We will be welcoming Siriwan and Wichan, and their daughter. Siriwan is the leader of Naomi House which they currently host at their home. They will be sharing in each of the worship services this Sunday. All who are interested to get to know them better are invited to RSVP for a missions lunch which will take place at noon in the Family Center. 

This is  a great event both for the families of our surrounding community as well as Butler Church families. Each year hundreds from our community enjoy coming to our campus for a family friendly event, and we will be here on Oct 31 @ 5pm to greet them! So, send your candy donations this way! You can drop them off during Butler Café this Sunday. 

This week's lecture series is underway: "Citizens and Strangers: A Christian Vision for Immigration Reform." This Thursday evening is the final session, with a community presentation and panel discussion. The focus will be on justice and compassion in immigration reform and how that relates to Micah 6:8. 

Many will remember our Butler Church member, Barbara Mullendore, from the years she was able to worship with us in person. Barbara passed away in September. Her daughters Rachel and Alta, are hosting a memorial service here at Butler for friends and family on Saturday, October 11. The service will start at 3:00 pm and a potluck reception will follow. If you can come, in honor of Barbara's memory, please wear bright colors or pink - her favorite color!

If you are interested in baptism or membership at Butler Church, please talk with your congregational pastor or contact the church office. New classes are starting soon, and we plan to have baptisms and present new members on Missions Sunday on November 23! 

October is traditionally Pastors Appreciation Month, a great opportunity to give extra encouragement and express our thanks to our pastors and pastoral leaders. Consider taking this time to write a note of thanks to our pastors and let them know how they are appreciated!

We had a wonderful combined service and potluck Sunday! This was also our traditional "Vision Sunday" and the installation of Pastor Ron & Kathy Herms. Thank you to all who led the worship service, brought food for our multicultural lunch, and served behind the scenes!  

Pastor Ron writes: “Incredibly grateful! So many friends, family, and members of Butler joined together for a commission to live for, and work into, God's dream for Southeast Fresno. Thanks to PDC District Minister Jordan Ringhofer, Pastor DJ Criner and leaders from Saint Rest Baptist Church for the encouragement of presence and friendship. The charge from Pastor DJ to follow the Anabaptist vision for peace (wholeness), non-violence, and love of (perceived) enemies will stay with us for a very long time.”

Pastor Ron brought an encouraging message from a challenging story in scripture, helping us to see those around us and follow the Spirit’s leading, right out our front door. The explanation of biblical vision and the benediction were just the way to begin our new season of seeking God’s vision for Butler Church. 

As we move toward the end of September, there is much for which we can be thankful here at Butler Church! I write this note as we have a small team of members serving at a community celebration in Cedar Courts (loving our neighbors!). This week we also received a positive report from the detention hearing for our sister, Anul Ram, and we continue to pray as she trusts in the care and presence of our Father & the support of her Butler Church community as she awaits a further hearing. I’m personally grateful for the many conversations I’m having with volunteers and ministry teams who believe deeply in the transformative power of a church community that loves one another and their neighborhood.

This coming Sunday (Sept 28) we’ll have the opportunity to celebrate the “interim lead pastor” installation in a combined service at 10AM. My hope is that our focus will be more on the collective calling we all share as we continue to live into the specific dream God has for Butler Church. We will welcome our PDC District Minister Jordan Ringhofer and Pastor David (DJ) Criner from Saint Rest Baptist Church as participants in this service of dedication and celebration. Kathy and I are also delighted that several of our friends from Saint Rest will be our guests this Sunday! As I share some thoughts on how we can live with VISION and PURPOSE, my reflections will come from Luke 16.19–31. I’m looking forward to seeing the whole Butler Church family – all four congregations – together in worship, prayer, and reflection this Sunday!

We are excited to announce Toby Ens, a longtime member of Butler Church, as our Worship and Tech Intern for the 2025-26 school year. Toby has been an active member of our tech team and has served our worship and service teams in a variety of roles through the years. In this new position, Toby will be empowering and training other people to serve on our tech teams, help design tech procedures and gear management all while leaning into his own formation as a follower of Christ. 

  

Butler Church will be partnering with Ridgepoint Leadership Academy through which Toby will be engaging in weekly discipleship classes which will focus on his KNOWING (calling), BEING (character), and DOING (ministry competence). Our prayer for Toby is that he gains confidence in his skills, continues to grow in his personal character, and gains clarity in what's next for his life through service to Butler. A special thank you to our Faith Community congregation for their generosity in making this internship possible. 

Prayers are appreciated for our church member, Toom Polsena, who is part of our Asian Grace congregation. Toom is in the later stages of a cancer journey, and very weak. Pray for grace for her and those caring for her in these final days; that all would experience Jesus' presence and peace.

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