Encouraging Services, Ministry to Shut-Ins
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
January 2, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today is a typical gray winter day in Tournefeuille, but beyond the clouds I know the sun is shining. That is often the way it is in our daily lives. We may be surrounded by circumstances that may be dark, but “the Sun of righteousness” has arisen “with healing in His wings” and He is above all.
I have been particularly encouraged by the services of our church the past two Sundays. Since these Sundays were on holidays we decided to have the service at 4pm followed by a time of snacking and fellowship. In our informal time of sharing, the spiritual growth of some was evident. Two of the Sunday services during the month of December were led by men in the church besides Philip and me. Our goal is to make disciples and to commit God’s word to “faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
On Christmas Day part of the worship time was a musical presentation by our children and young people. It was thrilling to watch and to have unsaved visitors here to hear the gospel because their grandchildren were singing. The young people were repeating for us a special program they had done earlier in the month for senior citizens at a meeting sponsored by the city of L’Union.
How this came about is in itself a blessing. Paulette, the oldest member of our congregation lives in the city of L’Union. About a year ago she decided to become a volunteer for the city government and a non-profit organization whose goals are to contact older people who are shut in. Though Paulette’s health itself is not the best, she has been faithful in this new endeavor and as a result has had the opportunity to talk about her faith to the shut ins. She has also had many opportunities to talk about Christ with other volunteers with whom she makes the visits. She organized this special Christmas party where testimony for Christ could be given.
Thank you for your prayers and support. May God bless each of you as you begin this New Calendar year and let us all remember to use our time on earth to invest into eternity.
In France,
John and Judy
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
Read more
New Video from France!
A new video with information about John Mark & Judy Hatcher’s ministry in France is available on our YouTube channel.
Read more
How God Has Blessed 2016
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
November 28, 2016
The Hatcher Family
God has added people in the meetings that we have in the Department of Ariege south of us and those involved seem to have a renewed interest and are participating actively. We now meet on a rotating basis in four different homes in three different towns of this department. The meetings in this area started years ago when Judy and I started driving weekly to the city of Mazere to have Bible studies with Douceline. This young lady was a believer who had moved there to take a new job. She was very discouraged. There were no churches less than about 50 miles from her. She has now become a very effective missionary in this region. Her grandmother, an atheist until the end of her earthly life, as far as we know, died last week at the age of 95.
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
Read more
Encouraging Month of Events in France
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
November 6, 2016
Dear Partners in the service of the Lord,
The month has seemed to pass so quickly. Sitting near bedtime after a wonderful Sunday I remembered that I was overdue on sending you news of how things have been going here.
The events of this month have been very encouraging to us. Earlier in the month we had Vacation Bible School and most of the teaching was done by those who years ago participated as children. They have trusted the Lord and have a good knowledge of His Word as a result of daily Bible reading, good teaching and mentoring. It is great to see the commitment and development of these young people.
Our youth meeting this past week was again well attended with 16 young people. A couple of these were here for the first time. The interest of teens who keep coming and show an interest in the Bible studies causes us to rejoice. Two young ladies who have been attending the youth meetings for some time were in church for the first time this morning. One is from a Muslim family and the other from a family that has no religious practice.
We are very encouraged by what is taking place in the Bible Study centered in Mazere. This Bible Study is now meeting on a rotating basis in 4 different homes and the folks in this area are really stepping up to the plate. There are more participants and the interest is very good. Seeing believers grow up and reach out to others is very encouraging.
There are a number of other ways that we see God at work in the lives of His children and seeing how He has answered our prayers is very encouraging. Our church has meetings in 8 different cities now. However, there are still many all around us who need Christ. Please pray with us that God will give them a hunger for Christ and that they will respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ.
There are scores of cities within an hour’s driving distance of us that have no Gospel witness of any kind; no church of any kind that gives even the most rudimentary presentation of salvation in Jesus Christ. Please ask God to open doors, to raise up messengers of the Good News, and to enable us to effectively present Jesus Christ.
