Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you,
and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking
in regard to Christ’s afflictions,
for the sake of his body,
which is the church.
I have become its servant
by the commission God gave me
to present to you the word of God in its fullness—
the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations,
but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people.
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles
the glorious riches of this mystery,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
He is the one we proclaim,
admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.
To this end I strenuously contend
with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.”
Colossians 1:24-29 NIV
Dear Friends,
Many of you know that we are in a transition period, adjusting to the SAS (simplified accountability structure) through 2026. As with any new program or process, we recognize these shifts take time. So please allow me to refresh your memory in regards to the SAS program…
What is SAS? The SAS structure of church governance is designed to streamline traditional church committee work. What was once a multi-committee process for church Finance, Board of Trustees, Staff/Pastor Parish Relations, and Administrative Council, the SAS model blends all of these into just one Leadership Board/Team (LB/LT).* That is why it is called a simplified structure or one board for governance work. And, “accountability” refers to the board’s focus on transparency, collaboration and holding one another accountable.
How does SAS work? When the LB meets each month (the second Sunday of the month following our Fellowship Meal), the LT members wear “multiple hats” (as we address Finance, everyone puts on their “Finance Hat”; or, as we attend to Trustee matters, everyone puts on their “Trustee Hat”; and so on). One board of 9-members allows us to address matters expeditiously.
Work Teams are key to our success! To achieve our governance goals (for Finance/Trustees/SPRC/LB), the LB utilizes “Work Teams” (WT). WT’s engage members or active participants who wish to serve for a defined period of time to complete a specific work project (for one of our LT areas). Each LB member is assigned to oversee Work Teams, and they report WT progress to the LB. Volunteers on a Work Team are only assigned a task until that task is completed. Anyone who wishes to serve on a WT is encouraged and welcome to do so, and the fun thing is that you need not feel you are tied to an unending project or task. This also frees more volunteers to work on our wonderful nurture, outreach or witness (NOW) committees that make a real difference in the wider community.
What are the NOW Committees? Where the SAS LB & WT’s focus on tasks, transparency and accountability in areas that are governed by our “Book of Discipline” Guidelines, the NOW (Nurture/Outreach/Witness) Committee model for ministry is not bound by SAS guidelines. So, anyone can engage at any time on our NOW Committees, which are designed for mission and ministry, and a pathway of discipleship to apostleship through:
- Nurture — ministries that help make disciples and apostles to fulfill our vision and mission (through Membership Care and Support, Visitation, Sunday School, Bible Study, Worship, Youth Group, Small Groups, Prayer Groups, UMYF, UMM, UWF and more).
- Outreach — mission that reaches beyond our local church into the community to make a difference for those in need (Food Pantry, Friendship Kitchen, etc.).
- Witness — evangelism and renewal efforts to draw all people to Christ (connecting new members to the body of Christ at Eufaula First UMC).
- Here are some important differences:
SAS LB uses Work Teams to accomplish governance goals and projects for a limited time.
NOW Committees are ongoing, designed to achieve our mission and vision goals.
SAS LB members are nominated to serve “3-year terms” by our Nominations Committee and elected at Charge Conference each year.
NOW Committee members are open to all individuals who are willing to serve on nurture, outreach and/or witness ministries (with unlimited “terms-of-service”).
How can you serve? If you have an interest in serving on our …
- Work Teams’ - please Contact: Tonya Venable (overseeing the Vision Work Team); Patsy Kirk (overseeing our Fundraising Work Team); Karen McCauley (overseeing Budget Alignment); and/or Michael Taylor (overseeing Trustee Work Teams).
- N.O.W. Committees’ — please Contact: Kate Kuykendall (Nurture Committee); Margaret Kramer (Outreach/Friendship Kitchen) & Gail and Jim Shroyer (Outreach/Food Pantry).
If you wish to speak to our pastor regarding discernment of your gifts and graces for service in and through the body of Christ at Eufaula First UMC, please contact Pastor Michelle.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Michelle
