Introducing the New Acolyte Ministry Website — saintmichaelacolytes.org

Dear Acolyte Family,

We are delighted to announce the launch of the Saint Michael & All Angels Acolyte Ministry website — a new, dedicated resource for every acolyte, verger, MC, and MA in our community.

Visit us at: https://www.saintmichaelacolytes.org

The site is designed to be your one-stop shop for everything you need — whether you are preparing for a service, refreshing your memory on a position, or looking for a specific resource. If there is a debate or a question, the solution is hopefully on this website.  Here is what you will find:

• Position guides — Summaries and full descriptions for every acolyte role, with links to detailed reviews

• Service customaries — Customaries for our regular services in both the church and chapel

• Service diagrams — Visual diagrams to help you understand formations and processionals

• Helpful references — Guidance on when to bow, which vestments to wear, and more

• Verger & MC/MA resources — Special service customaries, checklists, and blank rosters

• News & history — Ministry announcements and the story of our acolyte program

And look for the new QR codes posted in the sacristy! They link directly to each regular acolyte position and to the homepage — a perfect quick reference right before a service.

This website was a tremendous undertaking, and we owe a special debt of gratitude to the entire Acolyte Steering Committee: Michael Blachly, Van Sheets, JC Snead, Haley Dettra, Rachael Jones, Kelly Reddell, Jeanne Snead, David Thompson, Julie Allen, Jack Rubarth, and Tony Briggle. Their dedication and countless hours of work made this possible.

If you spot any errors or have recommendations and/or questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to acolytecorps@saintmichael.org.

We hope this becomes an invaluable resource for our entire acolyte community. 

In service,

The Acolyte Steering Committee

Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church

SMAA Acolyte Corps Update

We hope you are all doing well and have had a chance to rest and recover from Holy Week. The dedication and service you brought to this sacred season — as you do every year — was truly remarkable. Thank you for serving with such grace and professionalism.

As we move into the season of Easter and look ahead to the months to come, your Steering Committee has been busy planning and preparing for some exciting changes and milestones for our Corps. We have a number of updates to share and look forward to the work ahead — together.

Your 2026 Acolyte Corps Steering Committee

We are pleased to introduce the members of your 2026 Steering Committee, who are leading our Corps this year:

• Chair – Michael Blachly

• Chair-Elect – Rachael Jones

• Past Chair – Tony Briggle

• Head MC – JC Snead

• Head Verger – Kelly Reddell

• Vice Chair, Special Services (Weddings & Funerals) – Julie Allen

• Vice Chair, Vestments & Equipment – Jeanne Snead

• Vice Chair, Advancement & Training – Haley Dettra

• Vice Chair, Recruiting – Jack Rubarth

• Vice Chair, Scheduling & Membership – David Thompson

• Vice Chair, Communications – Van Sheets

The Committee has been hard at work on a number of initiatives, and we are excited to share updates on each below.

New Members

These past 6 months we welcomed Mina Kwun, Campbell Smith, Carson Royall, Mike Allen, Grayson Aston, Beck Dando, Neil Harris, and Elsie Rosser to the Corps. We are excited to have you join us!

New Vergers & Master of Ceremonies

We are thrilled to welcome several new additions to our Verger,  MC and MA teams in our services:

• Adult Vergers – C.D. Shamburger and Jack Rubarth

• Master of Ceremonies – Rachael Jones

• Master of Acolytes – Julie Allen

Please take a moment to congratulate them when you see them. They are wonderful additions to our leadership team, and we are grateful for their commitment to this ministry.

Preparing for the New Building

Our new parish building is nearing completion, and there are several important updates and dates to keep in mind as we approach this exciting transition.

First, an action item: as part of securing our certificate of occupancy, we must clear out the lanei (our current sacristy). If you haven't already, please make sure to remove any personal belongings by the end of this week.

Once that's behind us, we'll be moving toward settling into our permanent sacristy, and there are a few key dates to have on your radar. 

• On June 7th, we expect to begin operating out of our new sacristy for regular Sunday services. 

