News archive
NEWS ARCHIVE. For the main Butler news page, click here.
Stories in Scripture
In Common Ground, every 5th Sunday of the month we plan something a little different! On Sunday, Jan 29, we gathered around tables in the sanctuary with breakfast treats. Terry & Debra Brensinger are leading us in digging into a story from scripture. (Click here for the text from Daniel 3.)
Terry explains: “The stories in the Old Testament served not only to instruct the people of God throughout history, but also to capture their imagination. By following just a few simple guidelines - that we will talk about and illustrate during our time together - all of us can read, learn from, and thoroughly enjoy the often humorous, engaging, and suspenseful stories preserved for us in scripture.”
January 2023
Ministry Reports and Annual Business Meeting
Our annual Church Business Meeting will be on December 4. The agenda will include finances, council leadership, a report from the Mosiax conference, and sabbatical overview. All are welcome to attend, and members of Butler Church are especially encouraged to be present to vote regarding the budget and council nominees.
Meeting Packet: Ministry Reports & Budget Proposal
Sabbatical for Pastor Scott
Pastor Scott will be taking a ministry sabbatical December 5th through March 5th. The church council and Common Ground leadership have granted this sabbatical according to our church policy and have made arrangements for our pastors and ministry leaders to carry on Pastor Scott’s ministry responsibilities during his time away. During his sabbatical, Scott will not be receiving calls or messages regarding the work of the church; we ask that you send all your communication to either the church office, one of our pastors, or ministry leaders.
We all have a role in the sabbatical process while Scott is away. We invite all of our church family to 'lean in' to help and grow during this season. [For more information about Sabbaticals and how you can lean in during this season, click here.]
- November 2022
Back to School Combined Service Highlights
It was great to be together as a whole church for our back to school combined service! Some of the highlights mentioned were: the café fellowship time, fun school photos, the great music, the children’s moment, and Roberto’s story behind one very special school shirt! Plus, prayer over all the students, teachers, and administrators heading back to school. If you missed any of these highlights, or Pastor Scott’s “Show and Tell” message, you can watch the video of the worship service
and find more photos on ou r social media here!
- Aug 2022
Meet and Treat Highlights
It was so good to connect with and love on our community at Meet and Treat! A big THANK YOU to all our amazing volunteers and those that donated all the candy. We served up 600 hot dogs, dozens of cupcakes and so many bingo prizes. The best part were the smiles and conversation with old friends and new. Special thanks to our amazing Maria Galvan for leading us and FPU partnering with us in the Trunk or Treat. Pray that the seeds that were planted will bear fruit!
- November 2022
Summer Series: The Parables of Jesus
Common Ground's summer series was called Ears to Hear: The Parables of Jesus. A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a spiritual truth, and Jesus used them often in his teaching. Here is a simple list of the parables of Jesus. These weeks were about studying and listening to these stories to put our hearing to the test; to seek to hear the truth Jesus has for us through his Word. You can catch past weeks of the Ears to Hear series here on YouTube.
- August 2022
Church Picnic Highlights
We had a great picnic Sunday at FPU, complete with an outdoor service, bounce house, pool time, water balloon tossing contest, and a BBQ potluck lunch. There was such a big turnout that we ran out of hamburgers and hotdogs and made a pizza run!
A huge THANK YOU to all who volunteered with set up, food, clean up and more. It was a joy to welcome several new faces and return visitors as well.
- June 2022
Volume Up on Jesus
This encouragement was shared with our Common Ground congregation in preparation for Lent: "In this season, let’s renew our focus daily by looking for ways to
turn-up the volume on Jesus
in our lives for the next 40 plus days. For more on this, and a list of ideas,
click here!Perhaps, as you “turn up Jesus” in the weeks ahead he might reveal some of that beauty in the midst of the everyday. We want to hear about it!"
March 2021
Family Update from the Bells
Steve & Dee Bell write: Butler friends and family, Dee and I are sending this message to catch you up on our travels. Many may know we sold our condo in December and have been volunteering in different places to determine where we might live in the future....God has blessed us with safety in our travels through 13 states and 3 Canadian Provinces....please pray for God’s guidance for us. Where can we serve Him best? [Read more, and find travel photos here!]
- May 2022
Prayer Series for Lent
Our Faith Community congregation is journeying through a series on Prayer during this season of Lent. The prayer series is led by Debra Brensinger and its purpose is to invite believers to explore several different ways of praying. Many of our prayers are intercessory in nature, and we pray for ourselves, or for others we care about. But there are other forms of prayer. This series invites worshipers to learn about and to engage in various prayer practices.
• Authentic Prayer, preparing ourselves spiritually for prayer
• Prayer for discernment, helping us to understand the Word
• Prayer as response to the Word
• Praying the News
• The Jesus Prayer, or The Prayer of Bartimaeus
• Praying the Scriptures, or Lectio Divina (combined service)
Each of these prayer experiences (March 6-April 10) is placed at different times in the worship service, depending on their purpose, either to prepare us for worship, or to respond to what we have heard and experienced. All are welcome to join, either in person or online, or through watching videos from past Faith Community worship services on our Facebook or Youtube channel. (See links below.)
