The Buzz newsletter | Updated Weekly
Children's Ministry Director opportunity
SPECIAL 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.
Church Council Update
The Church Council will be meeting this Thursday, August 13, focused on transition matters. The next regular council meeting is scheduled for August 20 and a copy of the agenda will be posted closer to the time of that meeting.
Note that Council meetings are open for guests to attend and listen in. If you have a topic to suggest for a future meeting, or any questions or concerns, please direct those to the council member from your congregation.
Please pray for the council
as they meet for wisdom, discernment, and unity in decisions to be made.
Church Business Meeting this Sunday
Our Church Business Meeting is this Sunday August 16 at 3pm in the Family Center. You can review the 3 current proposals on the Council Updates page. Detailed recommendations and the proposed revisions to the church constitution are in the meeting packet. Printed copies are also available.
You are welcome to bring some snacks to share as we visit before the meeting starts!
Men's Fellowship Dinner next Saturday
Butler men! A monthly men's gathering is starting – a dinner once a month in the evening – for those hungry for fellowship and encouragement. This will be on the second-to-last Saturday of each month at 5:00pm. So, the next will take place on Saturday evening, August 22.
Any questions, reach out to Eric Pauls! RSVPs are helpful so we know how many to plan for. Thanks.
Save the Date!
Our interim pastor, Ron Herms, will be with us at Butler through Sunday, August 23. Just as he has blessed Butler during this transition process, we want to bless Pastor Ron and Kathy as they prepare for the big move to Germany! Mark your calendar for a special farewell on that Sunday morning. There will be a special program during Butler Cafe taking place in the main sanctuary. Stay tuned for more details.
In Memory
We have been remembering David Karber, and lifting up his wife, Elaine, in prayer since his passing on July 23. The obituary is available here. The memorial service will be held here at Butler at 11:00 am on Saturday, September 5.
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 (August 16) our own Amanda Beaulieu will bring the message.
Week 10 (Aug 9-15)
Monday: Genesis 38:1-11
Tuesday: Genesis 38:12-23
Wednesday: Genesis 38:24-30
Thursday: Genesis 39:1-10
Friday: Genesis 39:11-23
More news items....
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.
Ministry Highlights
The first weekend of August 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. Extra backpacks are available until all supplies have been given out. If you have a neighbor or family with school age children who may need a backpack, please contact the church office.
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.
Youth Ministry Update
The fall youth gatherings started again Sunday, August 9. We're meeting every other Sunday 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
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]
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!
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.
¡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: 8/12/2026
Looking for earlier Butler news stories? You can visit our news archive here.