The Church Council will be meeting this Thursday, July 17. A copy of the agenda is available online. The topics include provisional pastor expectations for Pastor Jim, Interim Pastor process with Ron Herms, Financial update and Treasurer position, and items for a church vote on August 10.

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.

We received news this week that our long time church member, Frieda Wiebe, passed away at the end of June, at the Palm Village retirement community in Reedley. You may recall that she celebrated her 100th birthday earlier this year. Her obituary is available online here.

Over the coming Sundays, our interim pastor candidate, Ron Herms, will be spending time in each of our congregational worship services. This Sunday, July 20 our Common Ground congregation is hosting an all-church ice cream social to provide an opportunity to get to know Pastor Ron better. This will take place following the morning worship services, so after church plan to stop in, introduce yourself, & enjoy some sweet fellowship time together.

A bio for Ron Herms is available on the Council Updates page here.

Do you have gently used items you could donate to the MCC Thrift store in Fresno? "Thrift on Blackstone" is where every donation, purchase, & volunteer hour benefits MCC programs all over the world. Here at Butler on Sunday morning July 27 you can drop off your gently used items with MCC Thrift volunteers (no large furniture, please). During that morning, take a moment learn what a Thrift Store volunteer experience is like and to receive a 20% off coupon to use at the store! 

The month is flying by, and another right around the corner! Mark your calendar for Sunday, August 10 for our next All Church Combined Service. We'll be in back to school season, and hear some updates on children, youth, and tutoring ministries, and pray over students, teachers, and school staff.

Together with our missionary Nzash Lumeya, a group from Butler has been continuing to reach out to neighbors giving out bottled water, and offering prayer, and an invitation to a church family and closer relationship with Jesus. This effort is branching out to the houses near Butler to ask "How would you like Butler Church to serve this community, and how can we be praying for you and your neighbors?" Please join us in praying over these new connections. 

If possible, please Bring Your Own Mug for Butler Café on Sundays! A new law to reduce styrofoam waste means that cups will be more expensive for Butler Café. If you’d like a disposable cup, please be prepared to donate to help us cover those costs. Or better yet, BYOM and we can save on costs and reduce waste! You are also welcome to store clean mugs in your foyer mailbox. Thanks!

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