Founder’s Day Offering 2014
For many years, we have remembered and honored our principal founders, Hafford Overbey and Z. E. Clark, by giving special offerings for the missionaries during the month of June. We call it our FOUNDER’S DAY OFFERING.
But, the Founder’s Day Offering not only memorializes our original founders in 1942 – we are also honoring our eleven faithful missionary families who are currently serving the Lord in Brazil, Peru, France, and Kenya.
Their support needs are great – and the supplies are low. We use the Founder’s Day Offering to help supply our missionaries’ monthly essential living and ministry support. And, these offerings will also help prevent our having to reduce the monthly commitments we have made to them due to a lack of General Fund supplies.
Here’s what each of us can do:
PASTORS – we encourage you to observe a special Missions or Great Commission Emphasis Sunday and give your church the opportunity to give to the BFM General Fund. Emphasize Jesus’ command to preach His Gospel to all nations. That is what our missionaries are doing. That is the original burden and vision that inspired the founding of BFM. We are continuing to perpetuate that vision and burden. That is what we are supporting when we give to BFM’s General Fund. We will use these offerings to continue to supply our missionaries’ on-going needs.
GIVING FRIENDS – if your church is not participating in our Founder’s Day Offering, we encourage you to support your missionaries by giving a personal offering. You can visit our Donate/Support page to easily contribute through the options we have made available to you.
Of course, you can give as the Lord enables you to give, and no offering of any amount is insignificant. But what if every one of our missionaries’ Giving Friends gave at least a $70 offering in honor of the 70+ years our missionaries have been faithfully preaching the Gospel? But – please do give as the Lord impresses and enables you.
Here are a couple of PDFs that might be helpful as you promote Founder’s Day:
BFM Founder’s Day Offering – Bulletin Insert
BFM Founder’s Day Offering – General Letter
BFM Founder’s Day Offering – Letter from Our President
The image below is ideal for a PowerPoint slide. To save the image, right click and click “Save Image As.”
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2014 Spring Conference [Wednesday Evening]
The Spring Conference came to a close tonight with a renewed sense that today is still indeed the day of salvation.
The final session opened with two congregationals: O Worship the King and Come Thou Fount followed by two specials: Compassion Hymn and I’m Feeling Fine, and one more congregational: Sweet By & By.
Director Dave Parks reminded us that the real test of whether a conference has been good is what we do when we go back home. He then offered thanks to and for all those who had helped with the conference and to all those who came. [And if she may interject, Phoebe here would like to extend a ginormous special thanks to Bro. Parks for all he gives and does to keep everything running so smoothly and for always doing every single task with such zeal. How blessed we are to have you serve.]
The Keyes also blessed us again in song as the offering was given.
Dr. Jim Scott Orrick, Professor of Literature and Culture at Boyce College, brought the final message from 1 Corinthians 15:12-28 about the necessity of believing in Christ’s Resurrection. If you take the resurrection of Christ out of Christianity, you no longer have Christianity.
Dr. Orrick said he often asks his students “What is the bare minimum we must believe in order to be a Christian?” He said that it is possible to believe all orthodox doctrines and still be lost. Salvation does not come by believing the right stuff, it comes to those who receive the living Christ. There is one doctrine you must believe: the Resurrection. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
If Jesus was not raised from the dead, all we have left is a doctrinal system and ethical system with a smoky smell of Christianity.
I. What if Jesus was not raised? (vs. 14)
A. Then our preaching is in vain. (vs. 15-16)
If Christ hasn’t been raised from the dead, then you’ve got nothing to talk about.
B. Then our faith is in vain.
1. You are still in your sins.
Christ not being raised indicates that God was not pleased with His sacrifice.
2. All that was needed to happen for your salvation was not taken care of with His suffering alone. Your salvation requires the ongoing intercession for you. “Before the throne of God above, I have a strong and perfect plea, A great high Priest whose Name is Love Who ever lives and pleads for me.” We are forgiven because before the throne of God, there is a living Man.
