Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [March 2013]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I’m doing something just a bit different this month. I’ve included a chart/picture that will hopefully give you a good idea of the happenings in Kitale and might clarify some of the thoughts in my head. More on that in a minute.
During my first term in Kenya, God began to show me that the traditional missionary approach (an approach I myself was following) was an approach that needed tweaking here in Kenya. If we were ever to get past the dependence and paternalism inherent in Kenyan Christianity and Kenyan churches we had to change our model. I didn’t want to go away from Biblical models. I, in fact, wanted to get closer to Biblical models. When we returned to Kenya after our first furlough we began to implement this new model. We started groups in people’s homes. We taught them simply from the Word of God. We trained local, lay leadership. We taught them self-governance and independence.
We taught them how to reproduce themselves without Western aid. Most of these groups slowly dwindled and faded until they had to fold. Only one of these groups became a struggling, small new church. Was it because the model was flawed that the groups dwindled and failed? No, I believe in this Biblical model now more than ever. I think what precipitated this group failure was the weekly presence of the white missionaries (Roger and Nathan) in the groups. The people would come to the meetings believing they would receive free handouts from us and when they realized they would not see their expectations fulfilled, they left and the groups faltered.
Now look at the chart/picture I have provided. I want to describe what is happening in this chart.
In one of the groups that we started was a young man by the name of Titus. Titus became very excited about the Biblical principles we were teaching and adhered firmly to and accepted our Biblical model for church planting. However, instead of us going with Titus and working directly with him in the village to start a new group, we taught and modeled for Titus the Biblical models, principles and teaching on church planting. Then we sent him out to do the work himself.
You can see from the chart the results of Titus’ work. First, he started a group in a village called Kipsongo. That group quickly grew to have about 30 members. From that one group, five other groups were started in five nearby villages: Kibomet, Shanti, Folkland, Matisi and Rafiki. One of those groups even began a new group in another nearby village called Bikeke. As you can see from the legend on the chart, all of these groups are progressing very well. The Kibomet group now has over 60 people attending the worship and Bible study every week. The most exciting part is what is becoming of these groups. We spent many weeks teaching Titus about what a church is (as opposed to just a Bible study group) and on how to organize and start a new church. Titus took these teachings and started teaching the Kipsongo and Kibomet groups on how to organize into a New Testament church. They are very close to being ready now to organize into New Testament churches. In a separate weekly session he has been teaching the leaders of the other groups the same Biblical teachings and principles.
All of this has been done without the presence of the white missionaries in the groups, a presence we have found can be damaging and preventative. We have been in much prayer about these happenings and believe God might be leading us to focus our church planting approach down a slightly different path (same Biblical model and principles just with a different path). Please be in prayer with us about these things.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Emily, Amy, & Josiah)
P.O. Box 96
Kitale, Kenya 30200
rojuta[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [March 2013]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making,”
February 26, 2013
Dear Fellow Team Members,
We are grateful for the privilege God gives us to be bearers of the the Good News to folks that live in Southern France as well as in other parts of the world. The four weeks since we last wrote to you have gone by quickly, but we have seen God at work.
On February 9, we had “young people’s evening in our home”. It seems that the quality of these meetings has continued to improve and the young people who come are attentive and are always interested in the date for the next meeting. Of the young folks who come, only one, has made a public profession of faith and followed the Lord in baptism. The passage we considered two weeks ago included “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” This is certainly the invitation of the Gospel for those who are lost as well as a reminder for those of us who are God’s children.
One of the many towns near us that need the Gospel.
Our oldest granddaughter brought a neighbor friend who had not previously been to a youth night. One the way home, this friend was so excited about the evening that she could hardly wait to tell her brother about it and invite him for the next time.
This past Sunday, one of the teen age girls who attends with her family brought a friend. Last Tuesday in Mazere, a young man, father of three, came for the first time and was quite attentive. He was brought by a couple who have participated with us in this Bible study from the time it was first implemented. We are encouraged by the desire the believers have to share their faith and introduce others to Christ.
