Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [April 2013]

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

April 1, 2013

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Thank you for your participation in the ministry here. Judy and I pray for you daily and thanking God for your faithfulness. Four weeks ago we celebrated 40 years of marriage. We enjoyed a quiet evening meal in a restaurant and reviewed God’s blessings on our lives. Little did we know, when we started our life together, what our Savior had in store for us. We are grateful for what He has done and is doing in the lives of children and grandchildren. Serving our Lord together has been a great joy as we have seen many come to new life in Christ. When Judy and I married, she had not been out of Kentucky too many times, but six weeks after committing ourselves to each other in the Lord we moved to Brazil. The Lord has enabled us to be witnesses on three different continents. The journey has truly been an adventure.

So, presently we are in France, a very different culture from Brazil or the United States of America. Our Creator and Redeemer, however, is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” God has chosen us, His redeemed children, to be His witnesses in the sea of humanity so desperately in need of the eternal life that He offers.

A view of John Mark & Judy’s neighborhood from their front window.

Here are a few tidbits from our adventure this month. Early in the month, we were invited to dinner in the home of a couple who live just around the corner from us. They have been our neighbors for about a year and wanted to show their appreciation to us because we watched their house and watered their plants while they were away on vacation. During the evening we talked to them and another neighbor couple about faith in God. Neither of these couples have any religious practice.

About the same time, I had a lengthy discussion with a neighbor just across the street about God, homosexual marriages and abortion. This family, with three children, drive some distance on Sundays to go to a church that has mass in Latin, because, according to him, “it is the Universal language.” To our knowledge this family is the only one in our large neighborhood that goes to church anywhere. We pray that they will understand that they need Christ instead of a religion.

Yesterday, as we were heading home on a typical Sunday afternoon walk with our family here, I had the chance to spend some time talking to a young couple who live on a street parallel to ours. She recently began singing in the choir in which I sing. Yesterday, I met her husband for the first time and had a lengthy conversation with them. He was born in Israel and is a non-practicing Jew. His grandparents moved from Poland to France after the second World War. They left France to establish themselves in Israel in 1951. His father was born in Israel just a few months later. A few weeks ago, as we were waiting for choir practice to start, this lady asked me why we were in France. As I began to tell her, another lady, to whom I have witnessed on several occasions said, “Be careful, or he will convert you!”

There are countless other stories that could be told. There are multitudes of individuals who are lost and in need of a Savior. We have the Good News. I wish they were all saved. We keep sowing the seed and waiting for the Harvest. Thanks again for your participation in this endeavor.

Sowing the Good seed in France,

John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com

Click here to donate to BFM.

Read more

Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher in Brazil [April 2013]

Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.

Dear Brethren and Friends,

It is a joy to greet you once more from Brazil. In spite of the changes that take place in old age, Alta and I have had a good month. We praise the Lord for all of His goodness and benefits.

ASSAI—Sunday was our last Sunday for the work in Assai. Praise the Lord for providing a wonderful family from the city of Manaus who was sent to Assai by the Chapada Baptist Church. Daniel, his wife, Leticia, and their nine year-old daughter, Milena, arrived in Assai on March 18. They have worked successfully in other congregations and came with a desire to see the work develop. Please make their ministry in Assai a constant matter of prayer, and that God will have mercy on that city of twenty thousand.

PHYSICAL NEEDS—There are two prayer requests for two of God’s servants. The first is Sonia dos Santos, the wife of Valdir, the pastor in Cornelio Procopio. She had her left breast removed because of cancer and she is having a difficult experience with the chemical treatments. Secondly, we ask you to pray for Silvio Pfhal, pastor of two churches and father of four children. He was painting and the ladder he was on slipped and one vertebra was cracked in his lower back. He is recovering well, but will be practically stopped for about three months. Pray for Kelly, his wife, as she cares for him and the children.

Maria, our daughter by adoption, is needing cataract surgery on both eyes. Please pray for this marvelous servant of God. Her sister, Helena, had this surgery on both eyes a month ago and is perfectly recovered.

URAI—The work of Urai church is doing well. The mission congregations at Rancho Alegre, Sussumo, and other mission activities are doing well under the leadership of Marco Moraes.