“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (vs. 19) But do we really feel that way? We often love the world too much. We live as if we are creatures of this world when we should be living as sons and daughters of the King who have been reconciled to God! (Matthew 13:45-47; Psalm 73)
Christ is representing. He is the firstfruits, which means more will be raised. (vs. 20)
Since this whole mess was started by a man, this whole mess will be corrected by a Man. His resurrection guarantees your resurrection. (vs. 21-23)
He’s not only representing, He is also reigning. He’s putting down all rule, authority and power. He’s already dealt a death blow to death. Christians still fail physically–they die–but, your spirit will never see death. He is going to destroy the last whimpering remnants of death!
With His resurrection ringing in your ear, hear Him say the following:
“All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
And with these truths, commands, and promises ringing fresh in our ears and taking lodging in our hearts, the 54th Annual Spring Conference came to a close as we sang “Hear the Call of the Kingdom.”
May we be swift to remember that today is the day of salvation and never fail to introduce anyone to our wonderful Savior.
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2014 Spring Conference [Wednesday Morning]
The final day of the Spring Conference began in an overcast, chilly Lexington at 9:30 Wednesday morning.
John Hatcher, missionary to Brazil, opened the morning session by sharing some of his experiences in ministry and how the Lord has blessed them and then shared some Scripture. “Through many dangers, toils, and snares…’tis grace has brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.”
John 1:1-5, 14; 14:1-2, 36; 1 John 3:1-2-Oh how God loves us.
God will provide and He is still providing.
Romans 12:1-2
Darrell Messer, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Bellbrook, Ohio, brought the second message from 1 Peter 3, mainly focusing on verse 15.
This is the problem: how involved are we in the day of salvation?
1) Sanctification: “But” goes back to vs. 13-14 which is why we are to set Him apart.
2) Preparation: Be ready. Spend time with God. Know how to answer.
3) Presentation: To give an answer. Get in the Word.
4) Anticipation: A hope that transcends this life. Speak with meekness and fear, not with arrogance.
We don’t witness because of fear of men or because our life doesn’t match our witness. (vs. 16)
Larry Fisher, Pastor of Rosedale Baptist Church in Rosedale, West Virginia delivered the final message before another delicious lunch from 2 Corinthians 6.
“Then” working together with Him. All is nothing without Him. “Without Me you can do nothing.” We are not working to win the battle, the battle is one.
“Succoured” in verse 2 means to go to the aid or lift up. He helps us. He has said “do not receive the grace of God in vain.” This must mean we can receive the grace of God in vain. He has given us the time to work. Now is the accepted time, behold now is the time of salvation. Blind Bartimaeus knew the time was now for him to receive his sight.
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2014 Spring Conference [Tuesday Evening]
The 54th Annual Spring Conference continued this evening at Thompson Road Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. We were all thankful to be worshipping inside as it was raining and starting to get a bit chilly outside!
♪ Bro. Donnie Hamilton led the congregation in “Love Lifted Me” and in a new song by the Gettys called “Hear the Call of the Kingdom”. [You can listen here.] ♪
♪ Shirley Messer and Heather Messer Carrus sang “The Power of the Cross” just before the message. ♪ Took the blame, bore the wrath, we stand forgiven at the cross! ♪
Bro. Jim Orrick, Director of BFM, gave a history of the beginnings of BFM. Bro. Orrick has been at every Spring Conference since they started in 1961 (except for one when he had fallen off a ladder and broken his hip, but he still received a phone call from the pulpit so his perfect attendance would stay in tact!).
You can’t read the Bible without seeing that God has a heart for missions. In fact, God was a missionary. “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son…” –Galatians 4:4 // John 3:17
BFM has been in existence for 72 years. Hundreds of churches have been established and are still functioning all over the world.
