Springtime Joy and Gospel Fruit in France
March 23, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Hope you are having a good start to spring. I always enjoy the spring flowers of God’s wonderful creation. This week we have enjoyed beautiful sunny days and delightful evidence of God at work in the lives of His children. This doesn’t mean that all is a piece of cake, but it underscores the Fruit of the Spirit of God at work in and around us.
Judy and I took a quick trip to Paris on the TGV to celebrate our 53rd wedding anniversary on March the 3rd. We spent a couple of nights, visited a museum, walked 10 miles and returned home the next day on the TGV. God has blessed us wonderfully with good health and a wonderful family and many fellow believers beyond what we could have imagined when we first met.
God keeps opening doors and we are very grateful for the privilege of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, seeing folks come to Christ, growing in the Lord and becoming sharers of the Good News. Making connections is an important part of this process. On our daily walk this morning we encountered and spent a few minutes getting acquainted with two different ladies who live in our town. This happens often and is one of the ways God gives us new connections.
We continue to have Bible studies in 6 different locations. In the various locations we are going through Joshua, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, and Acts. Discipling also involves counseling and it delights us to see growth in believers and the way they begin seeking and following God’s will though prayer, application of Scriptures, and leadership of the Holy Spirit in them and Christian brothers and sisters.
Thank you for participating with us.
In Christ in France,
Judy and John Hatcher
Contact Info:
John Mark & Judy Hatcher
2 T Impasse de la Picardie
31830 Plaisance du Touch
France
jmhatcher@aol.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
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Planting Seeds in Rocky Soil
February 21, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today we are enjoying the sunshine. It has not snowed here as it has where many of you live, but we have had rain nearly every day for weeks. The local rivers have risen and there is flooding in a lot of areas.
This morning, we were able to have our weekly Bible study with the former “Jehovah’s Witness” who lives two and a half hours west of us. The family has been without electricity and internet service due to the intense storms. We were not able to have studies for a couple of weeks. We just completed the Letter to the Romans and will begin the study of 1 Corinthians next week.
Last night we had a great College and Career’s meeting with nine of this age group. Philip and Amanda host it in their home. It is exciting to see the passion for Christ in the lives of these young adults and the way God is using them to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and disciple those who trust Him.
A couple of weeks ago we were invited to have dessert at our neighbors’ home along with an older couple that we have known for years. The neighbors are a young couple with a couple of preschool children that moved here from Paris about a year and a half ago. The questions of why we came to France were raised which led to a active discussion. The younger lady declared immediately that she was an atheist as did the older man. The young husband declared that his grandmother who took him in and reared him when he was abandoned by his widowed mother was at the top and God was somewhere below that. The older lady said she was confused and had a lot of questions. It is rocky soil, but God can clear the rocks.
It is great to have you as partners and we ask that you pray for these lost people and for us to be used by God to touch them. Nothing is impossible with God!
Sharing the Good News of Jesus in France,
Judy and John
Contact Info:
John Mark & Judy Hatcher
2 T Impasse de la Picardie
31830 Plaisance du Touch
France
jmhatcher@aol.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Surprising Connections, Lasting Fruit: God at Work in Mazère
August 16, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It is always good to have unexpected, good surprises. This was the case at the Mazère Bible study three days ago. We expected the attendance at this meeting to be low because we knew of some who were away from their homes and because a major storm hit us on the road on the way to Mazère. About the time we arrived at the home of Jean-Daniel and Jacqueline news came through another participant that Florian, the young man I mentioned getting baptized in my last letter, was going to be a bit late. However, when he arrived just a few minutes late, he was accompanied by his mother and his girlfriend.
His mother had come from her home in the Island of Reunion to attend his baptism and had met several members of the study. The girlfriend showed a great interest in the Bible Study. Afterwards, I asked her about her spiritual life, and she excitedly explained how she was thrilled to have understood and trusted Jesus Christ as her Savior three years ago. She expressed to another lady in the study how much she enjoyed it and then sent a message to the group indicating how wonderful she thought the meeting was and thanking everyone for the good reception she received. She is from Dunkirk (far north of us) and has only lived in our region for about a year. She met Florian on a hike with mutual friends. This is the way it works. Every day we have encounters. Often these encounters lead to spiritual life and fellowship.
The day before the above-mentioned study, one of the participants contacted me about her son coming to youth meetings at our home. He moved to our area for university several years ago. When he was just a boy, his mother brought him to children’s classes taught by Judy during the Mazère meetings. Patricia, the mother, trusted Christ several years ago as she had regular Bible studies with Douceline, the young lady who hosted the meetings for many years. Patricia met Douceline at the library and museum where she works. Patricia is relatively quiet, but passionate about her faith in Christ.
Disciples of Jesus bringing others to their Savior.
What a blessing to be a branch of the vine, Jesus!
