It's already the end of February, and that brings us to another great Community Meal! Invite a friend or neighbor to join in with us for dinner together this Sunday at 5PM, and a fu n activity. We were inspired by Valentine's day, to come up with a game show based on the theme! It will be a lot of fun you won't want to miss!

The Church Council will be meeting this Thursday, Sept 19. A copy of the agenda is available online. The topics include a recommendation on the Faith Community Pastoral Search, a Vision Team Update, and Council openings in the coming year. 

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.

Our Church Council meets monthly, generally on the third Thursday of the month. Coming up for 2024 we have several council roles open:

• Moderator, Assistant Moderator, Secretary

• Congregational representatives (for Faith Community and Common Ground) 

Council nominees should be a person who has joined in membership, and able to serve Butler Church as a whole. 

Thanks for joining us in prayer as we together discern leadership for the coming year. Click here for more info. 

Join in at 10:15AM every Sunday in the courtyard for Butler Cafe fellowship time with all of our Butler family! 

The month is flying by, so take a moment and make sure you have some upcoming Butler events penciled in for the coming months! Check out the Butler calendar to note things like Combined Services, Women's Retreat, the annual church picnic, and other special events. Get ready for some yummy fundraisers, and stay tuned for more details on how to serve or sign up! 

This Sunday, February 23 is our All-Church Combined Service!  With our special focus on our partner agencies, and our own Dr. Andre Stephens, president of FPU, will bring the message. 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 a special Butler Cafe at 9:30AM in the courtyard celebrating January & February birthdays and anniversaries! The service will follow in the sanctuary.

We hope you'll come back again in the evening for a fun Community Meal, too!

We are part of a church family that goes far beyond Fresno! Each February we have a special focus on these local and global partner agencies of our Mennonite Brethren family: the US MB churches, the Pacific District Conference of MB churches, Multiply, and Fresno Pacific University and Seminary. This Sunday we will give a special offering for the support  of these agenc ies; our goal is $15,000. Thank you for prayerfully considering what amount you feel led to give. You can give online now to "MB Agencies Support" or bring your gift this Sunday. 

Daylight Savings time begins this Sunday, March 9. Remember to turn in an hour earlier than usual on Saturday night so you don't miss anything Sunday morning!

This month marks the beginning of Lent, starting with Ash Wednesday. All are welcome March 5 at 7PM for an Ash Wednesday service of confessional scripture reading and prayer which will take place in the Worship Center. 

Lent is the season in which we prepare for the remembrance of Christ’s death and resurrection. It is an opportunity to refocus our lives. Traditionally, during Lent many people take up a spiritual practice like fasting to focus more attention upon Christ and his cross. It can also be a time we intentionally say Yes to something as we let go of other habits. During these weeks leadin g to Easter, as church we will journey through a series on the “In Between.” Pray that through this season, our faith will grow and deepen as we experience how the cross leads us to new life.

You can join the Team and help people in need around the world and in our community! The store needs volunteers as well-- sorting donations, pricing goods, cashiering, customer service, and organizing. 

All Butler women and friends are invited to join in a baking day this Saturday at 1:00 pm at the Butler kitchen! These items will be for a bake sale fundraiser with proceeds helping Butler ladies attend a women's retreat in April. You can find more details on our Women's Ministry page. A variety of baked goods will be available  for sale this Sunday March 16...but on a limited basis; check out the order form and pre-order today!

The West Coast Celebration for World Relief will be this Friday and Saturday, April 11&12, on the FPU campus just across from Butler Church. Proceeds go to support Mennonite Central Committee's relief projects around the world. 

There are many ways to participate, and MCC is specifically seeking volunteers for "Around the World with MCC." This interactive booth is designed to give kids a hands-on experience with MCC’s global work. If you would be available to volunteer this Saturday for an hour, email rosanazamudio@mcc.org. 

May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage month. Here at Butler Church, we’re blessed to worship together with brothers and sisters from several Asian cultures! In our Asian Grace congregation alone, we have members who are Khmu, Lao, Mien, and T’in! And beyond that we have Filipino, American Samoan, Korean, and Cambodian represented within our broader church family and congregations! 

Here are links to some articles to learn more about local history and Khmu culture.

May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage month. Here at Butler Church, we’re blessed to worship together with brothers and sisters from several Asian cultures! In our Asian Grace congregation alone, we have members who are Khmu, Lao, Mien, and T’in! And beyond that we have Filipino, American Samoan, Korean, and Cambodian represented within our broader church family and congregations!  This article, written a few years ago from the perspective of a Korean-American pastor, provides insight on why celebrating AAPI histories, culture, gifts, and experiences is actually a form of worship.

Our annual Church Picnic is this Sunday May 18 on the campus of Fresno Pacific University! Remember to plan to bring food to share! There will be a short service on campus hosted by Faith Community at 9AM and then we'll gather at 10:00 AM at FPU for an outdoor service and potluck lunch! Picnic Sunday is a great opportunity to fellowship & play together as a church family, and we also would like to have fun activities for all ages. Thanks to all who have signed up to help! If you are able to volunteer, connect with Pastor Scott or sign up using the link! 

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....)

If you do not have someone to celebrate the holiday with, let the church office know so we can be in touch with you. Please note that the church office will be closed Thursday and Friday,  November 28 & 29.  The church office is regularly open Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday, and Fridays til noon. 

All the Butler congregations will be decorating the Sanctuary & Family Center on Saturday, November 30th, at 10am. Come join in the fun! (There will be goodies too!) If you are able to help, please let the church office know.

Pastor Connie has also prepared an advent devotional booklet! Copies will be available on Sunday if you would like to have a series of advent readings to follow and reflect on. We will conclude the advent season with our traditional Christmas Eve Candlelight service on December 24! 

Our Christmas Eve service on Tuesday, December 24 will be at 6:00PM. It's a great opportunity to invite a friend or neighbor! Each congregation will have a part in the service, and our children will also be singing. We'll conclude the evening with our tradition of singing carols by candlelight outdoors, weather permitting. We'll also have goodies to share following the service!

Thank you to the many who have been faithful in stewardship through regular financial giving. As we approach year-end, please consider making a special gift to Butler Church. Suggested designations are Amor y Fe and Common Ground. To count toward this year, all donations need to be received or postmarked by Dec 31st. Thank you.

New Year's greetings to all of our Butler family! As we enter this new season, may you continue to lean into Hope, share Peace, seek Joy, and live out the Love we have in Christ! 

Halfway through week we could all use a recharge. Butler men, let’s spend some time in the Word together and be refreshed! A weekly Wednesday night men’s Bible study is starting up this week! Join us in the Youth Room Wednesdays from 7-8 pm. 

The Wednesday morning Women's Bible Study group is starting again this spring on Wednesdays at 10AM here at Butler Church. The first few gatherings have taken place, but there is still an opportunity to join in! This series will be learning about Jesus through the book of Mark. More details on this and other upcoming women's ministry activities are posted on our Women's Ministry page.

We praise God for the many new faces we’ve seen during our Sunday school classes recently! We are now in need of volunteers to help during both service times. Thank you for pouring out to our children, loving on them, challenging them and most importantly teaching them about Jesus. If you are interested in volunteering, contact our Children's Ministry director, Maria Galvan!