It all began in the land of Brazil. Before BFM came along, at the end of the Civil War, some in the South decided to move to Brazil. A Confederate officer who had moved there with his family ended up returning to the States and wrote an article about the need for missionaries in Brazil. A man named William Bagley read the article and heeded the call, arriving in Brazil in 1881. He also wrote articles about the need for missionaries in Brazil, which were read by E.A. Nelson in Kansas. Nelson went to Brazil in 1891. With the help of Solomon Ginsberg, a saved Jewish man who was a missionary, they organized a church in 1897 and the first Baptist converts were baptized in the Amazon River. In 1900, Nelson organized the First Baptist Church of Manaus.
Meanwhile, in western Kentucky, a very mission-minded pastor, Boyce Taylor, had founded the Western Kentucky Bible Institute. His brother, WC Taylor, shared with him about “poor old Nelson” who was all alone down in the Amazon Valley. In 1922, WC went to Brazil and upon his return, the First Baptist Church of Murray, Kentucky, organized the Amazon Valley Baptist Faith Mission with the purpose to raise support for E.A. Nelson and any other preacher called to the Amazon. They raised $3,000 to buy a boat they called “The Buffalo”–it was the first oil-burning oil boat on the Amazon River.
In 1936, LM Bratcher (Harold’s uncle) went on a river trip with Nelson where Nelson became very ill and had to return to Manaus. He died in 1939 and all the stores in Manaus closed for his funeral.
The Amazon Valley BFM had sent out 8 missionary couples, but only 2 of them had stayed on the field any length of time. The first was Joseph Brandon who went to Brazil in 1923. He organized the first Baptist Church in all of the Acre Territory, where Bro. Mike Creiglow is now.
Brandon changed sponsoring churches often and ended up losing his support. He met with HH Overbey and ZE Clark and they agreed if Brandon would go back to Brazil, they would raise support for him. HH Overbey promised to print monthly mission letters. This was the beginning of BFM.
There were 30 copies printed of the first Mission Sheet in which the offerings were recorded (a grand total of $14.50 for the first month).
The second missionary was RP Hallum who went to Peru with his family in 1935. They were supported by leftover funds in the Amazon Valley BFM at First Baptist in Murray. In 1937, they organized the First Baptist Church of Iquitos with 11 members, the oldest Baptist Church in Peru.
There have been many missionaries who have served in different countries over the years, including a native missionary in Columbia, a family in Honduras, the Carvers in Korea, 3 families in the Philippines, in addition to our current missionaries who are serving in Brazil, France, Kenya, and Peru.
Our missionary family has not been large, but their service has been long and their faithfulness has been great.
In closing, Bro. Orrick mentioned four things churches can do to help BFM.
1) Invite the missionaries into your churches when they’re home so you can get to know them.
2) Encourage people to read the Mission Sheets.
3) Promote offerings, special offerings, and projects
4) Give Memorial Offerings when people pass away
♪ Following the first message, we sang “Send the Light” and then the conference offering was given as Bro. Stanley & Sis. Emily Keyes from Illinois ministered in song through trombone, piano, and voice. ♪ O What Love ♪ (Lyrics)
There was a record number of BFM-associated families who were present and we recognized their years of sacrifice and faithful service. Missionary families represented included the Turners, Lauermans, Bratchers, Hatchers, Creiglows, Adams, Drapers, and Radfords.
♪ Wanda Hatcher, missionary to Brazil, sang a beautiful version of ‘Tis So Sweet, part of which was in Portuguese.
Paul Hatcher, missionary to Brazil, brought the second message from John 17. He started by reminding us that it’s all about sowing and plowing, and sowing and plowing, and sowing and plowing, and eventually, there will be a harvest.
The Gospel has to be put out there and sown day after day. Even in all of our goof-ups and mess-ups, God has taken all of these things and has made it work. The Gospel has been sown and God makes it produce. From Christ to our day, people have been sowing and reaping and sowing and reaping. So here we are, sowing and reaping. And since we are sowing and reaping, there will be another generation who will sow and reap. The work doesn’t depend on us though–our Heavenly Father makes it all grow.
No one will come to salvation without knowing the Son. People have to hear about and be introduced to this wonderful Jesus.
How marvelous that He would choose to dwell in earthly vessels like you and me.