• Throughout July, we'll be on our Summer Schedule, so there will be no 7:30 AM or 11:00 AM Chapel services on Sundays. 

• Then on August 2nd, we return to our full schedule — and this is a big one. The 9:00 AM Joy Mass and 11:00 AM Contemporary service will move to the new Parish Hall, and the 11:00 AM Rite I service will return to the Church. 

• Finally, September 27th brings the grand opening of the Church and the Feast of Saint Michael, which will also mark the return of our three-cross feast day procession at Church services.

A lot of our current energy around training and recruiting is focused on that return of the Rite I service to the Church and our ability to have grand feast day processions with three crosses, six torches, and more. Over the summer, we'll be refreshing all of our customaries and training materials and organizing dedicated training days to get everyone ready.Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for a survey to gauge interest in serving at the 11:00 AM Rite I Service — we'd love to hear from everyone.

Acolyte Training & Recruiting

Our Training and Recruiting efforts are gaining momentum. To help onboard new acolytes more effectively, we have launched a monthly training day on the third Sunday of each month at 1:00 PM. These sessions are designed to equip new members with the skills and knowledge they need to serve well. This is also an opportunity for refresher if you need it and we are also always looking for acolytes to help with the trainings. Please email acolytecorps@saintmichael.org or let Rachael Jones, Jack Rubarth and/or Haley Dettra know if you are interested. 

Alongside this, we are making a more coordinated and intentional push to grow our ranks. Recruiting, however, is everyone's responsibility. We encourage each of you to invite parish members to explore the Acolyte Corps and help us spread the word.

Acolyte Website 

We are also very close to launching our Acolyte Website, which will serve as a central hub for training materials, position guides, and customaries. This has been a lot of work to create, update and gather all the materials for the new website. We are excited to launch this in the coming days!  WE CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO SEE IT!   

Acolyte Youth Program

One of our most exciting initiatives is the creation of a formal Acolyte Youth Program. This program will provide greater structure for the advancement of our young acolytes and meaningful recognition of their service.

As part of this effort, we are planning to designate specific service positions exclusively for youth members, ensuring they always have opportunities to participate. When a youth acolyte submits a substitution request, that position will be filled by another youth member — helping to preserve and expand their regular involvement.

We are also working to find meaningful roles for children ages 5 to 8 — those who have outgrown the Joy Mass but are not yet able to serve in the full Acolyte Corps. We want to keep these young members engaged and enthusiastic about worship, and we are actively exploring ways to incorporate them into our main services.

More to come over the summer as we build and refine this program. 

Weddings & Funerals

Our Special Services ministry continues to operate smoothly, and the integration of MSP for scheduling has worked very well. We are always grateful for those who volunteer for this meaningful work. If you are interested in becoming a regular member of this ministry, please email acolytecorps@saintmichael.org or let Julie Allen know.

Help Us Help You

One limitation of MSP is that we lose some of the personal connection that allows us to stay attuned to your individual needs. Please know that we are always able to make notes in your profile to ensure you are placed in the right positions and services, and that you feel properly trained and supported.

If you are dealing with a health issue or injury that affects your ability to serve in a particular position — whether temporarily or permanently (such as carrying the cross or navigating the altar steps) — please email acolytecorps@saintmichael.org or contact David Thompson so he can update your profile accordingly.

In Remembrance

We pause to remember a retired member of our community who passed away this past week: Roland Anderson. Roland served as a dedicated acolyte and verger for many years, and his service was a gift to this parish. We hold his families in our prayers during this time of loss, and we will share the date of his funeral once confirmed.

A Final Word of Thanks

Thank you for your continued faithful service. It is a privilege to serve alongside each of you. Please never hesitate to share your thoughts, ideas, or suggestions as we work together to strengthen this ministry.

In service and fellowship,

Your Acolyte Corps Steering Committee

Exciting Updates from Your Acolyte Corps - New Leadership & More!

Happy summer! We hope you've enjoyed some time traveling and getting away from the heat. We have several exciting updates to share about our Acolyte Corps.