We feel a certain emotion in leaving Assai, but we praise the Lord for His provision. Our work in visitation and evangelizing will continue, as well as our financial help to pastors, seminary teachers and students. Our job is not finished, just adjusting to our abilities. We are grateful to all who have been our constant partners through our many years in Brazil. God bless you. We love you.

In the Name of our Lord Jesus,
John A. and Alta Hatcher

Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br

Click here to give.


Read more

2013 BFM Spring Conference Theme & Featured Offering

CONFERENCE THEME:
“O LORD, REVIVE YOUR WORK!”

Habakkuk 3:2:  “O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years…!”

WE NEED REVIVAL…NOW!

Habakkuk prayed this desperate prayer to God in very troubled times.  Bad times from all fronts were upon them and worse times were coming.  Disasters and calamities of all sorts were impending and threatening.  The spirituality and fervor of the kingdom of God was at low ebb.  What they needed above all else was a movement of the Spirit and power of God!

We are facing similar times in our own day – and we, too, need a serious, massive infusion and revival of the power of God in our personal lives, in the ministries of our churches, and in the ministries of our missionaries who are so faithfully serving Jesus Christ in the nations of the world.

Our commission and mandate from Jesus Christ is still urgent and pressing upon us.  The challenges and prospects of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are still operative.  But, we must experience a true Heaven-sent revival of commitment and passion if we are to respond to the needs of our world in an effective way.

God’s Hand is not weakened that He cannot save.  The Gospel message is still the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.  Jesus Christ still commands us to follow Him to the ends of the earth with His Good News.  The “Hand of the Lord” [Acts 11.21] is still working with us – if we will give ourselves to Him.

WE MUST RECEIVE FROM GOD A REVIVAL OF ALL THE SAME GRACES FOR WHICH HABAKKUK PRAYED…such as:

  • A revival of crying out to God for His intervention and work – chapter 1.1-5
  • A revival of confidence in the Word of God to speak to us and through us – chapter 2.1-3
  • A revival of living by faith and abject dependence upon God – chapter 2.4  [And, of course, this ‘faith’ is FAITH IN CHRIST AND HIS GOSPEL]
  • A revival of seeking God’s Glory in our service and among the nations of the world – chapter 2.14
  • A revival of humble worship before the Presence of God – chapter 2.20
  • A revival of desperate praying to God – chapter 3.1-16
  • A revival of rejoicing in God and before God regardless of the circumstances in which we serve or the inconveniences we are given to suffer – chapter 3.17-19

And – the need and call to God for these and all other graces we must receive from Him goes on and on – not only in this message for Habakkuk’s time, but all throughout the annals of Scripture and the generations of history…right up to this present moment and day.  “O LORD, REVIVE YOUR WORK IN THE MIDST OF THESE YEARS!”

We want and need – and pray to God for – REVIVAL in our mutual missionary endeavors.  We have deep needs, but God promises us that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against’ His churches and the mission He has committed to us to fulfill.

WE ARE INVITING YOU TO COME AND JOIN US FOR THIS TIME OF SEEKING THE FACE OF GOD AND THE POWER AND GLORY OF HIS GRACE UPON US.

WE ENCOURAGE CHURCHES TO PAY YOUR PASTOR’S [AND HIS WIFE] TRAVEL EXPENSES TO ATTEND THIS CONFERENCE.  It will give them the opportunity to enjoy what is always a much-needed physical and spiritual re-charging for your church’s ministry. They will come back to you with a greater burden, zeal, and enthusiasm for missions.

We use these Conference occasions to highlight what God is doing around the world through our missionaries…and update our missions partners concerning their ministries…and also stir up all of us to greater interest, investment, and involvement in our mutual missions endeavors.

Will you take the lead to ask your church to do this for your pastor, our missionaries, and your church?

Thank you for your friendship and especially for your fellowship in missions.  We hope to have the opportunity to fellowship, pray, worship, and seek God together with you during this Missions Conference.  Please make every effort you can to come and share this occasion with us.

———————————-

CONFERENCE OFFERING:
DESIGNATED FOR OUR ‘GENERAL FUND’ 

Our greatest need continues to be increased supplies for our GENERAL FUND.  Our GENERAL FUND offerings provide for all the commitments we have made to our missionaries.  For example, every month, we disburse AT LEAST $46,034.54 from the GENERAL FUND just for the Essential Maintenance Transactions [EMT] which supply the essential and basic ‘living expenses’ commitments we have made to our missionaries.  These include their salaries, standard ministry expense allowances, hospitalization premiums, and the publication of their newsletters we print and send to you each month to report on their ministry activities.