This past Saturday, we had a pot luck dinner to conclude a three week Bible reading adventure. The purpose of this adventure was to encourage believers to grow in knowledge of God through the study of His Word. We chose key passages (one to four chapters per day) to be read daily. These covered the historical periods from Abraham to Nehemiah. Fourteen people read together and we discussed what they had learned during the dinner. Those who were involved testified that it was a great blessing to them. We want to do something similar several times during the coming year. This should help emphasize how important it is for God’s children to “know the scriptures” and to “study to show themselves approved”. One lady, who, was not involved this time, asked me Sunday, “When are we going to do this again?”
The Lord has recently given several good openings with neighbors and acquaintances. We would like for all of these and many others to be saved. Thank you for your faithful support which enables us to be here to communicate the Good News.
City of Mazere – We have Bible study near upper right hand corner.
Your fellow servants in France,
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher in Brazil [December 2012]
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.
Family
We’ve had a great month with the family. Just two weeks ago Melissa gave her first steps on her own. It was a tremendous joy to see her walk and watch her excitement in response to our enthused reaction. We celebrated her 1st birthday on December 1st. Sarah, Laura and Benjamin are on school break and are gearing up their bikes to go to the park whenever they get a chance.
Evangelistic Cookout
This last month we had an Evangelistic cookout with 72 guests on a holiday called “day of the deceased.” We had fantastic opportunities to share the Gospel. Before eating I preached concerning the resurrection of Christ and our new life in Him. Secondly, we shared individually as we ate with our friends. One man came to Christ. I’ve also had the chance to meet weekly with a couple as a result of the connection made that day.
Christmas Evangelism Camp
We scheduled a Christmas camp on December 15 & 16. We already have several families signed-up and look forward to an exciting and fun time with our unsaved and unchurched friends. Please, pray as we make preparations for the camp and for the hearts of those who will hear the Word.
Their latest Evangelistic Cookout had 72 guests.
Christmas Gift Baskets
This week we begin making our Christmas gift baskets and visiting peoples’ homes to present them with a basket and the Christmas message. It’s much easier to visit people with whom a previous contact has already been made, as opposed to “cold turkey” visits. We’ve made many new contacts through cookouts and other gatherings. We hope to make a lasting impact through this simple gesture of love.
The current members of Ativa gathered for the Lord’s Supper.
Mens’ Fishing Trip
In January we will have a men’s fishing trip. We will leave on a Friday and return on Saturday. We will spend the night at a local lodge. Many of our unchurched friends are already inviting their friends to join us. The Gospel message is always clearly announced at everything we do together. Pray for salvation decisions during this fishing trip.
Thanks
Thank you for you prayer and support. Please, continue to invest and pray as we work together until Christ’s second coming.
Grateful,
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [November 2012]
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
November 1, 2012
Dear praying friends,
Another month has quickly passed, and we are now at the end months of the year 2012. It is hard to believe that 2013 is just around the corner. Each year seems to go by faster and faster. I pray that we will commit ourselves anew to service to the Lord, wherever He leads us. I like Deuteronomy 13:4, which says “Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.” I pray that this would be our heart’s desire, that we would walk with the Lord, fear Him, keep His commandments, obey Him, serve Him, and cleave to Him. What a challenging verse from the Word of God.
The church plant in the village of Shangalamwe is continuing along well, for which I thank the Lord. My friend Roger Tate and I have been working with these dear people for several months now, and we have been able to see spiritual growth and progress. Some of the church members have grown discouraged as they have been faithful to go and share their faith, yet the work has been difficult and others have been giving excuses, etc. I tried to encourage them by sharing the verse in Galatians 6:9, which states “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” I reminded the church that we are to be faithful in serving the Lord, and leave the results with Him. Please pray for these members, that they would find strength and encouragement from the Lord and faithfully serve Him, no matter what the difficulties are.
We are also now meeting with a national, as he has been faithful to go and start different Bible study groups in the Kitale area. We have been meeting with him, sharing with him and training him to go and teach the lessons to other groups. The time will be coming where he will ask to see if the groups desire to be churches of the Lord Jesus Christ, so please be praying for him in the days ahead, that the Lord’s will would be done. It is good to do church planting using different ways, to compare and and see which is more effective in this culture. We covet your prayers as we continue to plant churches, with the Lord’s help, in the Kitale area.