God loves sinners who don’t have anything to return. Our world is reciprocal and the love of the world is reciprocal. Give to them and they give to you. But that is not God’s love. His love is love because He loves. It is His nature to love.
Our unity, which is a product of our love, is what will convince the world that Christ has come. “I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved Me.” -John 17:21
What do you have that is different? God became a man and lives inside of you!
The day of salvation has arrived because you have arrived. But it’s not because of anything you have–but because HE dwells within you.
We ended the evening by singing, “Jesus, I am Resting”.
♪ Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed! ♪
We hope you can join us tomorrow! [Schedule]
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2014 Spring Conference [Tuesday Morning]
The second day of the 54th annual BFM Spring Missions Conference began at 9:30 a.m.
John Divito from the Midwest Center for the Theological Studies shared about why MCTS exists (2 Timothy 2:2), what MCTS is, what MCTS offers, and how God is using MCTS. You can find out more about MCTS at www.mctsowensboro.org.
Christopher Young then shared his burden for the mission field in Cancun, Mexico.
Nathan Radford, missionary to Kenya, concluded the morning session with Psalm 116:2 and Matthew 9:36-38. He shared about the benefits he was thankful for, their ministries, and also the challenges of the mission field (loneliness, homesickness, cultural fatigue, slander lies, and discouragement).
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Spring Conference 2014 [Monday Evening]
Our 54th Annual Spring Conference began this evening at Thompson Road Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky.
Bro. Jim Orrick led the congregation in a mission hymn he learned from Bro. Harold Bratcher, “Go Ye Into All the World”.
♪ Far, far away, in death and darkness dwelling,
Millions of souls forever may be lost;
Who, who will go, salvation’s story telling,
Looking to Jesus, heeding not the cost? ♪. After which, we sang “All Hail the Power”.
♪ “Let ev’ry kindred, ev’ry tribe, on this terrestrial ball to Him all majesty ascribe and crown Him Lord of all. ” ♪
Pastor David Mitchell, who is the teaching pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Hurricane, West Virginia, was the first speaker. His text was from 1 Corinthians 9.
What our churches do at home is vitally important to the effect of missions abroad.
Missionary William Carey told his supporters, “I will go down into the well if you hold the rope.” If we’re not doing missions in our community, we won’t be able to hold the ropes much longer for our foreign missionaries.
Is your church inward focused or outward focused? Does it exist to serve the members or reach the lost?
There are four hindrances to being an externally focused, mission-minded church.
1) Spiritual Hindrances
We must be beholding the face of Jesus for that is where transformation takes place. Our ministry is to be image-bearers of Jesus and to let the world see Jesus in us. (2 Corinthians 3:17-4:1)
2) Personal Prejudices (Acts 10)
Peter was to reach the Gentiles…and it was time to do something different.
3) Cultural & Historical Preferences (1 Chronicles 12:32)
Jesus never told the world to go to church. He told the church to go to the world. Know what’s going on in the world around you and know how to relate to the culture. Paul knew what people were reading and the happenings at Mars Hill. (Acts 17)
4) Generational Gap
Learn to adapt your approach to how people process things.
Can our kind of church reach our kind of world? What are we willing to become to reach coming generations for Christ?
You and I are believers because of foreign missions.
♪ Following the first message, we sang “At Calvary” and then the conference offering was given as Bro. Stanley & Sis. Emily Keyes from Illinois ministered in song through trombone, piano, and voice. ♪ He died for me! ♪ This couple has been so faithful to come and play at the Spring Conference for the past 19 years–and what a blessing they are!
All the Pastors and ministers in attendance stood up to represent their churches, representing churches from Florida, Michigan, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio, Kenya, Brazil, and elsewhere.
♪ Lydia & Sarah Wainright played a piano and flute duet of “Just Over in Gloryland” right before the second message.
Pastor Jonathan Turner, who pastors Richland Baptist Church in Livermore, Kentucky, brought the second message, from Luke 4:16-30.
It was here that Jesus would publicly declare who He was and define the purpose of His ministry. If this describes the ministry of Christ, does this then describe our ministry? It should.