And, that is not including also the expenses paid for from the GENERAL FUND which finance the other commitments and benefits they receive each month or periodically through the year as they are due.

WE DO NOT ASK THEM TO ‘RAISE’ THESE SUPPORT FUNDS FOR THEMSELVES.  But, if monthly GENERAL FUND offerings are not sufficient to cover those disbursements, then we have no choice but to NOT GIVE THEM those same monthly commitments proportionate to the current deficits in GENERAL FUND monthly offerings.  That is why we are always emphasizing THE GENERAL FUND offerings.

And, as most of you know, beginning in January 2013, we gave our missionaries a much-needed and long-overdue 5% increase of their monthly salaries.  We are now one quarter into the year, and our monthly GENERAL FUND supplies are running very close.  We have always made our commitments to our missionaries BY FAITH and ‘AS THE LORD SUPPLIES.’

So, we are asking you to give as generously as you can to our Conference Offerings which we will use to replenish their GENERAL FUND supplies for their essential living and ministry expenses.

If you cannot attend the Conference, but still want to give a gift, send it to our Treasurer:

Pastor George Sledd
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe FL 32747-1280

Or, you can contribute online either by check/debit or by credit card securely on the Donate/Support page of our website. Enter your designation for SPRING CONFERENCE OFFERING in the Memo field.

———————————-
SPECIAL NOTE: We are blessed to have in attendance for this Conference both of our longest-serving and most-veteran missionaries: John and Alta Hatcher and Harold Bratcher. They will both be preaching during this Conference and we want to give them special recognition during the Tuesday evening service and express our profound respect and appreciation to them for their faithful and fruitful service to Jesus Christ in fellowship with Baptist Faith Missions. We encourage you to join us for that service!———————————-

Related Posts:


Read more

2013 BFM Spring Conference Travel & Accommodations Info

 MOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS INFORMATION

We are still recommending the Quality Inn Northwest / 750 NEWTOWN COURT / LEXINGTON  KY 40511 / 859.233.0561  Ask the desk attendant for Thompson Road Baptist Church event rates.  Mike Clark said that if there is any question about these arrangements, ask for him personally.

ONE QUEEN BED room is $49.95TWO DOUBLE BEDS room is $59.95.  They also offer continental breakfast on the premises, in-room coffeemaker, hairdryer, iron and ironing board, and high-speed internet access.

WE ENCOURAGE CHURCHES TO PAY YOUR PASTOR’S [AND HIS WIFE] TRAVEL EXPENSES TO ATTEND THIS CONFERENCE.  It will give them the opportunity to enjoy what is always a much-needed physical and spiritual re-charging for your church’s ministry.  We use these Conference occasions to highlight and update our missions partners concerning our missionaries’ ministries and also stir up all of us to greater interest, investment, and involvement in our mutual missions endeavors.  He will come back to you with a greater burden, zeal, and enthusiasm for missions.

Will you take the lead to ask your church to do this for your pastor, our missionaries, and your church?

 

SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMMODATIONS

The Lord has blessed our church over the past year to make some much-needed upgrades and improvements to our facility to accommodate our own members and guests who suffer from physical mobility impairments.  We have installed an elevator-lift to transport persons from one level to the other, and also we have completely renovated or constructed new restrooms [both male and female] which are wheelchair accessible.  These improvements will make all of our activities much more comfortable and accessible.

 

TRAVEL DIRECTIONS

GPS ADDRESS:  320 THOMPSON ROAD, LEXINGTON KY 40508
[Google Map

FROM SOUTH ON I-75: Get off at Exit 104 (Athens-Boonesborough). Turn west toward town. You will be on Athens-Boonesborough Road / Richmond Road Extension. As you approach Lexington, the road will become Richmond Road around Jacobson Park. Continue straight into Lexington. Richmond Road will become Main Street. You will pass the Rupp Arena / Lexington Convention Center on your left. Turn left at the next traffic light. This is Jefferson Street. Turn right in the middle of the overpass bridge onto Manchester. About one mile down Manchester, turn right on Thompson Road and come to the top of the hill.

