, Alvaro de Carvalho, Fernão. In Paraná state, we visited pastors in Cornélio Procópio, Assaí, and Urai. Pastor Elieser joined me on this journey to minister to pastors and their families.
The one-year-old church plant in Marilia, which meets in Américo and Paula Pinotti’s garage, celebrated three baptisms and their first Lord’s supper last week. Américo was mentored by Pastor Gilberto Steffano during his formative years. Recently, Américo requested my mentorship for pastoral ordination and guidance in organizing the new work.
Pastor Raimundo Pinto, the lead pastor for the church plant in Aracajú (Northeastern Brazil), inaugurates the new building at the beginning of August.
Our student ministry evangelism gathering drew several new students and made new connections. We played volleyball, indoor soccer, and foot-volleyball.
Foster Care
Raquel actively works in recruiting, training, equipping, and networking couples and families to serve as foster care parents to attend to the immense need of at-risk children in São Paulo city. She is a strong advocate and voice in one of the world’s largest metropolises – São Paulo city is still learning what foster care means and how it benefits children and society. The court system recently inspected Raquel’s foster care intake facilities and received high marks from the city officials. We are grateful to Jason and Nikki Estes for their encouragement, mobilization, and partnership in significantly impacting the lives of precious children in foster care.
Prayer Requests
1) The purchase of a car.
2) Finances for Sarah’s first year in a Brazilian university.
3) The new school year is starting soon for Laura (12th), Benjamin (10th), and Melissa (7th).
4) Family health.
5) Evangelism and church growth
6) Judson’s doctoral studies and dissertation on pastoral succession in Brazilian churches.
Grateful always,
Judson and Raquel Hatcher
Contact Info:
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
São Paulo, Brazil
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
(872) 400-6522
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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God’s Providence Shown Stateside
September 20, 2022
Dear friends,
Last year as our family prepared to come to the US for the one-year Stateside assignment for 2021-2022, the Lord opened the door for Raquel to gain experience and expertise in foster care in suburban Chicago. In May 2021, it was confirmed she would begin an internship in August 2021. Consequently, we searched for housing. I signed a lease agreement on a home and placed a deposit. In the following weeks, significant policy changes were made in foster care services, and several people resigned from this organization, including the supervisor who hired my wife. The new supervisor informed Raquel she had to begin in mid-June or lose the opportunity. Logistically, she couldn’t begin before the initially agreed date. So, now we had two alternatives: (a) cancel the housing lease and go to another opportunity in a different state (but lose the deposit), or (b) move to suburban Chicago and see what the Lord had planned. Our decision-making involves this main principle: What is decided through much prayer and confirmed by the Holy Spirit should not be canceled haphazardly. So, we moved to Chicagoland, not knowing what the Lord had for us during this next season in the States.
A month after arriving in Wheaton, IL (September 2021), I was diagnosed with cancer and would need chemotherapy and radiation therapy. This shocked us as a family, but we rejoiced in the Lord to be in an excellent location for treatment. My wife found an opportunity to serve as a clinical therapist at a local clinic and participate in several equipping seminars to equip her to work better with orphans in Brazil. Our second child (who lost her hearing in the left ear two years prior) had a cochlear implant installed in December 2021 by one of the nation’s best cochlear implant surgeons and has regained hearing. I began my doctoral study at Columbia International University in January 2022 (began studying during my cancer treatment). This last month I was diagnosed with severe carpal tunnel syndrome on both hands. I underwent the surgical procedure and can now sleep at night uninterrupted by pain. It is impressive to see the hand of God at work in unique ways. I could write endlessly about God’s marvelous care for us during this season of life.
Our reaction to this turn of events was to trust in God and rest in His sovereign hand and providence. Matthew 6:25-27 often came to mind as we navigated these uncertain waters: “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”
The outcome is that I am now cancer-free, can sleep throughout the night without waking up from the pain in my hands, my wife has grown in her expertise as a professional, our daughter can hear again, and I have begun my doctoral studies. Praise the Lord!
