The Buzz newsletter | Updated Weekly

Update from Pastor Ron
We’ve come through a deeply meaningful Holy Week and Easter weekend here at Butler Church. So many members participated in food distribution, the Stations of the Cross installation, and our all-church Easter Sunday celebration – thank you! A special thanks to our church staff for their efforts. I hope we all experienced something of Jesus’ resurrection life in these past days and weeks. We’re so grateful for the 9 new members welcomed into our community (2 of whom were baptized!). It was good to see representation from each congregation at Butler. 

This coming Sunday, I look forward to sharing more details about our transition process in all 4 gatherings as our Council met this week and will meet twice next week. (See also the Buzz update from March 26.) We need the support and the input of all members as there will soon be proposals which the Council will bring to the membership for further discussion and deliberation. We are moving forward!
 
Church Financial Update: The first quarter of 2026 (Jan–Mar) is now in the books, and we can report the following financial details that show us meeting our expenses and supporting partner agencies.
• Actual expenses: $ 101,234 (this amount includes some capital projects and future reporting will delineate such expenses in a more accurate, pro-rated way)
• Unrestricted giving: $ 100,790 (103% of projected giving!)
• Restricted giving: $ 15,000+ (agency support) – we have met our goal (!) and actually received more than this amount (the remainder will be distributed as designated).

Thank you for your faithful support of Butler’s ministries and staff as we seek to live as a community of God’s hospitality in our SE Fresno neighborhoods.Yours in the peace of Jesus, Pastor Ron

Men's Day at the Lake

A Saturday day trip to Bass Lake is being planned for Saturday, May 2. The day will be filled with food, fellowship and fishing! Watch for a sign up opportunity as we coordinate food and transportation. If you're interested in participating, let us know or talk with Mike Acosta or Samson Khoutsavanh this Sunday!

Women's Ministry update

Thank you to all who participated in the recent Bake Sale fundraiser! Over $1,000 was raised for scholarships for the women's retreat. Several Butler ladies will be attending the retreat at Calvin Crest April 24-26. More details are available on our Women's Ministry page; the Registration deadline is Friday!

Support for Butler Family Members
We have several people in our Butler family dealing with significant health challenges. Please keep them in prayer, especially those with a new or difficult diagnosis. Here's one way to help - providing a meal!

Lisa Keith writes: "Hello Butler Friends, I’ve been diagnosed with invasive/aggressive breast cancer and could use your prayers and support. I’m grateful for your continued encouragement as I battle cancer and care for my two parents, age 92. I’m grateful for any support you can give. Peace, Lisa."
MCC Sale this weekend
The West Coast Celebration for World Relief will be this Friday and Saturday, April 10&11 on the FPU campus just across from Butler Church. Proceeds go to support Mennonite Central Committee's relief projects around the world. This is both a fundraiser and a great time of fellowship and connection, so don’t miss out! To help make this huge event possible, volunteers serve in every aspect areas including many food booths (fritters, zwiebach, tri tip, etc) and the traditional quilt auction.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Congrats to all celebrating a birthday, milestone, or anniversary this month! 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....

Mennonite Disaster Service Opportunity this Summer
The devastating Pasadena/Altadena fires in January of 2025 destroyed more than 8,000 homes. The California MDS Unit will begin construction on the first house MDS will build in what will become a national project. Plans are to start this June. This Pasadena project includes framing, adding siding, installing the roof, along with windows and doors so that the home can be mostly finished on the outside during the summer. Volunteers who can give a week or more are needed. All housing and meals will be provided. Construction experience is helpful but not necessary; skills will be taught. If interested, contact Jim Holm at mds.calif@gmail.com.
Goal Reached!
We’ve reached our goal of $15,000 for the special offering for our ministry partners! Join us in praising God for the generous giving in support of Fresno Pacific University, Multiply, the Pacific District churches and USMB conference. 

Joining in Membership
on Easter Sunday we will also be formally welcoming several people into membership here at Butler! Their faith stories will be available this Sunday. While most were baptized previously, two are taking that step this Sunday! 

Together we welcome: Lui Koui Saephan, Man Chiam Saetern, John & Jo Ann Salazar, André & Beth Stephens, Julie Korthof, and Seng Sio & Xeng Choy Saelee
Butler members in the news!
Butler's own Yami Rodriguez is featured in a short article in the March/April issue of Christian Leader, arriving in mailboxes now! This magazine of the USMB Churches is available to regular attenders of Butler Church. Did you know that Yami was appointed by the governor as a CSU trustee and works with a local non profit? No wonder she's such a busy gal! You can also find a link to the story here.
Dr Emebet Mekonnen

Listening Sessions available

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

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.
Butler Cultural Celebration Night
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!)

Updated on: 4/2/2026

Looking for earlier Butler news stories? You can visit our news archive here.

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