Welcome New Vergers

We're thrilled to announce new vergers joining the ranks:

• Adult Vergers: Rachael Jones, Mark Gruber, Ann Marie Cowdrey, Van Sheets, and Michael Dorbandt

• Student Vergers: Layna Girata and Evie Davis

Please congratulate them when you see them - they're wonderful additions to our verger team!

New Recruiting Chair

We are also pleased to announce Jack Rubarth will be joining the Acolyte Steering Committee as our Recruiting Chair. He will be taking the lead on coordinating our recruiting efforts. That said it is everyone’s job to recruit so please do encourage parish members to join our Corps. Recruiting will be one of our main focuses this Fall so please help us in getting the word out.

Clergy Updates

We're excited that The Rev. David Faulkner will be joining SMAA as our new Associate for Liturgy and Worship. David will serve as our Corps chaplain and help guide our ministry. Meanwhile, The Rev. Andrew Grosso has transitioned to Senior Associate for Discipleship. While we'll miss Andrew's direct involvement, we're grateful for his continued support and excited about his new focus on parish discipleship.

New Members

This summer we welcomed Jacob and Virginia Choi-Durham as new Corps members. Some of you may remember Virginia from her youth acolyte days at SMAA - it's wonderful to have her and Jacob join us!

Remembrance 

We also pause to remember Robert Blake Hull (husband to Joyce Hull), who passed away this summer. Blake and Joyce served faithfully as acolytes for many years. We continue to pray for Joyce and the Hull family during this time.

Acolyte Corps Survey Results - Thank You!

Thank you so much for taking the time to complete our recent survey! In addition to helping us refine everyone’s service profiles in MSP, your thoughtful responses and insights were invaluable as we work to strengthen and grow our Acolyte Corps. The level of engagement and care shown in your responses truly reflects the dedication and love you have for this ministry. A few comments we wanted to highlight …

What You Told Us Serving Means:

- A privilege and honor to serve at God's altar

- A way to enhance worship with a "front row seat"

- An opportunity to build lasting friendships and community

- A blessing that strengthens you for the week ahead

Your Recruitment Ideas:

- Engage confirmation classes and Sunday school groups

- Encourage peer-to-peer invitations, especially among youth

- Promote family involvement and serving together

- Host social events and "meet and greets"

- Improve communication through church publications

Your Training Interests:

- Regular refresher training for seasonal and infrequent positions

- Understanding the "why" behind liturgical practices

- Position-specific rather than general training sessions

- Quick reference materials for each acolyte role

As one respondent beautifully noted: "Being a member of this Corps is incredibly important to me, for the fellowship, friendships and my own spiritual formation." This captures what makes our Corps special - we're growing in faith together.

We have heard your feedback and the Acolyte Steering Committee is working to take our Corps to the next level.  With that said, we have some exciting things coming this fall ...

Exciting September Launches

Wedding & Funeral Corps: We're officially launching our Acolyte Wedding Corps and Acolyte Funeral Corps with MSP signup capabilities. If you didn't indicate interest in joining one of these ministries in the survey or have changed your mind, please reply to this email and let us know.

Acolyte Reception & Training Event: It's time to get back together in a non-worship environment.  We're planning an Acolyte Reception and Refresher Training for late September. More details coming soon!

Regular Service Times are Back!

Don't forget that the Sunday 7:30 am Chapel and Sunday 11:00 am Chapel services resume starting next Sunday.

Sanctuary Audio System Improvements

Many of you reported difficulty hearing the sermon from the acolyte seats. We're pleased to announce the parish has improved the existing sanctuary speaker system! It isn't at the level we would love but it is a significant improvement and much more manageable until we implement a long-term solution.

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Thank you for your continued faithful service. Please don't hesitate to share additional thoughts or suggestions as we strengthen our ministry together.

In service and fellowship,

Your Acolyte Corps Steering Committee

P.S. Keep an eye out for more details on our September events - we're excited to gather together again!