Your brother and sister in France,
John and Judy
Contact Info:
John Mark & Judy Hatcher
2 T Impasse de la Picardie
31830 Plaisance du Touch
France
jmhatcher@aol.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Across Oceans, United in Christ: Back in France after Fellowship with Friends & Family
June 24, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We hope this finds you enjoying blessings from our Lord and Savior. Our last letter was earlier than usual and this one a bit late because we have had an active month and traveled thousands of miles. “Furloughs” or “stateside service” are not a part of our ministry. However, we usually try to spend 2 to 4 weeks in the USA to visit our children, grandchildren, people from our years of ministry in Indiana and some aging members of our extended family. A few hours ago we stepped off the plane back in Southern France.
While we were gone believers here continue to serve God reaching out to unbelievers, encouraging one another, and meeting together. Our Father has blessed us in ways that we can not imagine. You are an encouraging part of these blessings. A couple of weeks ago Philip and Amanda hosted the the College and Career young adults for a weekend retreat in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains. These young adults are excitedly active in the ministry of Jesus Christ as they study and work.
On the third Saturday of June two of our group Bible studies, one in the city of L’Union and the other in the city of Mazère, had a picnic together in a natural bird park. These two cities are about an hour and a half apart. This is the third year that these two groups have met together for this event. There are two primary reasons they began this annual event; for fellowship and to invite all of there family members. Some of these family members are atheist. All are unbelievers. This picnic opens doors for friendships between believers and non-believers for the sharing of the good news.
Judy and I managed, with the help of believers here, to take the time to go Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana to see believers and family members. There are many hundreds that we would have liked to see but were unable to do so with the time we had available. We are blessed in these times with means to use God’s amazing created elements to visit each other at a distance. And … God has united us in His Spirit in a way that is wonderful though beyond human comprehension.
We arranged this trip so that we could see my brother Paul. Most of you know and have supported Paul and Wanda and Judson (their son) and Raquel. Paul has leukemia and is undergoing procedures for a bone marrow transplant. We were able to see them for four days. Please pray for Paul who also serves presently as a director for Baptist Faith Missions.
We are grateful that God has united us with you in His family.
In our Fathers love,
Judy and John
Contact Info:
John Mark & Judy Hatcher
2 T Impasse de la Picardie
31830 Plaisance du Touch
France
jmhatcher@aol.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Disciples in France Sharing the Gospel with Others!
February 17, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings from Southern France which is far north of where most of you live. Plaisance du Touch is about the same distance from the North Pole as Toronto, Canada. However, our winters are not extremely cold due to the Gulf Stream that warms western Europe.
God continues to touch lives around us. It is wonderful to be sharers of the Good News here and to be used by God to disciple those who have trusted Christ as Lord and Savior. Yesterday, Rose, a lady who was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago, told us excitedly about a door that God opened for her to share the Good News. She was waiting for minor surgery to remove the chemotherapy port that had been used for her treatment. A conversation with another lady awaiting the same procedure began and God guided her to be able to give her testimony and share about her faith as the other lady asked questions.
Roxane, a young lady who is a member of our congregation, studying to be an engineer, shared how God had given her the opportunity to share the Gospel with a friend for whom she had been praying. Roxane trusted the Lord and followed Him in baptism less than two years ago. She is the only believer in her family, but a flame of fire for the Lord in her gentle way of passionately seeking the lost and sharing the Good News.
We have regular Bible studies in six different locations in addition to the regular church meetings. Some of these are groups of saved people growing in the Lord and encouraging each other and some are groups of seekers meeting in the home of a believer with whom they are friends.
Several of those who were seekers have trusted Christ in the last year and are reading through their Bibles. It is exciting to receive phone calls or text messages from these new believers asking questions from their reading. Here are a couple of questions I received this past Saturday: “How come prophet Nahum proclaims condemnation of Nineveh when Jonah tells about their repentance and forgiveness?” “How were Pharaoh’s men able to do some of the same signs as Moses?” How would you answer these questions? If you need help, ask one of your spiritual leaders.
We are very grateful for your contribution to what God is doing here.
Your Fellow Servants in France,
John and Judy
Contact Info:
John & Judy Hatcher
2 T Impasse de la Picardie
31830 Plaisance du Touch
France
JMHatcher@aol.com
Present USA phone 1-812-416-1033
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
God at Work in Your Work with Us
January 14, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Thank you for your prayers and generous support. Judy and I are doing fine and are thrilled to see God at work.
Yesterday afternoon we left Galen, Tammy and Holly Gerig at the Toulouse airport to begin their return to Ohio after having spent a wonderful five days together. They have supported us for years and we enjoyed their company as we were able to introduce them to some of those whose life God has touched.
Your work with us enables us to have regular Bible studies in six different locations as well as the regular Sunday meetings here in Plaisance du Touch. Judy and I also spend time counseling believers to help them learn and apply God’s principles to their personal and family lives. There is also regular pastoral work such as visiting the sick. Our Savior often uses human difficulties to lead individuals to understand their need of Him.