Thank you for your faithful support.
From France,
John and Judy Hatcher
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
Read more
Packed House! Ministering through Youth Meetings, English Nights, & More
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
October 3, 2016
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In many ways the past month seems to have gone by very quickly. It has been an encouraging month. Yesterday, we had a packed out house and were glad that we had purchased additional folding chairs a couple of weeks ago. On Saturday night, there were 18 young people at the youth meeting and some who wanted to come were not unable to do so. The topic for the meeting was the injustice in the world and in us and how Jesus Christ is just and justifier of those who believe.
At the same time as the youth meeting was going on, Judy was across the Metropolitan Area of Toulouse assisting Wendy with English night. Wendy has been doing this effectively for many years now. It is open to all who would like to attend and work on improving their English communication skills. This is very important to those who want to advance in jobs. They share a meal, watch an English video and then discuss the content. The purpose is to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
In these two meetings taking place on the same night, there were people from middle school to middle age (older if you count Judy and me) representing many different orientations in life. A few are believers and want their friends to know Christ. People come to the meetings because they feel loved and welcomed. Some who used to come with friends come of their own initiative and invite others. We want to love others as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us. Thank you for helping us be ambassadors for Christ here.
Nearly all who come to Christ are touched first by encounter outside of church meetings. The church meetings have as their primary purpose helping God’s children learn and put into practice what Jesus has taught us.
Last week we had the privilege of dinner with Joachim who was in town briefly for a job-related activity. He was the first person baptized here. He and his family are now actively serving the Lord near Hamburg, Germany. Thirteen years ago Judy, Amanda and I were at a city park and Amanda met a young mother from former East Germany. Amanda cultivated a friendship with this lady who desperately needed encouraging friends and that led to Amanda meeting Angela. Angela had recently become a Christian before moving to France. God brought them to us when we were praying for a person who could translate from French to German. God answered our prayers and along with Angela brought Joachim into our lives. He was friendly, intrigued by Angela’s belief, but not particularly interested himself. For a couple of years, they met with Philip and Amanda to study the Bible. This is a very short version of how God brought Joachim to Himself.
We were also surprised to see Samuel show up Sunday. He is now active in a church in Paris where he now lives. About three years ago he began studying the Bible with me. A year later he trusted Christ and then publicly professed his faith in baptism.
It is always a thrill to see those to whom God has allowed us to be light and salt following Him. So, we continue to ask God to keep our eyes open as we walk. We ask God to help us seek those who are lost. We continue the Bible studies and prayer meetings with believers and seek ways to help them put into practice the life to which Christ has called all of us. There are believers hosting Bible studies, prayer meetings and serving in various ways in their surroundings and God is giving Life through His Son!
Thank you for helping us be a light here. May God help you be a light where you are.
In France for Christ,
John and Judy Hatcher
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
Read more
Rotating Bible Studies in Mazere, Sowing in Hope
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
September 7, 2016
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I hope this finds you well and enjoying the Lord’s faithfulness. It just dawned on me that I have not written a letter this month to update you on what God is doing here. I have been affected a bit by sciatica the last couple of months and it is difficult to type at the computer. So, I have gotten out of my regular routines. This is not all bad. God uses all things for His glory! Thank each of you for the regularity of your giving and praying for us. Each of you is also living life in a physical body on a fallen earth and it is not always “a piece of cake”. We really do appreciate your faithfulness and pray for you.
One of the things that I can do is walk. So, I walk and walk. Besides keeping me in shape it also opens up doors of opportunity. During the past few days I have had a number of good conversations about spiritual matters and about what we are doing here. These have been with people that we know and whose path I crossed as I walked or new people that God has brought into our lives.
During the month of August we have had unusually well attended meetings. Normally at this time of the year many are on vacation, but this year seems to have been different and we have had excellent services and Bible studies.