The Annex prison ministry is continuing along well. We are now near the end of the course “Firm Foundations – From Creation to Christ.” The men coming seem to be really growing and doing well. I thank the Lord for this, and for their faithfulness to come and study the Word of God. I am also thankful for the cooperation of the head office of the Annex prison and also for the cooperation of the chaplains. Please pray for these men and their spiritual growth as they learn from the Word, as well as for the other men who have not yet decided to trust Christ and follow Him. How we need to share the Gospel message and share it with the lost. I love Luke 19:10, which says “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” We will keep you updated of this ministry.
In family news, please pray for each of us, and for our health and safety daily as we serve here. There are many health hazards here, and we would appreciate your prayers for our continued health as we serve in Kitale. Please also pray for us as it is now near the holiday season, and it is always hard to be away from those that we love. The Lord gives strength daily, and we are thankful for this. His strength is perfect when our strength is gone. We wish you all a great holiday season in America, and will be sure to keep you updated. God’s blessings to each of you.
Serving in Kitale,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [October 2012]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil for 36 years. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
Dear friends,
We send you greetings from the north and northeast of Brazil. The past three months have been very busy. We are thankful for all that God is doing. We rejoice that many are coming to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and receive believer’s baptism. Our prayers are for the millions who have not heard or have not believed in Jesus.
Wanda and I have travelled across most of the states in the north and northeast of Brazil in the last six weeks, organizing eleven missions into churches and ordaining eight pastors for the newly organized churches. It is great to see the growth of the gospel and the spiritual maturing of God’s children in each mission. Our desire and prayers for each new church is that they will continue growing and take the gospel to other places.
Churches were organized in the following locations: three in Manaus, in our home state of Amazonas, one in Belem, state of Pará, three in Boa Vista, state of Roraima, one in Fortaleza, state of Ceará, one in Parnamirim, state of Rio Grande do Norte, one in João Pessoa, state of Paraiba, and one in São Luis, State of Maranhão.
I taught a sixteen-hour training seminar in most of these locations prior to the organization. We have also been helping them with all the red tape to get their legal paper work, and the transfer of the property deeds to the new churches, usually a three to six month process.
The Lord’s mandate is still before us. We have visited a great number of small cities and towns with no Baptist churches; pray that the lord will grant us sensitive hearts and wisdom to make best usage of our time and energy.
In the last ten months the Lord has added two wonderful grandchildren to our family, Melissa to Judson and Raquel, and Noah to Leigh and Michael. We now have a total of seven grandchildren. Pray they will all grow in the nurture and grace of our Lord Jesus. The three oldest ones have already trusted the Lord and been baptized. Praise the Lord.
Thanks for your prayers and faithful support,
Paul and Wanda
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
Avenida J. Carlos Antony, 172
65063-150 Manaus
Amazonas, Brasil SA
hatcher[at]argo.com.br
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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher [October 2012]
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.
October 5, 2012
THANKFUL HEART
Thank you for your faithful prayers and investing in missions.
Thank you Bro. David Pitman & Addyston Baptist Church, Addyston, OH for
taking us on for support. Thank you also to Atlantic Shores Baptist Church,
Virginia Beach, VA; Friendship Baptist Church, Bristol, VA; New Hope Baptist
Church, Dearborn Heights, MI; Darwin & Cathy Smith, Lexington, KY; and Ron
& Judy Logan, Lexington, KY. WE ARE TRULY GRATEFUL!! Now, let me tell you about family news and some exciting moments of our latest church plant.
FAMILY DETAILS
Everyone is doing well. Sarah is 7 years old and studies hard on her math. Laura is 6 years old and is reading and writing amazingly. Benjamin is 4 years old, is learning to read and knows all of his numbers. Melissa is 11 months old and has 4 little teeth. At times, Raquel and I feel overwhelmed with family and ministry, but wouldn’t change a single moment of God’s plan for us.
CHURCH PLANTING: INITIAL PLANNING
On January 7, 2012 two couples, a lady, Raquel, the children and I went on a
van ride to pray and discuss where the Lord would lead us to start a church in
Manaus. I invited each one to make a personal commitment to join us and plant
a church. Everyone in the van that day committed wholeheartedly to start a
new church. The following weeks were filled with excitement as we visited six
different churches on Sundays and met from 5:00pm until 7:00pm to pray, study,
brainstorm and plan. During this time we also selected our name – Ativa: Uma
Igreja Batista (Active, a Baptist Church).