We are delighted with those that the Lord has added to our congregation this past year. Among them is a couple who are believers with a two-year-old son and another child on the way. The husband started Bible study with Judy and me about 12 years ago. After studying the Bible together for about a year, he trusted Christ as Savior and followed the Lord in baptism. He later moved to Germany and met a girl there from El Salvador. She started going to church with him and trusted the Lord as Savior. They were married in 2018 and lived in Paris until last year. When they moved back to our area last year, they began participating in the church here.
A young lady about 20 years old was saved and baptized about a year and a half ago. She is active in church, youth meetings, ladies’ prayer meetings and Bible study with our granddaughters Camille and Emily. She also meets regularly with two friends who are interested in Christ for Bible study. She does all of this while going to Engineering school and working.
It is a delight to see what God is doing! We are glad to have you as part of our team.
Your brother and sister,
John and Judy Hatcher
Contact Info:
John & Judy Hatcher
2 T Impasse de la Picardie
31830 Plaisance du Touch
France
JMHatcher@aol.com
Present USA phone 1-812-416-1033
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Disciples Making Disciples in France!
July 15, 2024
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Thank you for your faithful support and prayers. Judy and I hope that your summer is going well. Shortly after I wrote the last letter, two of our Bible study groups met together for a picnic at a park that is home to many unusual birds. It is interesting to see this delightful part of God’s creation.
Even more delightful is a conversation that I had during this picnic with a young lady. She is the granddaughter of Marinette, the oldest participant in the Group that meets at Mazere. The granddaughter is in her early twenties and it had been a dozen or so years since we had last seen her. She was very interested in the fact that I had been a biology and chemistry teacher. She informed me that she used to be an atheist but now believed in a God that she described as “unknown”. This opened an excellent opportunity to discuss the one “I Am” God who is Spirit, but Who came to reveal Himself to us and save us.
Another blessing is the news shared by a young lady, Roxanne, who trusted the Lord and followed the Lord in baptism about a year ago. She is the only believer in her family. She faithfully participates in our church fellowship and has already read a good part of the Bible. She meets with two other young ladies, our granddaughters, for Bible studies on a regular basis. They are all college students. A couple of weeks ago, Roxanne, shared the blessing that she had just started having Bible studies with two of her friends who were interested in knowing about her faith. They are studying through the book of Romans. Disciples making disciples just as Jesus commanded.
It delights us to see our Savior at work in those who participate in church and Bible studies as well as stirring the hearts of those who are lost and drawing them to Himself.
Your fellow servants in France,
John and Judy Hatcher
Contact Info:
John & Judy Hatcher
2 T Impasse de la Picardie
31830 Plaisance du Touch
France
JMHatcher@aol.com
Present USA phone 1-812-416-1033
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
The Invisible Operation of God Surfacing
June 10, 2024
Dear Fellow Servants of Christ,
God is at work and we are delighted to see what He is doing. We have a number of meetings that take place an hour or hour and a half driving distance from our home in various directions. During these drive times we often contemplate and discuss what we notice our Savior is doing. There certainly are many things that He is doing that we do not see.
Last week was one of those weeks when the invisible operation of God begins to surface in an astounding way. At our meeting in Mazere on Tuesday three people came who do not normally participate in this Bible study. Two of them we had never met before. We had a great study of the parable of the rich man who planned his future after a great harvest only to die the evening of his planning. The twelve participants were really into the discussion of this lesson from Jesus.
The Thursday night meeting was moved to a location about 30 minutes further from our house than where it typically takes place. It would be in the home of a lady who has been coming to the meetings for over a year. She had turned her ankle and could not drive, so she asked if we could meet at her house. For various reasons there were only half as many as usual and two additional people who wanted to come for the first time could not make it. But, our Father was at work. The lady with the turned ankle, not a believer, was in tears as the others explained to her about trusting Jesus Christ and giving their own testimonies. What a night!
A wonderful week: 7 meetings with different texts at each, many hours of driving, and loads of blessings. On the way home from one of the meetings we were contemplating that God is not done with us here yet!
Thanks for your participation in what God is doing here. I will close with an example of how God uses you. At the beginning of the month Judy and I took a trip to celebrate our 50 years of marriage (a year late). We ran across a Texan recently widowed who wanted to help his church more effectively. Part of the discussion was about the Bible studies we do. When we chatted with him the next day, he told us about a video he had seen online posted by Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Charleston, WV that helped him understand our ministry and gave him ideas for what he could do at his church not far from Austin, TX. AMEN!
Your sister and brother,
Judy and John Hatcher
Contact Info:
John & Judy Hatcher
2 T Impasse de la Picardie
31830 Plaisance du Touch
France
JMHatcher@aol.com
Present USA phone 1-812-416-1033
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