Normally we do not have youth outreach meeting in August because there are few young people at home. However, our granddaughters were in contact with many of their friends who were already back home so Philip and Amanda decided to host an “early” youth meeting. We were all thrilled by the 14 young people who came and participated. About half of these are unsaved and from homes where there are no Christians.
This Bible Study in Mazere started around 2004 when John & Judy started driving down about an hour from their home to have weekly Bible Study with Douceline.
In addition to this Bible Study, Douceline also now leads two evangelistic Bible Studies with other ladies.
I am enclosing a couple of pictures of the Bible Study last night at Mazere which is about an hour south of us. You will see that we are eating. Douceline, the young lady in whose home this outreach started turned 43 yesterday. In the last couple of years some of the folks who were invited by Douceline asked if they could host it in their homes. So, this Bible study now rotates among 4 homes. You might find this strange, but it actually is a blessing. When members of the group host, they take “ownership”. They are more likely to invite their friends to their home. This study first started about a dozen years ago when Judy and I started driving down weekly to have a Bible study with Douceline, a believer who had just moved from our area to a job in Mazere, who knew no other believers in the area and was very discouraged. In addition to this Bible study, this single lady now leads two evangelistic Bible studies with other ladies.
There are multitudes who need Christ so we just keep sowing; asking God for wisdom to do so effectively. Our church in Tournefeuille is now reaching out to 7 other communities. This is not much when you consider the fact that there are about 35,000 communities in France that need the Gospel. We sow in hope and God produces!
May the Lord richly bless you,
John and Judy
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
Read more
God Connects Believers in Unique Ways
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
August 6, 2016
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Yesterday evening about 9pm, as I was lying back in a garden chair enjoying the sunset and talking to the Lord, I realized that I had not yet written my August newsletter. So, here it is a bit late. Judy and I have been back home in France for about a month. At the beginning of July we enjoyed a wonderful week with all of our children and grandchildren. It had been 10 years since we had been together with all of our children and since then God has given us 8 more grandchildren for a total of 12.
As in the US, this is the vacation time between school years and therefore our attendance is reduced considerably. Most of the families in our congregation are originally from other areas of France and moved to this area for jobs. During vacation they often return to be near their extended families elsewhere in France. However, we have had good services and Bible studies with those who are here.
We have also had the opportunity to spend some time with some of our neighbors who need the Lord. Inviting neighbors for dinner is a great way to share Christ. We have had several good conversations during the last couple of weeks. One of our backyard neighbors informed us that the folks who had moved in across the street from them were “protestants” and so she had told them about us. We had been watching to catch them at home to invite them to services. A couple of weeks ago there was a knock on our front door and it was the sister of the new “protestant” neighbor asking about services. A couple of days later, she, her son and her brother were here for Sunday services. They indeed are believers who have moved here from an African country. Their father is a pastor. This illustrates a number of things: News spreads fast and people take note of the arrival of believers in their neighborhood. Christians are noticeable because they are a small minority. Only about 1 in every 200 people claim to be evangelical believers in France and most of these are immigrants from other countries.
Speaking of immigrants from other countries, about the time we arrived home I was contacted by Bruno, a Baptist young man from Portugal. His wife is a pediatrician and they have lived in France for a year. They live about 120 miles north of us and we are the closest Baptist church to them that he has found. Baptist believers are very scarce. Only one in every 21,667 people in France claim to be Baptist (of any kind). That is less than 0.005%. Look up the statistics for your state. So, you understand how I often realize that the picture is not so clear to many American believers when some well-meaning person in America says to me something like, “Things are about as bad spiritually here as they are in France.”
So, the couple I just mentioned are planning on driving down to be with us tomorrow. He was saved 6 years ago when he attended a baptismal service of a Baptist church in his town in northern Portugal. He was formerly a devout Catholic. So, you may be asking, “How did he find you?” This is what he wrote to me, “aujourd’hui, Dieu m’a mis dans ma tête de rechercher dans les liens de missions américaines. Dans le lien https://www.baptistfaithmissions.org/John_Mark_and_Judy_Hatcher.aspx, je vous trouvez comme missionnaire en France. Quelle merveille de Dieu! “—which translates as, “Today God gave me the idea of looking up links for American missionaries. On the site www.baptistfaithmissions.org/John_Mark_and_Judy_Hatcher.aspx I found you who are missionaries in France. What a wonderful blessing from God!”
