The Buzz newsletter | Updated Weekly
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Our annual Christmas Eve service at 5pm will feature carols, readings, a children’s story, and candlelight blessing. We look forward to welcoming young and old, friends and family, and those from near and far in a celebration of God’s announcement of “goodwill” to all people! In the case of rain we will adjust plans for our candlelight carols. Regardless of weather, there will be a fellowship time following the service, with hot chocolate and treat bags (tutes!) for each family/household.
Kings' Day Festival for Children
Our Amor y Fe congregation is planning a “Festival de Dia de Reyes” (Kings Day Festival) afternoon especially for children, on Sunday January 4. We are also planning to bless each child with a toy gift. Those interested in attending should register with Pastor Elbio. Financial donations or donations of toys will be helpful!
To donate or to sign up, please contact Pastor Elbio or the church office (559-252-3741). The event is free and open to friends, but each child must be registered in advance. Thank you!
Year End Giving
Thank you to the many who have been faithful in stewardship through regular financial giving. As we approach year-end, please consider making a special gift to Butler Church.
Suggested designations are the General budget or a congregational fund. To count toward this year, all donations need to be received or postmarked by Dec 31st. Thank you.
Holiday Office Hours
Please note that the church office will be closed December 24 - Jan 1 for Christmas holidays. Regular office hours will resume Thursday, January 2nd.
The office is regularly open:
Tuesdays - Thursdays 9AM-5PM (closed for lunch)
Fridays 9AM - noon
Mondays by appointment
We'll be checking phone and email messages throughout the holiday.
559-252-3741 / info@butlerchurch.org
A Word of Encouragement
Pastor Elbio shares this word of encouragement:
“A time within another time”
Read: Luke 1:26-38
| Joel 2:25 | Galatians 4:4
When the time was fulfilled, God sent His Son, born of a woman. What God promises with His mouth, He does with His arm! For everything God desires to do, there is a “time of fulfillment.” He will restore the years!
In the scripture passages, these ideas are in the original Greek text:
Pleroma: a ship loaded and ready to complete its journey!
Chronos: measured, linear time
Kairos: opportunity time, a season, a period of time (e.g., harvest).
So we bring together concepts of Space of time, a fixed and definite time, the time when things are brought to crisis, the decisive epoch waited for. And the Time of God's events! Divine Right time - when God's Time breaks in, powerful and unusual things will happen.
This is the Key: BE INSPIRED AND obey, and PREPARE YOURSELF TO RECEIVE A NEW TIME WITHIN YOUR TIME! "That's what happened to Mary, a young virgin. God's time came to her, a time within another time! She was called by God, obeyed, and conceived the Son of God, without knowing a man! What we know today as the Christmas story is God bringing a New Time within Our time! The Time of forgiveness, grace, salvation, and new life in Christ! The story of Mary conceiving by the Holy Spirit encourages us to believe that God can bring a new time within our time. God calls us to obey and makes us conceive without the help of man! Fruit of God, New Life produced by the Spirit! Something that no one but God has done for you!
You may say: Pastor, I am alone and no one helps me! Remember, Mary conceived without the help of a man because God visited her! So God will visit you, and you will conceive new life from God! No matter the years, the bad experiences, when God comes, He brings a new and better time within your time!
"Don't waste your time in anger, regrets, worries, and grudges. Life is too short to be unhappy." - Roy T. Bennett
Believe! "Sarah, Abraham's wife, received a time within her time and was able to conceive in her old age, despite her barrenness!" You may say, Pastor, my time in life has passed, I am many years old, and my whole life has been barren, fruitless. I say to you: shake off the dust! Be alert! God will bring a new and better time within your time! And you will conceive and bear fruit, you will be increased, prospered by God!
We are called to redeem the time of opportunity! (Ephesians 5:16) I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the right attitude, if you are grateful, you will see God open up new doors.
More news items....
Mission Updates
GREAT news! We've reached our goal of $20,000 for the missions offering! This means we'll be able to support our missionaries and develop local mission partnerships in the coming year. We also have an established fund to support those interested in short term mission opportunities. Find out more at butlerchurch.org/missions
Please pray for our missionaries as they have special opportunities in the Christmas season to share the Good News of Jesus - God with us!
