THE WORK OF GALIA BAPTIST CHURCH: On February 10, 1976, after working in Manaus for 20 years, Alta, Kathy and I moved to the city of Garca in the state of Sao Paulo. During those years we worked in church planting, building, education, and seminary training.

Sao Paulo is 3,000 miles south of Manaus. Upon arriving, we rented two empty bank buildings, one in Garca and the other in the city of Galia eighteen miles away. Garca had a population of 25,000 and Galia, 8,000. Soon we opened services in another city, Duartina, 32 miles from Garca with a population of 12,000. Galia was not a friendly city. As we visited from door to door the people did not invite us in. We began bringing children to Sunday School. Few adults attended. Then we started a children's Bible Hour on Saturdays and reached an average attendance of 50.

PERSECUTION FROM THE ENEMIES: Then it happened. One Saturday it was nearly time to begin and not one child had appeared. How strange! Finally, a little boy about six years old passed by the church door where I was waiting for the children. I invited him to come in since he had attended before. He replied, "No, I am not going to this church anymore because the pastor is taking blood out of every child who enters." We began to notice a man standing at the corner on the other side of the street at the time of every service. We invited him in, but he was always just passing time. Why do you suppose he was there? He was a spy for the Catholic Church. He confrontedevery child that came to attend the children's hour.

In Duartina the word was spread all over the community that on the day of dedication service we were going to hang a person from one of the A-beams in our building.

There is always opposition to new work where the truth is taught. Interesting enough, the false churches who teach a works salvation make as much effort to keep people away as the Catholic Church does. Seems like they are on the same team. The smallest church where Truth is taught is always opposed. We learned an interesting fact last week from a lady who lives in Santa Mariana in whose home we are having a weekly Bible study. About ten years ago she lived in Cornelio and was neighbor to one of the ladies of our church there. The member invited her many times and she was planning to attend when Catholic neighbors advised her not to go because John and Alta Hatcher were part of a Mafia who were sequestering and selling children. After believing the lie she had heard, she thought it unusual that we were in her home leading Bible studies each week. Her story cleared up a mystery of about five or six years. Here is what had happened.

One Sunday morning we were brusquely and aggressively approached by two men in the street when we stopped to pick up two boys. They wanted to know why we were picking them up and what we were going to do with them. The two boys had strayed away from the person who had brought them to church on a walk route and was taking them home. Since they were going in the opposite direction, we stopped to get them and take them home. We could not understand why the two men were so brutal, but, of course, they had heard of John and Alta of the Mafia.

In 1983, the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus where our son, Paul, was pastor sent workers to help in mission work so we could reach other cities. They helped in Cornelio and Galia. Our main work was Garca. After about two years the workers from Manaus went to other cities.

The owner of the building we rented gave us notice that he wanted the building. God blessed and we were able to buy an old hotel located on the corner of the main avenue. The lot measured 65 feet by 130 feet. It had a large old brick house which serves as a pastor's home.

The Galia Baptist Church had a young man who assumed the leadership of the work. He was crippled and was confined to a wheelchair. At this time there were several adults. It was the desire of the church to reach out. I helped them buy a small two-room wooden building in the town of Fernan Dias.

The pastor in the wheelchair had services in the two works for six years. Then he resigned.

Ten years ago the church called Gilberto Stefano as pastor. He was saved and baptized in Cornelio and had graduated from our seminary in Garca. He was a very energetic young man and soon the church was growing. He married Valeria, a lovely young lady who had attended the Galia church before she could walk. She was the first baby in the church when I was pastor of the work. She and Gilbert have two beautiful children, Lara, 6, and Philip, 9.

Gilberto had services in Fernan Dias until the dilapidated building was unusable. About two years ago he was able to make a deal to trade the lot for another in a new part of the town. The church was saving money and had enough for the foundations of a new building. Plans were drawn and Gilberto brought them to show me and asked if there were any possibility to help. I said there was.

With the help of you who have given and prayed, we did help and the result you see in these pictures. The building will seat 120 persons, has two class rooms and two bathrooms. The total amount that was given to help was $10,434.00. The rest of the expenses were paid for by the church. The building lacks only the floor covering but is in use.

This past month Gilberto accepted the call to a church in the large city of Ourinhos, State of Sao Paulo. It has a population of 360,000. He feels he can reach more people and have a small seminary for training pastors and workers. He has done a great work in Galia, his first pastorate.

The Galia church has called a young married preacher who was saved in the Garca church years ago and whom I baptized when he was about nine. His name is Celso Domingos and his wife is Lidiana. They are expecting their fifth child. Lidiana has has two thyroid operations. Please pray for her. Celso has preached and worked in the missions of the Garca church for several years. Celso is a graduate of the Seminary in Garca and has taught some classes there. 

The Galia church has a young married man who wants to pastor the work in Fernan Dias. Praise the Lord for providing pastors.

Friends, thanks for your gifts for new works. Pray for them, pray for the pastors, pray for us, praise God for His blessing, and look at the pictures carefully.

God bless you,

John and Alta