The Buzz newsletter | Updated Weekly
Children's Ministry Director opportunity
NEW ANNOUNCEMENT!
Butler Church is looking to hire a new member to our ministry team. The position for Butler’s “Children’s Ministry Director” opens August 1, 2026 and will close on August 19, 2026. We hope to have someone in place by September 1st. See the link for the job description and additional details about our “Children’s Ministry Director” position. Please email resumes and inquiries to Pastor Connie Nicholson.
Food Distribution & Breakfast Ministry
Our monthly breakfast ministry and food distribution is
this Friday August 7! Clients are served starting at 9:00 AM until food runs out around 10:30am. Additional volunteers are always welcome; if you can help out please
contact us and let the church office know.
Please continue to pray for opportunities to build connections with individuals we serve.
Ministry Highlights
This past weekend included both an outreach event and all church worship service! Saturday was a free backpack giveaway for southeast Fresno. We were able to bless over 200 students with a free backpack, as well as school supplies! It was great to be able to work with our Literacy Mentors and community school coordinators from Ayer, Greenburg, and Lane schools on this project. Special thanks to Nzash Lumeya and the Butler outreach team for hosting this event. If you have a neighbor or family with school age children who may need a backpack, please contact the office to reserve one before this Friday Aug 7. Thanks!
Thank You from Maria Galvan
“After taking this summer for family leave I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting and praying about what God is leading me to do in the future, and am stepping down from the Children’s Ministry Director role. It is bittersweet for me, but also will allow me to deal with some health issues, and the ministry of caring for my dad as I am his full time caregiver. Thank you to the council and staff for giving me this opportunity to love, care, and teach our children and build relationships with families in our church and community. A huge thank you also to our children’s ministry volunteers who are the ones who really make this ministry happen! I hope to be joining the team again once a month in the future."
At our combined service this past Sunday we honored Maria for her 9 years of service on staff at Butler Church. If you missed the service you can watch online
here.
Supplies for Children's Ministry
We are using these summer weeks to grow our children's ministry team and restock supplies! Thank you to those of you who have already purchased supply items to help restock our children's classrooms!
And, thank you to those who picked up sticky-notes on Sunday! If you took home a sticky note, please purchase your supply and bring it back this coming Sunday, August 9th.
If you would still like to contribute monitarily, you are welcome to donate online or give this Sunday toward our cause. Please designate your donation as "SUPPLY." Thanks being part of preparing a productive and impactful year of ministry ahead for our children.
Youth Ministry Update
The first fall youth gathering will be this Sunday, August 9 at 4:00 PM. This is for all students entering middle school through high school. Our youth leaders are looking forward to seeing you there! We'll meet in the youth room with cool air and snacks. Friends invited too!!!
Youth and parents, be sure to follow as updates are posted online! butlerchurch.org/youth and on IG @butleryouth.4884
Church Business Meeting scheduled
Mark your calendar for the next Church Business Meeting on Aug 16 at 3pm. You can review the 3 current proposals on the Council Updates page. Thanks for your continued prayers for the Council as they meeting again this Thursday evening. A packet with detailed recommendations and and the revisions to the church constitution will be available this Sunday.
Update: The proposed revisions to the Constitution & ByLaws are available
here.
Scripture Reading Plan
Our summer Family Matters series continues through the week with our scripture reading plan. As you read Genesis and notice the often "messy" family dynamics, notice also where you see God at work - giving us hope in the midst of our own circumstances! There will be a variety of speakers for our Faith Community and Common Ground services; this Sunday (July 19) Pastor Connie will be speaking
Week 9 (Aug 2-8)
Monday: Genesis 35:1-29
Tuesday: Genesis 36:1-19
Wednesday: Genesis 36:20-42
Thursday: Genesis 37:1-11
Friday: Genesis 37:12-36
More news items....
Update from Pastor Ron
The summer months often mean a change of pace (slower) with time for holidays and reflection. I hope that each of us is finding some time for that important work of self- and community care. At the same time, the pace in the life of our church has not felt slower this summer! In fact, our Council, leadership teams, and staff have all leaned into the “transition season” work with energy and conviction for the entirety of 2026 to this point. Between the months of June and August we will have held 2 church business meetings, an all-church listening session, and listening sessions for each Butler congregation. Additionally, leadership teams are also meeting and, in some cases, collaborating across congregational lines. THANK YOU to everyone who has taken extra time to participate and to devote prayer to this ongoing process of discernment!...
[Read more in the July update on the Council Updates page]
Next Transition Steps
The next step in our Discernment process is for the Church Council to hear directly from each of our 4 congregations, processing questions and receiving input. This past Sunday, congregational meetings of Faith Community and Common Ground took place, with very positive responses. Please continue to keep this process in prayer as the following meetings take place:
August 9
Amor y Fe
at the conclusion of the service in the Family Center @ 12:00pm
Ministry Fair!
A new school year signifies an upcoming change in seasons and is also an excellent opportunity to prepare our Sunday morning ministries for the months ahead. Butler has many ways you can get involved in serving our church family and community on Sunday mornings. Would you consider serving once-a-month this fall?
Following our unified service on August 2, we will have multiple Sunday AM service opportunities available for you to request information about. We'll have sign-ups for Butler Cafe, Greeters, Children's Teachers & Helpers, Children's Check-in Host, Campus Host, Tech Team, and many more. The work of these teams are the 'building blocks' of community in our Sunday worship times together. Be praying about where your passion can join with the needs at Butler through an intersection of service.
Note: If you missed signing up on August 2, you can still do so! Email
Pastor Connie about your area of interest or for more details!
