SMAA Acolyte Corps Update

As we move beyond the Easter season, we want to express our deepest gratitude to each of you for your dedicated service during Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. Your commitment to excellence in liturgical practice was truly remarkable — while we normally cover six services each week, during Holy Week alone, we supported an extraordinary 17 services. This tremendous increase required exceptional dedication and flexibility from our entire Corps. The beauty and reverence of our worship during this sacred time was made possible through your faithful service. Thank you!

We’re also excited to share an update on the important initiatives in development to strengthen and grow our Acolyte Corps ministry. 

Steering Committee Leadership

Earlier this year, we formed a Steering Committee to help guide the growth and operations of the Acolyte Corps. The group has been meeting monthly to set priorities, oversee new initiatives, and support our acolyte community. A special thank you to our committee members: Tony Briggle, Michael Blachly, Katherine Blachly, JC Snead, Jeanne Snead, Rachael Jones, Haley Dettra, Van Sheets, Julie Allen, and David Thompson.

New Acolyte Corps Website & Training Resources

A new, dedicated Acolyte Corps website is under development! This site will become our one-stop resource for everything we need — including training guides for each position, service customaries, and best practices for Ministry Pro. We are aiming for a summer 2025 launch!

Advancement Program Development

We are working on creation of a structured Advancement Program for both youth and adult acolytes. This will outline how acolytes can grow in responsibility and leadership over time and will allow us to celebrate milestones and achievements more visibly within the Corps.

Membership and Scheduling Improvements

If you haven’t already, please complete the Acolyte Corps Survey sent to you by email earlier today (due June 15th). It’s quick to complete and critical for keeping our records accurate and improving Ministry Pro for scheduling and communication. 

Wedding and Funeral Guilds

We are building dedicated Acolyte Wedding and Funeral Guilds to support these special services. Completing the Acolyte Corps Survey is our first step in identifying acolytes who are interested in joining these new guilds.

Recruiting: We Need Your Help!

Our biggest current need is a Recruiting Committee Chair — someone to focus on recruiting and oversee efforts to grow our Acolyte Corps! Recruiting is everyone's responsibility, but this person will help organize ideas and lead activities to welcome new members into our ministry. If you — or someone you know — might be interested, please reach out to a Steering Committee member.

Thank You

We are deeply grateful for your service and heart for this ministry. Your energy and spirit truly make a difference, and the progress we are making is only possible because of you.

If you’d like to get involved with any of these initiatives or have questions, please connect with any Steering Committee member.

Faithfully,

Your Acolyte Steering Committee