- March 2022
Easter Picnic Highlights
What a fun morning we had for our Easter Picnic BBQ and egg hunt! Though it was a little windy we had a great time playing kids' games and enjoying a hot dog lunch. Teacher Maria and kids did a great job telling the Easter story and just then it poured rain outside! The egg hunt had to be moved indoors, but it was still fun and there were LOTS of eggs to find. Thanks to all who helped and to neighbors who came for the first time! - April 2022
Growing Resolve Series
At the start of this year, our Common Ground congregation focused on about living with more than a new year’s resolution, but with Resolve. To do this, we need spiritual practices that focus our faith. Each week, through the Growing Resolve series we learned about this and practical ways to put these into action. You can find videos from this series our Facebook page or YouTube channel (see links below). The next series in Common Ground is called "Filled to the Brim: An Expansive Lent." - February 2022
Faith Community Highlights
For the past several weeks, our Faith Community congregation hosted a series of seminars on the subjects of aging, hospice care and caregiving, understanding grief and discussing our own losses and the response to them. The series was a follows:
• January 16, A presentation on Age-related Fears, by Jeri Stubblefield, a licensed geriatric advisor. She addressed the issues that all people face as they age, from personal loss of health, income and mobility, to walking with a family member through these things.
• January 30, Two persons from Hinds Hospice in Fresno presented lectures and discussions on understanding what hospice care is and how one approaches it. They also gave information on how to be a caregiver when someone you love is in hospice.
• February 6, Kathleen Cromwell of Hinds Hospice presented a lecture and discussion on Understanding Grief.
• The final Sunday in the series, February 13, will be a round table discussion in which all participants will be given an opportunity to share their own experiences with losing a loved one and the grief connected with that. The conversation will center around what was most helpful to them in their own grieving, and what was not as helpful. The gathering will be at 10:30am. Anyone is invited to attend.
- February 2022
Prayer Walking
When there is a 5th Sunday of the month, we plan something different for the Common Ground worship service. So, Sunday January 30 was a unique morning which included the opportunity to go on a prayer walk! .
You can use the prayer guide to prayer walk in your own neighborhood! Click here to learn more about prayerwalking,
January 2022
Kings' Day Children's Festival
Kings' Day, or epiphany, is often a celebration of gifts as we remember the journey the wise men made to worship the newborn King! Our Amor y Fe congregation again hosted a children’s festival for Kings' Day - a great opportunity to bless kids and families! With music, stories, and prayer, Pastor Elbio and Teacher Maria shared about the gift of God’s love for each of us! Each child received a toy gift, plus there was traditional Rosca de Reyes bread and champurrado (hot chocolate). Afterward, the celebration continued outdoors with two piñatas! Join us in praying for the families that attended, and especially for the children of our church and surrounding community! - January 2022
Missions Sunday Highlights
Our annual Missions Sunday this past November was again a wonderful time with worship in song, prayer, giving, and a meal together. We were blessed to have several missionaries sharing in person - all who were originally from Butler many years ago! - and were both encouraged and challenged through the message by Andy Owen and the reminder from Nzash Lumeya to “answer the call!” You can find missions highlights and a video recording of the service on our Missions page. We're thankful for all who served on this Sunday and gave generously - we have met our mission offering goal for the coming year! Please continue to lift up our missionaries in prayer. - December 2021
Vision Sunday
On Vision Sunday evening, we celebrated the story that God has been writing through Butler Church and each of us! There was a great turnout and we enjoyed multicultural dinner together followed by worship, testimonies, and baptisms! Faith stories were shared by both new and longtime members of Butler. Through each of our congregations, we welcomed new members, and 5 people were baptized! We’re looking forward to sharing more of Our Story in the coming weeks and months. - October 2021
Back to School Prayers
Almighty God, We give you our schools.
We give you all the teachers and staff who work there,
We give you all the students who study there.
We pray our schools would be places of great discovery, adventure and creativity. May they be places where students love to learn and where they learn to love, A place where every one is respected and all are deeply valued. (More....)
.
Farmer's Market Highlights
Our first ever Farmer’s Market at Butler Church was this past July! We had a great turnout and had tons of fun with kids games, balloons, & bubbles. In addition to a great selection of fruits and vegetables, we had hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn and other goodies to offer. There were dance performances, gift basket giveaways, backpacks for kids, and a special message from pastor Marcus from People’s Church. Join us in praising God for a great event and the many incredible volunteers that helped make this a great night together with our community! See our post here
to see some great photos and to share feedback. - August 2021
Movie Night Highlights
We had a great evening our Movie Night outdoor community event at the end of May! We watched the animated movie Soul, and enjoyed Kona Ice and popcorn on the courtyard grass on what may have been one of the last cool evenings of the summer. Thank you to all who came and those who volunteered; it was great to welcome both new and return visitors. Hope to see many of you again soon! - June 2021
Church Fellowship Night
On Sunday evening, May 23, we had our first all church gathering in over a year! During our Church Fellowship Night we enjoyed an amazing taco dinner, some talented and creative Butler musicians, celebrated with Asian Grace over new life in Christ, and honored a staff member who retired earlier this year. Another highlight was a children’s moment lead by Maria Galvan; we are like M&M’s….very diverse on the outside but all the same on the inside, and God loves us each the same! - June 2021
Remembering Pastor Souk
Our church family is grieving the passing of Souk Sivongsay, pastor of our Asian Grace congregation. He went to be with Jesus on June 11 following a decline in health due to cancer. The memorial service was on Monday, June 14 at Butler Church and a recording of the service is available here. The funeral and burial will take place in his family's home state of Minnesota. Please join us in continued prayers for his wife, family, and our Asian Grace congregation.