EVANGELISTIC COOKOUTS
During the weeks to come we organized several cookouts in homes where family
and friends were invited. Our contact list grew tremendously. Our fifth event was
a one-day camp where 95 people participated. Several people heard the Gospel
and made decisions.
MEETING AT HOME
Our first Sunday service was March 18, 2012 and met at our home. We had no
music, but the great food led to tremendous fellowship. A sense of belonging
began to grow amongst the team members, the newly saved and the unsaved
attendees. Excitement grew every week as people asked questions and decisions
were made. By the end of April, we had 30 people attending our home services.
During this period a member of the congregation asked “Where should I give
my tithe?” It is worth noting, we did not have a specific moment for tithes and
offerings during the service. We didn’t have a treasurer either. That week we
selected a treasurer and a vice-treasurer, and a box was placed on a corner table
during Sunday services. Those who attended began to give generously, even
though we never spoke of the matter. Six weeks latter we purchased a simple
sound system, three microphones, an acoustic guitar and a two-tone percussion instrument. With low monthly expenses our new congregation was able to save towards what the Lord was about to do.
BUILDING QUEST
Children singing on Sunday (building still under retrofitting)
In May, we began to search for a building to lease. We wanted a building on an
easy to find street, with good visibility. As we looked around the city we ran into
a serious problem – the outlandish cost of rental property. The reason? Manaus
is a host city for the World Cup 2014 and buildings are now exponentially
expensive to lease and/or purchase. Our small budget only allowed us to commit
to $1,000/mo and we needed a location to accommodate at least 150 people
(projecting growth over the next years). The cheapest we could find was $7,500/mo and with little to no parking. I even found a place that could accommodate 200 people and had six parking spaces for $15,000/mo. That’s right, fifteen thousand per month! And yes, that is the cost in US currency. To put the price absurdity into full perspective: the minimum wage in Brazil is currently at US$297.00/mo. Not encouraging… but we sure prayed and searched.
Despite the challenges, the Lord blessed! He gifted us with a small warehouse
to seat 140 people, with two small rooms, and a bathroom. The location is on
one of the main throughways of the city. Guess how much? Yes, $1,000/mo.
Unfortunately, it only has one parking spot. Yet again, the Lord blessed us.
Around the corner, within a hundred yards we found a walled parking lot for 30
cars! We met with the congregation and agreed to lease the lot at $25/Sunday.
BAPTISMS, ORGANIZATION & RETROFITTING
On August 12, 2012 we baptized 13 people (including our daughters Sarah
and Laura) and were organized with 37 members through Tabernacle Baptist
Church. It was an exciting Sunday for us all. We continued to meet at our home
while retrofitting the warehouse for services. Everyone came to help scrape the
old paint of the walls, repair the roof, clean, paint, and install doors and curtains.
Tabernacle Baptist Church donated the needed metal and the welder to build
and install a sign for on the front of the building.
Church building inauguration night with 102 people (84 adults and 18 children)
BUILDING INAUGURATION
On September 23, 2012 we had our inaugural service and kicked off a six-week Evangelistic message series. That evening we had 102 attend (84 adults
and 18 children). The Lord also gave us two salvation decisions that evening.
On the second week a tropical storm hit hard, and most of our invited guests
stayed at home. Despite the downpour of rain, we still had 63 attend and one
reconciliation. Pray for us this coming Sunday, it’s our third week.
PRAYER
Please, invest time in prayer for all of those who will need discipleship. Also,
pray for each one of us to continue in good health. Consider coming to visit us in
Brazil. And, continue to give generously to missions.
Grateful,
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [October 2012]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. While on your side of the world you are gradually moving toward Autumn, on this side of the world we are gradually moving out of the rainy season and into the hotter, dryer season. I was feeling sorry for myself earlier this week because I love the Autumn. I haven’t experienced fall in five years because things are pretty much the same year round here in Kenya. Isn’t that a silly thing to be feeling sorry for yourself about? I agree. Sometimes we just have to kick ourselves out of silly moods like that and appreciate again all that God has provided for us.