FROM NORTH ON I-75 OR EAST / WEST ON I-64: I-75 and I-64 merge for a few miles on the north/northeast side of Lexington. Come to Exit 115 on 64/75. This is Newtown Pike (State Route 922). Turn south toward Lexington. Follow Newtown Pike until you come to Main Street. Go straight across Main Street onto Oliver Lewis Way.  Turn right at the next traffic light onto Manchester / Old Frankfort Pike. Follow Manchester about one mile. Turn right on Thompson Road and come to the top of the hill.

If you choose to stay at Quality Inn, then follow the second set of directions above and Quality Inn will be on your left behind the Shell station just before you get to the New Circle Road interchange [1 mile from 64/75].

———————————-
Related Posts:


Read more

2013 BFM Spring Conference

We welcome you to join us for the

53rd Annual Spring Missions Conference
April 22, 23, 24 | 2013

Hosted by Thompson Road Baptist Church
320 Thompson Road | Lexington, KY 40508
Dave Parks, Pastor-Teacher  |  859.223.8374 | daveparks @insightbb.com
Conference Theme: “O Lord, Revive Your Work”
O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years…!
– Habakkuk 3:2 –

Monday Evening, April 22
5-6:00 pm     Supper

7:00 pm         Praise
7:15 pm         Pastor Harold Draper
                         Seventh Street Baptist Church | Cannelton, IN

8:00 pm        Praise
8:20 pm        Missionary-Pastor Harold Bratcher | Lexington, KY
                         53½ years of faithful service in Brazil; Relocating to States

Tuesday Morning, April 23
9:30 am         Praise

9:45 am         Pastor Mark Pyles
                          Grace Baptist Church | Fairborn, OH
10:25 am       Break
10:30 am      General Seminar/Workshop
“O LORD, REVIVE YOUR WORK!”  | And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord. [Acts 11:21]
                          Ladies’ Seminar conducted by Alta Hatcher
Veteran Missionary to Brazil
12:00 noon    Lunch
1:30 pm          Open Forum for Q&A/Suggestions & Advice

Tuesday Evening, April 23
Special recognition and appreciation will be expressed for John & Alta Hatcher and Harold Bratcher during this session. 

5-6:00 pm     Supper
7:00 pm         Praise
7:15 pm         Missionary-Pastor John A. Hatcher | Urai, Brasil
                         Marking 58 years of faithful service in Brazil

8:00 pm        Praise
8:20 pm        Missionary-Pastor David Hatcher with John A. Hatcher
                         History and Progress of the Lord’s churches in Manaus, Brasil and beyond

Wednesday Morning, April 24
9:30 am         Praise
9:40 am         Pastor Carl Morton
                          Berry Baptist Church | Berry, KY
10:20 am       Praise

10:30 am       Pastor Jeff Hurst
                          
Calvary Baptist Church | Hurricane, WV
11:10 am       Break

11:20 am       Pastor Mark Campbell
Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church | Salyersville, KY
12:00 noon    Lunch

Wednesday Evening, April 24
5-6:00 pm     Supper

7:00 pm         Praise
7:15 pm         Pastor Richard Westfall
                         Hardman Fork Baptist Church | Normantown, WV

———————————-

CHILDREN’S MISSIONS CONFERENCE SESSIONS

Every year we conduct sessions for the children [age 4 through grade 5] who attend our Conference services.  Sis. Debbie Parks conducts these learning and activity sessions.  Each year, we focus on a particular nation of the world, highlighting its culture and customs along with their need for the Gospel and opportunities to take the Gospel to those peoples.  This year’s theme nation is BRASIL

Our Children’s Center is always set up with crafts and activities which engage the children’s attention and interests in the missions lessons.  

———————————-
A Word document of a full conference packet is available for download here:
53rd Annual BFM Spring Conference

———————————-
Related Posts:


Read more

Missionary Update: Odali & Kathy Barros [March 2013]

Odali and Kathy Barros have served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil for many years. In addition to leading their newest church, they also run “Alpha Omega Family Development,” which provides a home and stability for needy people, many of whom are recovering drug addicts, etc.