Who is the audience?
1) The poor. The physically poor, but especially the spiritually poor. This world has nothing to offer but scraps in comparison to the offerings of eternity!
2) The brokenhearted. Those who are crushed under burdens. People are under great burdens just by living in this world, but they’re also under great spiritual burdens without Christ.
3) The captives. Those who have been captured and forced to go with their captors. People are held in bondage by Satan and their sin, but often don’t realize they are in bondage. (2 Timothy 2:26; Ephesians 2:1-3; John 8:3-4)
4) Blind. Those who are spiritually blind, whose eyes have been darkened. (Psalm 82:5; 2 Corinthians 4:4; John 12:37-40)
5) Bruised. Every single human–our very humanity–has been marred by Satan and Christ alone can recreate our image to what it needs to be.
So our audience is made up of everybody, but sometimes we pick and choose. Our message is for everyone. My audience is everyone I come into contact with. My audience is the world.
What kind of message do we have for our audience? Our message is proclaiming the Good News of Christ. Jesus drew people to Himself; likewise, we point people to Jesus Christ. Point people to the cross and the Risen Savior. That’s when their burdens fall away. (Hebrews 2:14-15)
We have a big task, but we have Someone bigger than the task. We aren’t the liberator, deliverer, or healer, but we know Who is!
Tell them about Jesus. Our message is Christ!
We ended the evening by singing, “Just As I Am”.
♪ Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind; sight, riches, healing of the mind, yea, all I need in Thee to find, O Lamb of God, I come. I come. ♪
We hope you can join us tomorrow! [Schedule]
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FaithWORKS Report [April 2014]
PRAY AND PRAISE in this issue…
- MIKE AND BEV CREIGLOW— PRAISE GOD for good visits 290 miles up-river with five missionaries in four villages.
- JOHN AND ALTA HATCHER—PRAISE GOD for being able to celebrate nearly 60 years of service in Brazil with the pastors and people in Urai. PRAY for them as they transition to a year-long furlough.
- JOHN MARK AND JUDY HATCHER—PRAISE GOD for the ways He’s blessing their investment (and your investment!) in France. PRAY the believers there would be encouraged. PRAY for those who are seeking truth.
- PAUL AND WANDA HATCHER—PRAISE GOD for one new church organized in Coroado and one ordained to pastoral ministry. PRAISE GOD for one family who moved to a capital city in a northeastern state of Brazil to start a new church plant. PRAY that this family will fully rely on God to overcome all challenges and as they seek the best location to rent, make new friends, evangelize, and disciple new believers. PRAY for them as they transition to a year-long furlough with their parents.
- NATHAN AND CARRIE RADFORD—PRAISE GOD for insight on raising “third culture” kids. PRAY God would give them wisdom as they raise their children. PRAY as they prepare to return to Kenya, all the logistics of packing and what to take and what to leave behind. PRAY Carrie would be able to obtain the permit that is necessary to continue the hospital ministry upon their return in June.
- SHERIDAN AND ANITA STANTON—PRAISE GOD for the help of three from the States to train Peruvians how to drywall. PRAISE GOD for how they were also able to help a church in a mountain town with their building.
- ROGER AND JULIE TATE—PRAISE GOD for time they were able to spend with family and friends while on furlough. PRAY for them as they adjust back to life in Kenya. PRAY for God to lead them to a rental house to train in and to send them faithful men they can teach to teach others.
- BOBBY AND CHARLENE WACASER—PRAISE GOD for working through the team of young people from Brandon, Florida to share the Gospel in parks and with over 6,000 students and teachers in public schools. PRAISE GOD for using Charlene to share His love through ESL Classes—and especially for His work in the heart of Ana Paula.
YOUR MARCH GENERAL FUND OFFERINGS…
When you review the Contributions page in this issue, you will note that the monthly General Fund Offerings total given in March is $25,634.71. First, we thank God and commend every one of you gives to the monthly General Fund. Without your faithful and sacrificial giving, our missionaries would not be receiving month-by-month what we are able to provide for them.
