The Buzz newsletter | Updated Weekly
Food Distribution this Friday
This Friday a new month begins already! Which means our monthly breakfast ministry and food distribution is this Friday, May 1. 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.
Prayer Request
This Saturday morning a group of over 10 Butler men will be headed to Bass Lake for the Men's Day at the Lake - a time of food, fellowship and fishing! Pray for safe travel, and for good times of connection with God and each other.ļ»æ
Children's Ministry Team
One of the best investments you can make is jumping on board with our Children’s Ministry team and serving our kids! Passionate people are needed to help once a month in Nursery, Preschool, or Kids class 1st-6th grade. We are very flexible and offer various roles beyond teaching.
All the curriculum and training is provided; you just bring your love for the children! If you feel the Holy Spirit leading to join our team, please connect with me. Also join me in prayer, for volunteers that will shape the spiritual future of our children!
Would you consider joining us for one Sunday? Join our team and make and an eternal impact on our children. For more information, drop me a note, find me on Sunday, or look for the sign up sheet to indicate your interest. Thanks!
Maria Galvan, Children's Ministry director
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." -Proverbs 22:6
Mission Festival Invitation
The Fresno School of Mission 20th annual Mission Festival is just one week away on May 8 & 9 here at Butler! Our local Butler missionary, Nzash Lumeya, is calling our Butler family to take a personal step into mission: You can Pray, be Present, and Partner in this ministry work.
Pray: for the event details and all who will attend - both the mission festival and for a Saturday outreach taking place on the empty lot!
Be Present: Please come for as long as you can on Friday (8-noon, 5:30-8pm) or volunteer for the outreach on Saturday morning. In the days leading up to this, join with the outreach team in giving out invitations in the neighborhood to the ministry fair!
Partner: We are praying together for 3 people to make a decision to follow Jesus & connect with a church family; we will walk alongside them in their faith journey.
For more information, or to let Nzash know of your availablity,
call or text 559-907-1445
Youth Ministry Highlights
Recently the youth group spent time in the Butler community garden! Thank you to the youth and others who are helping good things grow in the garden!
Youth leaders Kathy and Chansamone write: "We planted sunflowers, snapdragons, zinnias, lemon grass, two types of basil, cilantro & a variety of peppers. We look forward to seeing these grow and hopefully use them when we are able to cook together. This past Sunday we continued learning about caring for God's creation and being out in nature. Appreciating and taking responsibility for our part in this world makes a difference. We read the blog "Called to Care for Creation" and our youth picked up trash around our campus!"
Youth gatherings are Sunday afternoons at 4pm for junior high and high school youth. (Note that they will be meeting this Sunday but off on May 10 for Mothers' Day.)
Women's Retreat Highlights
Thank you for your prayers for our Butler ladies who participated in the women's retreat last weekend. It was delightful to spend time together in a beautiful setting, and with all meals and dishes taken care of! Activities included a morning hike (so proud of those who got up early!), watercolor painting (fun to see how each art piece was unique) and even folk dancing (a few of us tried it just for fun; what a workout!). We had meaningful times of worship and learning about Grace and Grief, and experienced again the beauty of community and the importance of sharing life together.
Update & Prayer Request
Lisa Keith recently received a challenging cancer diagnosis. She writes: "Thank you for your prayers, Butler family. Surgery went well. Now we wait for pathology...pray for clear margins and clear lymph nodes so that no more surgeries are required and chemo can begin."
Thank you to all who have been helping with meals! So far the needed meals are covered; if more are needed during treatment we'll let you know. For now, prayer is most appreciated!
Graduates
If you’re graduating this summer, let us know! Please send the church office your name, school, and graduation date so we can honor your hard work! (You can also drop a note in the offering this Sunday.)
More news items....
Update from Pastor Ron
Conversations around a season of “transition” at Butler Church have been plentiful over the past couple of years. Earlier, a “vision team” spent considerable time working through the landscape of church ministry models with consultant Dr. Brian Ross. Since September of 2025, I have had the opportunity to meet with individuals, congregational leadership teams, and the church Council to discuss where our points of agreement and urgency lie. Over the past 2 months, our Council has held 7 sessions (3 regular monthly meetings and 4 specially called “transition” sessions) which have generated several points of consensus as well as identified some areas that require further dialogue. Here is where this work presently stands around Mission Statement, Budget and Finance, and Ministry Model....
[See Council Updates page - April updates - to read more.]
Candidate Forums and Voter Information
Voting for the June primary election begins in two weeks! Which is why now is a good time to learn more about the candidates and election measures.
On Monday, May 11 a candidate forum will take place here at Butler Church , for Fresno City Council Districts 3 & 5. This nonpartisan event is hosted by the Youth Leadership Institute, and will begin at 6:00pm, with translation. A livestream will also be available. YLI is also hosting a District 1 & 7 debate on May 18.
The first governor's debate was this Wednesday. A recording to the broadcast is available here .
Reflections on Earth Day
Melissa Ens shares some reflections on creation as part of her studies at seminary, and in connection with Earth Day (April 22). Melissa writes:
“…I was raised to look for and rejoice in God's glory in the night sky and the ocean's horizons, but my convictions get messier when I think about climate change, environmental regulations, and public policies. Can you relate? Whether we like it or not, talking about the health of this planet we all live on can trigger our emotions and stir disagreement, denial, indignation, or disillusionment. However, as followers of Jesus, it's worth considering how God made creation to bless us and how God calls us to bless and care for creation as faithful stewards….”
Read more here on how to Reconnect with creation, Respond to creation, and Reclaim our place as stewards of creation.
¡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: 4/29/2026
Looking for earlier Butler news stories? You can visit our news archive here.