The Buzz newsletter | Updated Weekly
Food Distribution this Friday
Our monthly breakfast ministry and food distribution is this Friday February 6. 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 join us, or contact us
and let the church office know - help is welcome throughout the morning, including with clean up. Please continue to pray
for opportunities to build connections with individuals we serve.
Workshop Highlights
Our All-Church Strategic Planning Workshop this past Sunday was well attended, provided helpful dialogue, and brought forward many helpful insights! Our time together covered: (1) review of our guiding Vision statements, (2) summary of key SWOT analyses insights, (3) laying the groundwork for re-envisioning the organizational shape and ministry model of our church, and (4) describing our next steps in the coming weeks.
The input is being summarized and will be posted on our Council Updates page
soon, and is being made available to our Church Council in preparation for their meeting next week. If you missed the session, a link to the video recording is available upon request; your input is desired now so it can be included in the process!
Again, it is important to emphasize that
we do not have a pre-determined outcome
for Butler's future model! Thank you for your continued prayer for Pastor Ron, the staff team, ministry leaders, and the Church Council as this discernment process continues.
In Memory of Ray O'Neil
Join us in praying for Bonnie O'Neil and family following the passing of Ray O'Neil who went home to be with the Lord last week (January 29). Ray joyfully participated in our Faith Community congregation despite the limitations of Parkinson's disease. His passing followed a downturn in health but was still rather unexpected.
A memorial service is being planned for Saturday, March 14 here at Butler Church. More details to come.
A memorial service is being planned for Saturday, March 14 here at Butler Church. More details to come.
Children's Ministry Update
Parents - Reminder that this Sunday February 8, our morning children's ministry will feature Pajamas and Pancakes! We will be having pancakes in our pajamas and have a lesson in Love. So, parents, bring your kiddos in cozy pj's that Sunday; you are more than welcome to provide any toppings for our pancakes. Thanks!
Our kids' class on Sundays is during the 11AM hour for kids K-6th grade. Feel free to contact our children's ministry director, Maria Galvan,
with any questions.
Ministry Invitation from Nzash
Our local missionary, Nzash Lumeya, is excited to be hosting a weekly Monday Bible study
here at Butler Church. He is hoping several from our Butler family will also join in! This study will be on Mission as seen in the Psalms, and the gathering is available to you both in person and live online!
Mondays @ 6:00pm - Room 18
Also every first Saturday of the month, the outreach team gathers to pray and reach out to neighbors. Join in THIS Saturday (Feb 7) in Room 18 at 10AM! If you have any questions, do reach out to Nzash at 559-907-1445.
Update on Support for Anul
Thank you to all who have been praying for our church member, Anul Ram, who was detained by ICE several months ago. Her court hearings completed several weeks ago, determining that she will be deported back to her birth country of Fiji. She has finally received word that the consulate and immigration paperwork is completed, and that a plane ticket will be ready for her any day now! While this is bittersweet news, Anul is looking forward to restarting her life and trusting God to direct her.
Please pray for a smooth travel process, for housing to be quickly available to her, and for peace throughout the process. If you would more detailed updates on how to pray for Anul, or to give toward her support for resettlement, please connect with Shelly in the church office for details. 559-252-3741 | info@butlerchurch.org
Lent and Ash Wednesday
This month marks the beginning of Lent, starting with Ash Wednesday. All are welcome February 18 at from 6:30-7:30PM
for an Ash Wednesday service in the Butler Sanctuary for our Ash Wednesday Service.
The season of Lent signifies Jesus setting his face toward Jerusalem and beginning his journey to the cross. Our time will include worship, reading of scripture, the imposition of ashes (if desired) and a variety of stations to engage in to begin your journey with Jesus through the Lenten Series. Youth and children are invited to participate - stations are children-friendly (3rd grade and older).
