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Join at 10AM this Sunday Aug 23 for a special Butler Cafe and farewell to Pastor Ron & Kathy!
Final Update from Pastor Ron
"My final thoughts come to you from a place of deep gratitude for the year past as well as genuine optimism and confidence in God’s good leading of our church family. Our church membership has voted in favor of several important changes to the way we exercise ministry activity...
My reflection on all of this is simply thankfulness for the spirit of unity, trust, and cooperation that is growing among the (current) four congregations of Butler Church. Many of you have spent extra hours attending and contributing to listening sessions, congregational meetings, and all-church business sessions – thank you! In sum, the recent decisions of our membership have produced:
• A revised, simplified mission statement
• A streamlined process for the church’s annual operating budget
• An initiative for regular, unified worship gatherings
• A revised constitution for more flexible, creative ministry
• A next stage in pastoral leadership and transition work
As I prepare to leave my role after one year, I am convinced that groundwork is in place for us to more effectively live into, imagine new possibilities of, and then embody our recently revised Mission Statement. Kathy and I will not only remember you all and pray for the continued flourishing of Butler’s kingdom work in SE Fresno; we will also periodically “check in” on what’s happening and send updates from our new opportunities in Europe. We leave with this note of confidence from St. Paul:
“I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1.6 CEB)."
[Read more in the August update on the Council Updates page]
Church Council Update
The Church Council will be meeting this Thursday, August 20. Agenda items include: follow up from the church business meeting; possible hires for the Children's Ministry director position; Staff evaluation reports; and final report from Pastor Ron. (The full agenda is available online.)
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.
Men's Fellowship Dinner this 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.
Farewell for Pastor Ron this Sunday
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. Join in at 10:00 AM!
Youth Ministry Update
Fall youth gatherings are happening every other Sunday at 4:00 PM! The next is this Sunday, August 23. 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
Mark Your Calendar
Every first Sunday of the month we'll be having a Unified Service together as one church family! The next will be on Sunday morning, September 6! Be sure to mark your calendar. We're looking forward to connecting with Butler family members across our various ministries! Details will be posted on our Events page.
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 11 (Aug 16-21)
Monday: Genesis 40:1-8
Tuesday: Genesis 40:9-23
Wednesday: Genesis 41:1-16
Thursday: Genesis 41:17-40
Friday: Genesis 41:41-57
More news items....
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.
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.
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.
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: 8/20/2026
Looking for earlier Butler news stories? You can visit our news archive here.