August 2026-CBWC Luncheon

Tuesday, August 18 , 2026

Doors Open: 11:30am

Program: 11:45am – 1:00pm

Location: Pardini's Catering & Banquets – Shaw @Van Ness 

Who can attend: Women Only

$30 per person (Includes $2.00 convenience fee per ticket)

Table of 8 $240 (Includes $2.00 convenience fee per ticket)

Door Prize: 2 Tickets to the next month’s Luncheon

Raffle: $50 Gift Card

Please email with any dietary restrictions. 

info@cbwcfresno.com

Business Spotlight: 

Lisa Casarez/Angels of Grace Foster Family

559 268-0000 

https://www.angelsofgrace.com/

Speaker: Gerre Brenneman

Bio: 

My bio looks a little different than it did a few years ago. After 30 years with Evangel Home, I retired in 2018, but in 2024 I was asked to return to help restore the ministry. So much for travel and retirement—turns out they are not all they are cracked up to be.

At this stage of my life, and in the life of Evangel Home, my degrees matter less than the experience I can use for God’s glory. I am grateful to be back; it has been a blessing for both Evangel Home and me. God does not place age limits on service, and neither should we. He first called me there to work on me; this time, He called me back to help the Home.

I have lived in Fresno most of my life, am a member of First Presbyterian Church, and have family throughout the country, though I am especially thankful to be near those in Fresno. I recently returned from a two-week vacation that captured many of my interests: taking the train to Cleveland, visiting my great-niece, attending a PEZ convention, meeting possible relatives, and sharing meaningful moments with Amish travelers on the train home. There is much we can learn from them.

I hold three degrees from Fresno State and worked as a social worker, teacher, and public relations officer before first being called to Evangel Home.

Topic: "Refiner's Fire: Leadership Lessons from the Furnace."

Some of my best leadership lessons came out of very difficult situations -- things I was not prepared for, but situations through which God was preparing me.  I felt very inadequate when I first accepted the position of Evangel Home Director in 1988, but wise Christian friends encouraged me to stay. I stayed for 30 years and retired in 2018. God called me back in 2024. Those lessons learned in the fire were needed to restore Evangel Home.