Transition Update
Our All-Church listening session was last Sunday. It was great to have nearly 70 people participating, from across all four congregations! During the table discussion time, we considered the 3 proposals from Council intended to build greater unity as a church and continue the transition process after Pastor Ron's interim role is completed at the end of August. (See our Council Updates page for more details.)
The next step is congregational meetings to further process the 3 proposals:
- Monthly unified worship services supported by all pastors and ministry leaders
- Revision of the church constitution & move toward one church with interest groups
- Transitional leadership with Pastor Connie as Interim 'Lead' Pastor
Each of these are steps toward our mission statement: To be a be a multicultural community that connects people with Jesus and one another in Southeast Fresno and around the world.
Stay tuned for information on the meeting date for each congregation. Council members will join these meetings to receive further input. Also, mark your calendar for our
next Church Business Meeting, planned for August 16,
which will include a proposal for revisions to the church constitution.
Children's Ministry Update
We are mid-summer at this point and are working to keep our Children’s Ministry afloat while we wait for our Children’s Director, Maria Galvan, to return. Since we are without a point-person, we have decided to use this summer as an opportunity to restock our classroom supplies and recruit volunteers to our teaching/helping team. Our hope is to get us situated for a major launch in September with fresh supplies, trained teachers, and excited children ready to learn about Jesus!
Read below for more on volunteering, donating supplies, and info for parents. For any questions about our summer kids changes, please contact
Pastor Connie. Thanks!
Volunteers
Each morning during the 10:45 services our Children’s Ministry tries to make available two children’s classes – a “Littles Class” consisting of children 2-years – 5-years-old; and our “Elementary Class” for children in 1st-6th Grade. To keep our children and volunteers safe, we are required to have at least two volunteers while these classes are in session. The goal, then, is to have a minimum of four volunteers each Sunday, a total of 16 people. There’s an old saying: “Many hands make light work.” Would you consider teaching or helping during our second services once-a-month? If there is a Sunday when the doors are closed, it is because we are lacking volunteers. Please consider helping so we can keep our classrooms open. Contact Pastor Connie to sign-up or for more information.
Supplies
Our classrooms are sadly without many supplies. We have a “Classroom Restock” board in the main foyer. You are welcome to join us in restocking our classrooms! Take home a sticky note with a needed supply, purchase the supply, and then bring the supply back by August 2nd. You can also donate financially to the Butler Church general budget, indicating SUPPLY in the memo. Thank you!
Note for Parents
Hopefully by now you have noticed some changes to our check-in and check-out procedures. Our goal is to create a safe place for your child so please complete your parent card (if you have not done so already) and check your child(ren) in and out each Sunday. Currently our Children’s Welcome Table is in the foyer for Common Ground and at the back counter for Amor y Fe.
If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Connie.
Special Announcement from Pastor Ron
Dear Butler Church Family,
I’m writing this week with a personal update: many of you will know that when I began my time as Interim Lead Pastor (Sept 01, 2025) the Council had asked me for a commitment of 9–12 months. That timeline is now almost at an end; my final Sunday here at Butler will be August 23, 2026. Serving you all, each of the 4 congregations, our church staff, and our Southeast Fresno neighbors for the past year has been deeply meaningful and a personal source of joy. Although the work of “transition” is not complete, I believe that the changes already approved and the current strength of our Council’s leadership bodes well for a flourishing future for Butler Church. Building consensus and moving together in a unified way takes time where we listen, learn, compromise, dream, and pray. In the future, things may not look exactly like they have in the past, but the Council and pastoral staff are committed to leading with the same priorities and values that have characterized Butler Church over many years of faithful ministry.
For Kathy and I, the Fall of 2026 will mark a major change in our lives – we have accepted an invitation to join the educational mission and training ministry in Germany of TCM International Institute. This means that we will be moving to Tübingen, Germany in September of this year. Our roles will be distinct but connected to a common mission: Kathy will join the TCM donor relations and development team while I take on the role of Director for the Institute for the Study of Christian Origins. This work will find Kathy representing TCM in a variety of settings (including the main training facility near Vienna, Austria). My role will primarily focus on teaching (research languages and biblical studies) and mentoring graduate students affiliated with the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen. As you can imagine, we’re experiencing a wide range of emotions as we leave Fresno after 12 years and leave the place where 4 of our 5 children currently reside! We leave grateful for our years in the Central Valley and especially for this most recent year here at Butler Church.
Some additional context: The
mission of TCM (the only institution accredited by the US Higher Learning Commission that works exclusively outside the United States) is to “develop Christian leaders for significant service through higher learning.” Currently, TCM reaches students from all over Europe, parts of Asia, and most recently part of Africa. Students are served with opportunities to learn from entry-level micro-credentials to undergraduate course work and full graduate programs (see
link for fuller description). Modular courses in biblical studies, Christian ministry, and leadership are taught on-site several countries while hybrid and fully online courses also reach students in under-served regions around the world.
2026 Butler Graduates
Assistance Donations
Through the Butler Church Benevolent Assistance Fund, we have been able to help with several time sensitive needs recently. Given the upcoming cuts in SNAP funding even more requests may be coming in soon. Please consider making an additional donation to the church benevolent fund , by designating for this in the offering or through giving online. We also work with partner agencies like MB Foundation and Everence to expand our capacity through matching grants.
Another way to donate is by contributing to our food pantry. Non-perishable goods can be dropped off on Sunday mornings in the sanctuary foyer. Canned goods like pasta sauce, chili, and chicken are especially helpful.
If caring for needs of folks in our community in very practical ways is something close to your heart , please also talk with your pastor or contact the church office. We would like to build a social action response team that can respond to needs as they are made known. If you have a personal need, please also talk with a pastor.
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Updated on: 7/30/2026
Looking for earlier Butler news stories? You can visit our news archive here.