Mark Your Calendar
Our next All-Church Combined Service will be on Sunday, March 1! The special focus will be on our partner agencies, and our speaker will be Juan Wall, pastor and leader in the hispanic ministries of our Pacific District churches. There will be worship in multiple languages and we will be taking a special offering as part of the service. The morning will start with Butler Cafe at 9:30AM
in the courtyard and the service will follow in the sanctuary.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Congrats to all celebrating a birthday, milestone, or anniversary in February! If your special date is coming up and you want to make sure we have it noted, let us know here. Special THANKS to Frances Echavarria who keeps the Butler Café celebrations going.
More news items....
In Memory of Lenora Nickel
Join us in praying for the family of Lenora Nickel
who went home to be with her Lord this past Sunday (January 25). Lenora is the last of our original Butler Charter Members who established Butler Church almost 70 years ago. Arrangements are being made to celebrate Lenora's 97 years of life.
A simple memorial service and reception will take place here at Butler on Wednesday, February 18 following the morning graveside service in Reedley.
A simple memorial service and reception will take place here at Butler on Wednesday, February 18 following the morning graveside service in Reedley.
Palm Village Soup Supper and Annual Meeting
The Palm Village Retirement Community in Reedley is holding its annual meeting February 24, 2026, at 7 PM, preceded by the annual Soup Supper. As a founding church, Butler leadership is invited to select one or more delegates to represent Butler Church at the event. In addition, any persons interested in serving on the Palm Village board or being a delegate to the meeting should contact Jim Holm via the church office
so that their names can be submitted. Nominees must be submitted by February 13.
New Pastoral Opportunity
Our Butler member, Dr. Emebet Mekonnen, is taking part in a chaplaincy training program this year, which will also bring an added blessing to our church family!
Butler Church partnering with “Clinical Pastoral Education of California” in this training, through volunteer internship hours. For the next 4 months, Emebet will be present on campus at various times during weekly office hours. Not only will this opportunity provide an educational context for Emebet as a chaplain-in-training, but our church family will benefit from her investment of time in the form of listening sessions.
Our goal is to make Emebet's time and listening presence available to church members and community neighbors who need a prayerful, listening ear. Dr. Mekonnen will be report weekly to Pastor Ron and others in Butler Church leadership. We will provide more information as to the times / places for this ministry in the coming days. Look for more details in our Sunday gatherings and in upcoming editions of the Buzz. We welcome Emebet as a volunteer member of our staff for the next several months! – Pastor Ron
January 2026
Year End Giving Letters
Year-end giving letters for tax purposes were sent out last week, primarily by email. Those who have previously requested a printed letter will be sent one. If you have any questions, or would like a printed copy, please contact the church office. Thanks!
Intersections Cohort Highlights
Our collaborative learning cohort with the Central Valley Justice Coalition is off to a GREAT start! This past Tuesday, we had 25 registered participants attend (and there is room for more!). Our first, eye-opening session focused on issues of justice and compassion as it relates to human trafficking, specifically “Familial Trafficking."
If you would like to join in learning together, there is still time to register - whether you can attend in person or would like to request a recording. Additional topics include economic security, the justice system, and more to consider practical ways to join the work God is already doing in our community. Sessions are on
Tuesday evenings Jan 20 - Feb 24. A registration cost of $30 covers most meals for the six weeks. (If cost is a barrier, please let the church office know; we want all interested to be able to participate!)
Spring LEAD Cohorts
In addition to our local learning cohort, our broader church family also sponsors virtual LEAD Cohorts each fall and spring. Sign ups for the next round of cohorts are currently taking place! LEAD Cohorts bring together people from across our US Mennonite Brethren community for intentional, online conversations that deepen faith, foster relationships and encourage growth.
This season's list of cohort topics includes: Effective communication in a digital world, Holistic healthy living, Leadership for women in ministry, Discipleship discussions, and Lectio Divina. Session dates vary by cohort but most begin the first week of February; all take place virtually via zoom. See the entire lineup and consider signing up!
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: 1/29/2026
Looking for earlier Butler news stories? You can visit our news archive here.