Memorial Service this Friday

The memorial service for Christine Morgan will be this Friday at 1:00 pm here at Butler with a reception following. Thank you for continuing to keep Pastor Connie and family in prayer as they grieve the loss of her mom and prepare for the memorial service. Pray especially also for Connie's dad, Ed Morgan.

If you would like to help with the reception, bringing a tray of desserts would be appreciated, sliced and ready-to-serve. (Thank you to Shirley and the team that will be hosting!)

Meet & Treat Work Day & Lunch

Join us this Sunday right after the second service for our Meet & Treat Work Day! We’ll be assembling bags, painting, cutting out materials, making signs, and more as we prepare for the weekend ahead. We’ll work until about 3:30 PM and enjoy Costco pizza together!

This workday is open to everyone, whether you're signed up to volunteer on Oct 31 or not. So, mark your calendar for this Sunday Oct 25 at noon. If you’ll be able to join us, please take a moment to RSVP in advance so we can order enough pizza for everyone. Thanks!

Church Business Meeting on Nov 1

Following our Unified Service on November 1st, you're invited to stay afterwards to learn and discuss updates on topics regarding our Butler Transition. (Childcare will be available for those staying after the service.) Our moderator and council will explain exciting news about a co-pastor position, our 2027 unified budget, Amor y Fe updates, as well as openings on our Council in the year ahead. We are excited at the momentum we're beginning to feel as we look with anticipation at what God is drawing us toward in 2027.

Missions Highlight from Thailand

Our missions Sunday is coming up on November 15; watch for more details to come! This week, our missionary, Sara Kumrod in Thailand, shared an encouraging update following a recent ministry trip, and about an upcoming women's retreat. Let's praise God with her for how He is continually at work! 

Sara writes: "Ozz, Elijah and Zekie just returned from a five day ministry trip where they shared the gospel and distributed glasses. Seven people prayed to believe in Jesus! Hallelujah! I'm so thankful that our two older boys could join Ozz. And I'm thankful they are home safely. We pray for wisdom as the local believers follow up and trust God to have a Bible study that leads to a multiplying house church in that community.

    Currently we have a week break at Grace International School, and this weekend I will go to an MB Women's Camp on Oct 23-25. We are trusting God for safe travels (it's a 9-hour drive away for our north Thailand group!) and for mutual encouragement and fellowship. We are expecting 100 women from MB Churches all over Thailand. Praise the Lord for how the church is growing! We appreciate your prayers for this camp."

Come Pray with Us!

Butler Church has a team that meets once a week to pray over our church. The purpose of our prayer group is to pray for the health of Butler Church itself– for its leadership, ministries, staff, facilities, transitions, and future. We partner with the Holy Spirit as we pray and seek God’s vision for our church. If this is something you’d like to be part of, this group is expanding! We are now meeting on Wednesdays at 5pm in covering the campus and ministries through a different gathering room each week (watch for the signs). Come and pray with us!

Volunteers Thank You

Thank you to each Butler Volunteer who attended our Volunteer Lunch on Sunday! Over 80 people ate together and then spent time considering the health and functionality of our teams. I am excited to help our teams become more defined and our leaders more empowered. Those who attended will be receiving a follow-up email with more action steps as we move toward 2027. Thanks again for spending your Sunday with us and may God be glorified in our service. - Pastor Connie



Highlights from the Unified Service

It was wonderful to worship together this past Sunday as one church! A big THANK YOU to the worship team for leading us in song in multiple languages. We learned the Lao song "Saan le Seen" - including shaking off our troubles and raising our hands in praise instead! We shared in communion together, Bill Cockerham shared a giving encouragement to share the gifts we have received; and Pastor Elbio shared an encouraging message as he concludes his ministry here at Butler Church. (English subtitles are available on the livestream video, too.) Our next Unified Service will be on November 1st!

Men's Camp

Our men’s group is putting a group together for the fall Men’s retreat at Calvin Crest, November 6-8. Men, mark your calendar, and let us know if you’d like to join in so we can send you registration information. Scholarships are available; let cost hold you back from this great time of connection and renewal. For more details, talk with a pastor or Eric Pauls. 

Prayer Request

Please keep our longtime member, Maria Riojas in prayer, following the passing of her husband, Oscar, this week. Maria has been his faithful caregiver for many years and so has not often been able to participate in Sunday worship in person. Thank you for remembering her during this time loss and adjustment.

Endurance Series

Our English Congregations have begun an 8-week series through the book of Philippians. Along with each Sunday sermon, we also have people who are writing up Mid-Week Questions for you to consider - along with a friend, spouse, or group - during the week after the sermon. (A big thank you to Eddie Morgan, Amanda Beaulieu, Edd Russell, and Beth Stephens!)

The discussion questions are not connected to the sermon, but they are generated out of the same text that was taught on Sunday. This is a fun way to study the same text from two different perspectives! This also means if you miss Sunday, you can still read the scriptures for the week and use the questions to cultivate your spiritual growth. 

These questions are available each Sunday at the back of the sanctuary for you to take home and are also found on our "Endurance" series page: butlerchurch.org/endurance.

This is an excellent opportunity to connect with someone over coffee, breakfast or a walk and discuss Sunday's sermon and these questions to help further your connection to Jesus and to one another!

Pastoral Staffing Update

The following update was shared previously with our Butler Church congregations:

On behalf of the Church Council and Pastor Elbio Carballo, I am writing to inform Butler Church that discussions between Pastor Elbio and the Council have led to a decision that Pastor Elbio's service as a Pastor of Butler Church will come to an end on December 31, 2026. Pastor Elbio just celebrated his fifteenth anniversary as Pastor of Amor y Fe, and we thank him for his faithful service in leading that congregation over these years. We also pray for Pastor Elbio and Sandra as they determine what future ministries God may have for their lives. 

The Council has agreed with Pastor Elbio that his last Sunday at Butler will be October 11, though his official concluding of ministry will be at the end of December. Pastor Connie and the Church Council are organizing a celebration and recognition of Pastor Elbio's ministry as part of our Unified Service on October 4. I invite all of you to join us in worship on that day, as we thank Pastor Elbio and Sandra for their ministry and pray for God's guidance in their next steps. 

Jim Holm, Moderator

Butler Church Council

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.