Here’s a question for you. Do you find living the Christian life to be a challenge sometimes? Of course you do. Do you ever find Christian ministry in the States to be a challenge? Of course you do. I find Christian ministry here in Kenya to be a challenge sometimes too. I know you already know that but I wanted you to know that I also recognize that it’s no different in the States. Christian ministry can be a challenge no matter where you are. Here is a challenge I have been facing here in Kenya lately: Trying to get Kenyans to break from their traditions and accept and follow more Biblical models (I know! I know! If you do any Christian ministry in the States you will face similar problems). So, I spent a few weeks teaching and preparing the new church for taking the Lord’s Supper together. We looked at all the passages dealing with this topic in the New Testament so that they could have a full understanding of what it means for a church to share the Lord’s Table together. We are now scheduling a time for the church to celebrate this together. But now I am facing traditions. I have been told we MUST have a new white cloth to cover the communion bread with. If we don’t have this cloth we are not showing proper respect. I had to deal with this tradition. Next, I was told we MUST have the little cups used for the “fruit of the vine”. When I asked why, I was told “because it’s tradition and without it we can’t show proper respect”. I had to deal with this tradition. I told them we could use their everyday tea cups instead of buying the traditional cups from the store. They didn’t like that idea. Finally, I was told we couldn’t use chapatti for our communion bread (chapatti is a flat, non-leavened bread that the Kenyans eat every day. It would work perfect for communion). Again, when I asked why, they told me it was because chapatti is too common and every day and that special communion bread had to be bought from the store. I had to deal with this tradition. My challenges don’t stop with the Lord’s Table. The church also wanted to start taking up offerings so I thought it would be best to teach them on this subject. I wanted to show them how New Testament churches used offerings (knowing that they wanted to take up offerings for other, non-biblical reasons). I scoured the New Testament and found that when the early churches took up offerings or used money it was either to help the poor, assist widows and orphans, or to help a missionary go to the next city so he could continue to preach the gospel in other cities and spread the kingdom of Christ on the earth. They were OK with this teaching as long as there was money left over after they bought a shamba (a small farm), built a new church building, bought various kinds of musical instruments, bought new chairs (for who knows what reason), and paid all the elders their stipend. Now, while there is nothing sinful about any of these uses for an
offering, trust me, there is not enough money in their collection to pay for any of these uses, let alone the more Biblical uses. All I could say over and over again was, “It’s
better to follow the Biblical examples than our worldly traditions”. In the end, do you
know what I want for these dear people? It’s not for them to follow their worldly traditions. It’s not even for them to follow me. No, I want them to learn how to follow the Bible. All I can do is continue to point them to the Bible and say, “Follow that”.
That’s the challenge I face. Do you face it as well? Fortunately, the church here is
learning to do just that. And we also thank God for the four new people who want to
become members of this new church.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Emily, Amy, & Josiah)
P.O. Box 96
Kitale, Kenya 30200
rojuta[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher in Brazil [May 2012]
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,
Greetings once more from Brazil in the precious name of Jesus. On April 30th I had my 87th birthday. No celebration, just thanksgiving to God for His many blessings in my life.
In the month of December our immediate family spent ten days together in the home of David and Pennie in Manaus. Needless to say, every moment we had together were joyous and precious. We praise and thank God every day for our wonderful children, our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren.
Annual Family Camp
The first week in January was the family camp directed by Pastor Valdir dos Santos of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cornelio Procopio. Our son, Paul, was the special speaker for the week. His messages on rewards and crowns were very profitable and of course Alta and I were thankful to have Paul and Wanda for the camp and with us a few days at home.
Thankful for the Blessing of Serving in Brazil
We thank God many times for giving us the joy and privilege to serve as missionaries in Brazil. When we have camps and gatherings that sometimes have about 400 persons, we recognize that all have come from churches that God has used us to sow the first seed. During our almost sixty years here we have not started works from other churches’ members nor begun works in cities that had a Baptist Church.
Present Works
We are presently members of the Urai Baptist Church. Marcio Faria Moraes is the pastor. He was saved in the Duartina Baptist Church we started years ago. His wife Carol was baptized at nine years old in the Garca Baptist Church. The church has three missions and other evangelistic activities. Alta and I are still able to go each Sunday morning to Assai Mission. Praise the Lord I am still able to drive the forty miles. I am in the process of renewing my driver’s license this week.
Pray for us. We seem to be getting older and have some aches and pains. We are thankful to God, our Heavenly Father, for your faithfulness in praying and giving to supply our needs in His work in Brazil.
We love you,
John and Alta Hatcher
Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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