Another unique event over the last month is that our three older children – Sarah, Laura, and Benjamin – expressed a desire to be part of the “ministry team” and do more than just “help.” Raquel and I were elated to learn of their desire. We began equipping them with the same approach we use for training leaders for church planting. We are studying the philosophy of ministry, strategy planning, and having in-depth theological discussions. We love working with this great team!
Thank you for partnering with us through prayer and financial giving. We are grateful.
Always grateful,
Jud Hatcher
Hiking with the family at Starved Rock State Park, IL 
Jud’s carpal tunnel release surgery 
Benjamin’s cross-country school competition 
Celebrating Brazil’s Independence Day
Contact Info:
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
São Paulo, Brazil
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
(872) 400-6522
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
Sarah Returns from Mission Trip + A Look at Steward Leadership
August 20, 2022
Dear friends,
Thank you for your faithful financial support & prayer. Please, pray for me as I will undergo several surgical procedures in the coming weeks. 1) The removal of the port catheter from my chest (cancer-free & no longer needed). 2) Surgery on my hands/wrists due to severe carpal tunnel (I am looking forward to the pain relief). Also, pray for 3) Laura as she continues her cochlear implant hearing therapy. 4) Our return to São Paulo at the end of this year. 5) The church ministries conference at Nova Baptist Church in Manaus, where several pastors and leaders from across the country are flying in for the occasion.
Sarah returned from her two-month mission trip in the Amazon. The Lord used her mightily, and she learned so much while there. Our four children started back to school this week. In September, Raquel will attend a foster care/orphan care conference in Georgia. She is looking forward to this special event.
I have trained leaders with the “servant leadership” framework for the longest time. Within the last year, conviction has grown in my heart for the “steward leadership” framework instead. Let me share a little about “steward leadership.” One of the most outstanding steward leaders in Scripture is Joseph. What a leader and administrator! According to author Kent Wilson (2016), “A steward is someone who manages resources belonging to another person in order to achieve the owner’s objectives.” Wilson discusses the role and responsibilities of the steward. Particularly important for the steward are work ethic, personal virtues, absence of personal vices, training and experience, loyalty to the accountability structure and relationships, wise use of resources, and practical management skills.
In his book, Rodin (2010), addresses the age-old debate “nature-versus-nurture” and posits that leaders are “freed to lead”. As his primary thesis, this freedom fosters holistic transformation and renders an obedient response from born-again believers. This obedient response establishes the person’s work effectiveness. He continues, “Our call to be stewards is based on our acceptance of each as a gracious gift and our rejection of the lure to play the owner.” We are freed from self, equipped by God according to each calling. In addition, “We were created as caretakers of creation, and in Christ, we have been restored to that high and holy calling.”
Steward Leadership is a worldview mindset where a called individual is a learner who leads as a proctor administrator, free of second intentions, where with high integrity and character serves another and is responsible for resources (or an organization) with full-fledged decision-making authority and is accountable for those responsibilities, the use of power and the strategies implemented (Rodin, 2010; Simmons, 2019; and Wilson, 2016).
The steward leader is a servant at heart, but not every servant is a steward leader. This leadership lifestyle involves self-denial but not lacking confidence to influence people and outcomes. A steward leader is deeply accountable, trustworthy, and empowered to mobilize and delegate to successfully lead within all levels of an organization, selflessly empowering and encouraging people within his sphere (Simmons, 2019).
If you love to read and acquire new insights. Check out these resources:
* Rodin, S. (2010). The Steward Leader. Downer’s Grove, Intervarsity Press.
* Simmons, B. (2019). LDR 9610 Unit 1 Lecture HD. Online Studies, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOv8eyIeKSg&list=PLHAVnCRu3fmg6wLpFmZFrP80dOhf04GEs&index=12
* Wilson, K. R. (2016). Steward Leadership in the Nonprofit Organization. Intervarsity Press.
Thank you for your love!
Jud Hatcher
Contact Info:
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
São Paulo, Brazil
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
(872) 400-6522
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
Life On Mission
July 16, 2022
Dear friends,
We are grateful for your prayers and financial support.