Our missionaries,
Pablo & Maricela Chavez are also preparing to head overseas...returning to return to Peru for a second term on January 7. Pablo writes:
"Our hearts are joyful, thankful and sad. Sad because in order to return to Peru for a second term we must surrender our family unity. Isaac will be staying in California to finish his senior year and to graduate from Reedley High School in May 2026 and then continue on to Reedley College. We have not found a place for him to stay, thank you to those of you who are praying specifically for a host family for him, please continue to pray for this." Let's join in praying for housing for Isaac!
Update from Pastor Ron
We’re in a season of beginnings and endings: while the end of 2025 rushes toward us, we mark the time of Advent as the first few days of the global and historic church’s New Year. I’m glad to share some updates on church governance and administration as we’ve just held our year-end congregational meeting this past Sunday.
A New Council
We welcomed three newly elected members
to the Butler Church Council: Jim Holm as Moderator, Suzanne Slattery as Secretary, and Jim Rodriguez as Treasurer. Further, Anne Guenther was re-installed as the Faith Community (FC) representative. I am so thankful for the willingness of these new members to serve and look forward to their leadership and wisdom among us with a year of significant transition ahead. Further, for their diligence and faithful service in Council leadership we thank
Matt Jacobs (Moderator), Shelly Coleman (Secretary), and Rosalie Carter (Treasurer). NOTE: Two of these elections required special action: (1) the secretary position is provisional until a future congregational meeting can consider amendments to the church constitution that loosen current requirements for multi-congregational representation on the executive; and (2) the FC position required suspending the bylaws regarding term limits.
Transition, Vision, & Strategic Planning
With working posters affixed to the Family Center walls, attendees from all four congregations were able to review and discuss this early feedback data. (See link for photos.) I then summarized the strategic planning discussions
that have taken place so far with each congregational leadership team. Further, I presented our working draft of a timeline for transition (see link) – this includes both decision-making settings and implementation of a new vision and strategic plan. Please join me in prayer for clarity and “unity in diversity” for this transition season. Also, be on the lookout for times when each congregation will hold their own listening sessions with leadership.
So many folks have expressed hope and confidence in God’s good hand guiding Butler’s journey over these next weeks and months. Let’s take heart in this scriptural reminder: People plan their path, but the LORD secures their steps (Prov 16.9).
Provisional Budget 2026
In light of the above described transition process, the overall church budget will likely require some important adjustments. Therefore, a provisional budget (with slight deficit) was approved under the conditions that a revision will be brought to the congregation
by March 15, 2026.
Update on Anul
Thank you to all who have been praying and supporting our sister, Anul Ram, who has been detained by ICE since August. She has been in a legal process to be able to return to Fresno and her ministry and family here at Butler Church. Unfortunately the immigration judge recently ruled that she is "subject to removal" and will be sent to her birth country of Fiji. She does not know how soon this will happen but likely within the next 2 months.
Anul is thanking God for the love and family she has here in Fresno and trusting God for what will come next. We are thanking Him for connections that have been made in Fiji where she may be able to stay and rebuild her life. Please continue to pray
for peace and guidance for Anul.
Assistance Fund 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.
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.
Text Updates from Butler Church
If you find an occasional text reminder helpful,
be sure to “Opt In”
so our “Breeze-butler” text messages get through! To share your preferences for text or email updates, you can complete the Butler Subscriptions form. Thanks!
Note: If you have signed up, but are no longer receiving text updates - try texting START to 87447. Remember that "msg & data rates may apply." Details are in the Butler subscriptions form.
Spanish Translation Available!
Our Butler website is also available in Spanish! Click the upper left corner to switch between English and Spanish. (If you notice any translation errors, please let us know!)
¡Nuestro sitio web Butler ahora también está disponible en español! Haga clic en el ícono de arriba para cambiar entre inglés y español. (Si nota algún error de traducción, ¡avísenos!)
¡Nuestro sitio web Butler ahora también está disponible en español! Haga clic en el ícono de arriba para cambiar entre inglés y español. (Si nota algún error de traducción, ¡avísenos!)
Updated on: 12/24/2025
Looking for earlier Butler news stories? You can visit our news archive here.