- June 2021
Retirement Celebration
Our long time custodian, Bounthone Vongviset, retired in April. We’re so appreciative of his work and faithfulness! With nearly 20 years of service he is likely the longest tenured staff member with Butler Church! Boun says “though I am retired, my heart won’t retire” and plans to continue volunteering as needed. Join us in celebrating this milestone, perhaps even sending Boun a special note of encouragement or gift in appreciation of his work!
Boun and his years of service were recognized during our Church Fellowship Night at the end of May, with a presentation of gifts and a time of prayer. Since that time, our part time custodial job opening has been filled and we welcome Rudy Marquez on staff! posted May 2021
Indoor Worship Services
We're glad to be able to have indoor worship services again, starting Sunday, April 11! We will be continuing our regular worship schedule, with congregations meeting in both the Family Center and Worship Center during the morning.
9:00 AM Asian Grace
and Faith Community
10:45 AM Common Ground and Amor y Fe
Services will continue to be livestreamed on Facebook and on our YouTube channel (see the links below!) See please follow covid guidelines
when coming to campus & stay tuned for information about childcare and children's programs, which will be phased in. posted April 2021
Partner Ministries Focus this February
At Butler Church we are truly blessed to be part of such a unique and diverse body of believers! As part of the Mennonite Brethren denomination, we are not on our own, but we have an extended church family
that is found not only in Fresno, but throughout our nation and around the globe! This February we will be highlighting our MB agencies and give a special offering for their support. Our partnerships make possible church planting, Bible training, unity and connection across our MB churches. Watch for more information to come in our worship services, by mail/email, and online! posted January 2021
21 Days of Prayer and Fasting
For the last several years, churches throughout Fresno/Clovis have started the year with a season of prayer and fasting. This year, you can join from your home virtually—wherever you are in the community—to ask God for a vision for our two cities and a heart to serve others.
This year the dates are January 11-31. Click here
for a current list of the hosting churches and links to join on weeknights 7pm and weekends at 5pm.
posted January 2021
Prayer for our Country and Leaders
As we continue to lift up our city and country through the 21 Days of Prayer, we are especially mindful of the leadership transitions happening this month. Please pray
for wisdom for our political leaders, that peace will be pursued over violence, and for justice for the marginalized to be at the center of policy decisions being made.
Statement regarding violence at the Capitol
We are thankful for this statement from our USMB leadership regarding recent events:
“As Mennonite Brethren leaders, we believe what happened in our nation’s capital Wednesday afternoon, January 6, 2021, does not reflect the values or mission of Jesus entrusted to his followers. The life and message of Jesus do not call us to violent solutions to the problems in our world. Jesus calls us to live as he lived, exemplified by his teaching on the Sermon on the Mount. He calls us to serve others in humility…” [continue reading here]
Holiday Food Boxes
Through our partnerships with partnerships with the Central CA Food Bank, Summer Park Apartments, and our missionary Nzash Lumeya, Butler Church was able to distribute holiday food boxes to about 150 families in time for Thanksgiving. Here are some photo highlights!
This is in addition to our regular food distribution on the first Friday of each month. If you or someone you know is in need, please
contact us
so we can find a way to help.
posted December 2020
Addressing Racism
Recent events have revealed once again the brokenness of our world and the horrible effects of racism and hate. As a church we absolutely rebuke and stand against the sins of racism and hate in all forms against our brothers and sisters of color, including the verbal and physical violence that has increased towards the Asian community. We stand with them in our church, our community, and beyond. As a church we remain committed to the work of peacemaking. Resources are available to learn more about our role as believers in peacemaking and social justice in the face of racism, here at butlerchurch.org/socialjustice. We also invite anyone wanting to learn more or to process recent events to reach out to one of our pastors or contact us here.
- June 2020
Council Update
A Council Connection update is provided throughout the year to highlight recent church council agenda items and decisions. If you have a suggested agenda item for the church council or any questions or concerns, please share them with the council member for your congregation. The council generally meets the 3rd Thursday of each month.
Most recent update:
Council Connection for July 2021
Ministry Reports and Annual Business Meeting
Our annual Church Business Meeting took place as usual on the first Sunday of December although this time viturally instead of in-person. We reviewed a ministry budget for the coming year, and you can read ministry reports through the link below! posted November 2020
Meeting Packets: Ministry Reports
& Budget Proposal