However, that being said, our total monthly commitments to our missionary families – which must be supplied from the monthly General Fund – amount to $43,300.54. Every month, that same amount must be disbursed just for their essential maintenance. If each of us will remember that number as we give to the monthly General Fund – $43,300.00 – it will help remind us of the gigantic financial responsibility just to ‘keep them on the field,’ ‘keep the lights on,’ and supply their essential living and ministry expenses.
When the monthly General Fund Offering doesn’t meet that disbursement threshold [$43,300.00], then we have no other choice but to reduce the amount of disbursements to our missionary families by the proportionate amount we did not receive in General Fund offerings.
We know you have heard this before – and we also know that we keep repeating ourselves – but the first of every month, it comes around again! Please make a generous offering to your missionaries’ General Fund right now – or increase your present giving!
You can give online by going to our website: baptistfaithmissions.org and click on the ‘Donate/Support’ tab. Designate your offering for ‘General Fund’. Thank you on behalf of our missionaries!
Click here to make a one-time donation.
Click here to set up a recurring donation.
JUNE IS FOUNDER’S DAY OFFERING MONTH
We are coming up on June again, and we are appealing to you to give an extraordinary offering to our Founder’s Day Offering to supply our missionaries’ Essential Maintenance needs.
72 years ago, Hafford Overbey began appealing for and receiving offerings to assist in the support of a missionary who had returned to the Amazon Valley in Brazil. Baptist Faith Missions has been assisting Baptist churches in sending their missionaries to the nations of the world for the purpose of church-planting missions ever since.
We recognize that many of you do not remember Hafford Overbey or Z. E. Clark, the first Treasurer of Baptist Faith Missions. But, what you do need to remember is that your missionaries who are currently serving the Lord in the nations of the world are carrying on with the same missionary vision and ministry that prompted the very first missions offering in 1942.
So, will you please help us? Last year [2013], it was the Founder’s Day Offering that enabled us to NOT have to reduce our missionaries’ monthly funds. We devote the Founder’s Day Offering to supplying our missionaries’ monthly Essential Maintenance Transactions. What that means is: we will supply any deficits in our Monthly General Fund Offerings with Founder’s Day Offering funds.
So, by giving to the Founder’s Day Offering, you are helping your missionaries receive the full commitments of monthly funds they must have to maintain their living and ministry needs.
[Click here to download the BFM Founders Day Offering Appeal 2014]
SPECIAL JUNE ISSUE OF MISSION SHEETS
In addition to this regular monthly Mission Sheets, we will also be mailing to you an additional issue of Mission Sheets in June designated exclusively to Founder’s Day month and the Founder’s Day Offering. Be watching for it!
BFM BROCHURES
We now have TWO very attractive and informative professionally-produced brochures. We want you to help us get these promotional messages into the hands of anyone and everyone who is interested in the mission work the Lord is accomplishing through the missionaries who are supported by your offerings through BFM.
(1) The first of these brochures is one that will introduce you to BFM and inform you about the basic principles by which BFM functions. (click here to view)
(2) The second brochure is just now ‘hot off the press.’ This one is entitled “Caring for those who care for the world,” and is designed to inform and explain just how essential the monthly General Fund is to the daily living and ministry needs of our missionaries. (click here to view)
Both of them are full-color, either 6 or 8 pages 8 ½ x 11 format, pictorial, and informative. Will you please help us distribute these brochures as widely as you can?
If you will send your name and mailing address to:
Dave Parks, 3985 Boston Road, Lexington KY 40514
email: daveparks[at]twc.com | phone: 859.223.8374 –
and tell us how many sets of these brochures you want – we will get them back to you by return shipping.
For now, you can access an electronic flip-through version of the new brochure by going to our website and clicking on the brochure cover.
Again, please serve as ambassadors for your missionaries by helping us get either single-copy sets to interested persons or bundles to distribute in our churches. The brochures will ‘speak for themselves’ – for our missionaries.
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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
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