Sarah is halfway thru her two-month mission trip in the Amazon with Jonatas and Charis. She is actively engaged in the daily ministry activities in four different locations on the outskirts of Manaus. There are Evangelism and discipleship opportunities during the home visits and church gatherings throughout the week. It has been a fantastic experience for her. We are delighted by her heart’s willingness to serve and learn under the leadership of godly friends and the ministry team. Jonatas and Charis are part of the leadership team in Brazil. I invited them to come to the States this last January for a month of mentorship and exposure—a customized training trip to 3 destinations, 3 universities, and 3 churches.
Laura is on a 7-day mission trip to Cleveland, OH, with a group of 54 high school students and 18 adult leaders from Wheaton Bible Church. The team will:
- Run a children’s day camp at a local Baptist church.
- Package medical supplies for overseas shipping.
- Separate donated clothing for distribution in the inner city.
- Assist at a homeless shelter.
- Paint an elderly couple’s home.
- Engage in sharing their personal salvation testimony at every opportunity.
Benjamin recently returned from a 5-day mission trip to Harvey, IL, with a group of middle school students. They served at a non-profit organization that provides hope and life-changing opportunities to recovering addicts, at-risk youth, families, and seniors struggling in poverty. They assisted in running programs for elementary-age children, helped in the thrift store and food pantry, met some of the men and women in their recovery programs, and worked in the neighborhood garden. It was an intense week of ministry with spiritual growth for Benjamin. He made new friends and made some critical decisions. We are excited to see how the Lord will continue to use Him for His glory.
In August, Nova Baptist Church (where David Hatcher is pastor) is hosting the largest church ministry conference within our Brazilian fellowship of churches/ church plants. Through your financial contributions, we are sponsoring 8 pastors, 3 pastor’s wives, and 4 church leaders from 5 different states to fly from their cities into Manaus. (Most will be in the airplane for 8 hours or more just to get there!) This conference happens every two years, but COVID caused it to be postponed twice. I prayed the Lord would allow as many pastors and leaders from our churches & church plants to attend this unique gathering. If you desire to sponsor a Brazilian pastor or church planter in any amount (costs $350 per person), please make a financial contribution thru Baptist Faith Missions and designate “Jud Hatcher – Conference training.” Please visit https://portals.icheckgateway.com/BFMNow/ to give online.
In August, Raquel is attending the CAFO Summit at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, GA. This conference is on adoption, foster care, and global orphan care. She recently completed training and was certified in Trust Based Relation Intervention (TBRI) and EMDR (for traumatic memories processing). With these tools, Raquel can assist children and adults in working through traumatic experiences. I (Jud) am currently undergoing my first year of doctoral studies at Columbia International University. I will graduate in May 2024 with a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership. My dissertation is a qualitative study on Steward Leadership influences on succession planning amongst Baptist pastors in Brazil.
We aim to recruit, train, place, and network pastors, church planters, and leaders to serve in Brazil. This additional education for us and our team brings practical knowledge for application in Brazil. We are grateful for personal growth.
Our prayer requests:
1. Sarah (17yo) has one more month on her mission trip in the Amazon. Pray for her learning, spiritual growth, and impact as she serves.
2. Laura (15yo) is part of WBC’s mission trip to Cleveland, OH. Pray for her learning, spiritual growth, and impact as she serves.
3. Jud & Ben (14yo) are attending a 2-day leadership conference in Aug. Pray for a great learning experience.
4. Jud & Raquel’s studies.
5. Upcoming trips to Ottawa, IL, Teays Valley, WV, and Findley, OH.
Thank you for your love, the care you demonstrate to us, your financial investment, and your regular prayers. We are thankful and are deeply encouraged by you.
Grateful always, Jud Hatcher
Sending Laura on mission trip 
4th of July in Chicago 
Nova Conference 
Sarah with ministry leaders 
Sarah in Manaus
Contact Info:
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
São Paulo, Brazil
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
(872) 400-6522
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