So, take time now to thank God for the work that Sarah Wainright and others do and have done to make our news available online! This is not the first time we have been found this way. And, be careful what you post online including Facebook! The world is watching!
Thank all of you for your faithful support and prayers. May God richly bless you.
Joyfully serving in France,
John and Judy
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
Read more
Making Disciples, Investing in Lives
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
July 1, 2016
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
About three months ago, Judy and I were returning from an evening visit with Philip and Amanda. Judy was very quiet which signals my need to ask myself what I did or said wrong. Pondering this question brought me to the realization that this time I was not guilty. Philip and Amanda had been discussing their upcoming summer trip to the USA. As you know, they work with us in France. Once every two years they return to Indiana to see Amanda’s family and Philip’s siblings. On this particular evening they were discussing their plans to meet up with our other children. It has been 10 years since we have been together with all of our children. It seems that a longing to be with them was on Judy’s mind. My slow brain kicked into gear and I suggested that we should join them. After remonstrating a bit, Judy conceded to the idea and here we are in Chicago enjoying our children here while waiting to be with all of them next week.
Little did we know that it would give us the opportunity to spend last moments with a dear friend in Evansville. In 1974, when I began pastoring the small congregation which was later named Emmanuel Baptist Church, Gayle Evans had just turned 12. Last year she was diagnosed with aggressive ALS and when we arrived in Chicago from France she was nearing the end of her days on earth. A couple days later we drove to Evansville and spent two memorable days with this extended family that is so dear to us; sad because Gayle’s departure was imminent; rejoicing because her earthly struggles would be replaced by the Lord’s presence.
Here are some words I share with permission from Yvonne Dooms who came to know Christ in those early days at Morgan Ave. B. C. “I visited with the family of a childhood friend who died this week of ALS. As I stood in the visitation line, the memories of years ago came flooding back. Going to the Spring Conference in Lexington with John and Judy Hatcher and sleeping on Peggy and Robin’s living room floor; Listening to the muppets on a cassette recorder the whole way there and back; Hanging out with my sister Teresa and Gayle and Joanie Evans on Sunday afternoons and then singing together on Sunday nights. Going on vacation with my family to Columbus, Indiana and when we showed up at the motel pool there was Joanie and Gayle swimming. My biggest memory of Gayle was a Sunday School class in the old gray house where she shared her testimony with Judy and I; Just the three of us sitting in an old kitchen on folding chairs while Gayle Anne told us how she had turned her life over to Christ that previous week. I thank God for her life and for allowing me to be a part of it even for a little while.”
Our job is to make disciples and invest in their lives. This is a multi-way process as they and others invest in our lives. This is the calling we have all received. One you share with us, to God be the Glory!
This is what we are doing in France. Earlier this week I received this note from Wendy, the single lady who works with us in France. “Just wanted to let you know that all went well on Sunday morning. Denis did a great job leading and there was a good turnout. Everyone participated…Pascaline joined Jean-Luc and Lea in playing a few of the songs. I was super proud!!! It was a wonderful Sunday morning with almost everyone in attendance.” Denis is one of the church members who led Sunday. His daughter was just baptized last week. Pascaline was also baptized at the same time. She takes piano lessons from Amanda. Jean-Luc, another one of our members will be leading this coming Sunday. One of these days all of God’s children from every tongue, tribe and nation will be together physically. “What a day of rejoicing that will be!!!
Being in the USA also gave me the opportunity to fly down to Florida to spend a few days with Paul and Wanda and my parents. I feel so blessed by God and you are part of that. May you enjoy our heavenly Father’s richest blessings.
Your fellow servants,
John and Judy
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
Read more