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

Hope this finds each of you doing well. We are doing great. The Lord has blessed us with many great things in our lives and ministry. As we have mentioned in other letters, we are still having our Saturday night get-together with the people from church. This has brought great results! We encourage each one to bring some one new to the get-together. Through this,  several people that came are now coming to church. Some have been coming on Sunday and also to our mid-week service. It is great to see more people each week bringing others.

They have been having fellowships on Saturday nights with people from church where they encourage their church members to bring someone new. They have seen great results with new people attending their services!

Sunday morning we have several kids that come faithfully. There are some that you can tell probably come to eat a good meal. There is one specific family that even brought their mom. She came several times and then quit. Last week she came again. While we were singing a specific song about having faith and trusting the Lord, she started crying and got up to go outside. One of the ladies in the church followed her outside. She said, “I want to believe and trust the Lord, but it is hard when you don’t even have salt in your house.” How would you feel if that were you? Would you have faith? Sunday in service I asked if some one would like to go visit the lady. Kathy, Lizene and Marcio, a newly saved young man offered to go. They set a time and went. Sure enough–they had nothing to eat. After they came back we decided how we could better help them. First of all, Kathy told her that it was very important that she understand that God loved her and wanted to give her much more that just food, He wanted to give her eternal life. Marcio, the newly saved young many gave his testimony. What a wonderful time!!!!! We believe that by helping them solve their physical hunger, they can then listen to how to satisfy their spiritual hunger and needs. It is probably hard to get someone to listen about God when you have no food, 3 light bills, and 3 water bills to be paid. So we helped them with some food and started by paying one light bill and one water bill. The mother said she wanted to keep coming to church. I talked to the kids and asked them to pray with us so that we can get their father to go to church. When you don’t have God in your life, it is not always easy to understand why you have problems and have nothing to feed your kids.

As you can see, they have many children who faithfully come on Sundays.

While I was writing this letter, I had to get up and run to the emergency room to take a mother and her 3 year-old son. They live here with us. The son had fainted. Pray for them.

Serving people and helping them to understand God’s love is a tremendous feeling. Actually, that is what Jesus did in His ministry on earth. We are privileged to be able to do some of what He did. Continue to pray for these people, for us, and for the ministry. Thanks to all of you who have been faithful in your prayers and your financial support. God bless all of you.

In Christ,
Odali & Kathy

Odali & Kathy Barros
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
Blog
Av. Victor Hugo Boaretto S/N
Garca, Sao Paulo 17.400,000
Brasil, SA

Click here to donate to BFM.


Read more

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

Click here to give now.


Read more

FaithWORKS Report [March 2013]

2013 SPRING MISSIONARY BIBLE CONFERENCE
April 22-24
Hosted by Thompson Road Baptist Church | Lexington, KY | Dave Parks, Pastor
Block these dates and plan to attend.

The theme for our Conference is “O LORD, REVIVE YOUR WORK!” based on Habakkuk’s prayer in Habakkuk 3.2.

Be checking our website’s FaithWorks Blog and Events pages for the complete Conference program. One of the prominent features of this Spring Conference will be the presence of two of our most veteran missionaries: Harold Bratcher and John and Alta Hatcher. Brother Bratcher is retiring from 53½ years of active and faithful overseas service and is relocating here in the States. John and Alta Hatcher are marking 58 years of missionary service in Brasil. We will be blessed to have these faithful servants of the Lord in our Conference services – and we want to take this opportunity to recognize them and express our love and gratitude to God and to them for their exemplary service.


LBC ALUMNI BREAKFASTPicture courtesy of http://baptisthistoryhomepage.com/

WHEN: Thursday, April 25 from 9:00 am-1:00 pm
[This will be the Thursday morning following the conclusion of the BFM Spring Missions Conference.]
WHERE: The old Ashland Avenue Church Building at 163 North Ashland Avenue; Lexington, Kentucky
COST: No cost for the breakfast
Alumni, Family, & Friends Welcome!

For more information, please correspond with Michael Campbell at jacknjackie [at] windstream.net.  


THANK YOU EACH ONE FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS TO OUR GENERAL FUND!

Our General Fund supplies the essential disbursements we make to our missionaries each month for their salary, standard expense funds, hospitalization premiums, and their correspondences with you through this Mission Sheets.

The total disbursement each month just for these Essential Maintenance Transactions is $46,039.61. That amount must be supplied each month from the General Fund to supply these commitments. If we don’t receive sufficient offerings to meet these commitments, then we will necessarily have to REDUCE the deposits we make to your missionaries’ accounts.

We want to thank EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU who gives faithfully and generously to our General Fund each month. We do talk with some of you as we meet up with you from place to place and try to express our profound gratitude to God for you. YOUR OFFERINGS TO THE GENERAL FUND DURING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY PREVENTED US FROM HAVING TO REDUCE OUR MONTHLY COMMITMENTS TO OUR MISSIONARIES DURING THIS MONTH OF MARCH. For that, we thank you – and thank God for you!


THANKSGIVING OFFERING TOTAL-TO-DATE:  $52,348.17

You will note in the Contributions Record in this issue that an additional $1,250.00 was given for our current Thanksgiving Offering last month. We bless God for each one of you who has given to this offering. We are still running $4000.00 behind last year’s total offering – and last year’s Thanksgiving Offering did not carry us through to the end of 2012 to meet our missionaries’ support services. But, we know that you who have given have done so faithfully, generously, and faithfully – and we bless God for every one of you.

The offering is still open for your contributions – or re-contributions as God supplies you with the ability to give.

These offerings are essential to fulfilling the financial benefits and commitments we have made to provide for their needs and to support all the activities required to keep their ministries going.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY TO GOD – AND ASK HIM TO GIVE YOU A GENEROUS OFFERING TO CONTRIBUTE! ‘THANK YOU!’ to every one who has contributed this year to make this offering what it is!


FOUNDERS MONTH OFFERING

June is our Founders Month and we will be asking you again for a special Founders Month Offering. We want to revive this giving ministry to help us continue to provide for our missionaries’ needs. Nothing we ever ask for or do is for any personal benefit to any of us – but everything is so we can continue to meet the commitments we have made to our missionaries so they can continue their daily ministries unhindered and undistracted by a lack of financial supplies.

Will you be praying ahead to June – and plan to participate with your church in a fellowship-wide FOUNDERS MONTH OFFERING?


MISSIONARIES’ FURLOUGH SCHEDULE

Harold Bratcher is retiring from 53½ years of active and faithful missionary service in Manaus, Brazil, and is relocating to live here in the States. He is selling his home in Manaus and is seeking to purchase a home here. If you wish to contact him before he establishes a permanent address, you may contact him at: 859.277.3716 / 1012 Balsam Drive, Lexington KY 40504 / or through his email address: harold_bratcher@yahoo.com


PRAY AND PRAISE!

  • MIKE AND BEV CREIGLOW – PRAISE GOD for God’s continuing work through all the ministries of First Baptist Church, Cruzeiro do Sul
  • JOHN AND ALTA HATCHER – PRAY that God will give them a good and safe trip to the States for our Spring Conference – and that God will sustain them with physical and spiritual strength.
  • JOHN AND JUDY HATCHER – PRAISE GOD for increasing interest among the young people they are reaching. PRAY for God to make the Word-seed grow in the hearts of those who recently completed their Bible reading adventure.
  • A.J. AND BARB HENSLEY – PRAY for two Conferences they are planning this year. PRAISE GOD for the people He is bringing to their new church plant and for the open doors of witnessing the Gospel.
  • NATHAN AND CARRIE RADFORD – PRAY always for the struggling church plant in Shangalamwe. They are continuing to instruct and encourage indigenous church independence and growth.
  • ROGER AND JULIE TATE – PRAY for God to make His work grow in Kenya. PRAY over his letter and chart outlining their groups they are forming under the leadership of Titus.
  • SHERIDAN AND ANITA STANTON – PRAISE GOD for a safe return to Peru and for delivering them through many obstacles. PRAISE GOD also for increases in their missions and new converts to Christ.
  • BOBBY AND CHARLENE WACASER – PRAY for God to raise up a pastoral leader for the new mission work in Corbelia. PRAISE GOD for the continuing open doors God is giving them for sharing the Gospel.
  • PAUL AND WANDA HATCHER – PRAISE GOD for the continuing good news from their church plants and for the harvest of converts God is bringing in.

Read more
^