Team Amazing / Find your place
There is a difference between having to help and getting to be part of something. Around here, we say, “I get to serve.”
The invitation is wider than the task
UAMEZ is a historically Black, multicultural church in Palo Alto. Every person who walks through the door matters before they ever join a team.
When you are ready, serving is one way to bring what you have into what we are becoming together. All of our staff and volunteers are Team Amazing.
How it works
There is a path into serving, but there is no pressure to rush it.
Complete Next Steps before serving on a ministry team. Church membership is not required. Until then, come as you are. Being here never depends on being on a roster.
Pick a team that interests you and shadow on your first few Sundays. Meet the people, see the rhythm, and find out whether it feels like a fit.
Seven ways to contribute
Some teams are out front. Others make it possible for everything to happen. Follow what makes you curious, then talk with a leader about shadowing.
Every Sunday, kids get a class built for their age: Little Lambs (kindergarten through 2nd grade) and Promised Kids (3rd through 6th). Our team teaches the Bible at their level, learns their names, and makes church a place they want to come back to. While you serve here, a parent gets to worship and a child learns that God knows them by name.
Team lead / Larin Smith
Walking into a new church alone takes courage. Our team greets people in the parking lot and the Courtyard, walks families to Amazing Kids check-in, and saves a seat for the person who came by themselves. For someone new to Palo Alto or new to faith, that first hello can be where a real relationship starts.
Team lead / Janet Billups
Our sound, lighting, camera, and livestream team makes sure the message is heard clearly in the room and online. The person watching from a hospital bed or a dorm room hears the same sermon as the person in the front row. You don't need experience to start. New team members shadow someone on the team before running anything on their own.
Team lead / Lori Patton-Johnson
Our singers and musicians carry the gospel music UAMEZ is known for. The team prays and rehearses during the week so that on Sunday morning, the people in the room can stop watching and start worshiping.
Worship Leader / Rev. Zandra L. Jordan
Designers, photographers, writers, and video editors make the graphics, posts, and stories that reach people before they ever walk in. Most people meet a church on their phone first. This team makes sure that first look is honest and inviting.
Team lead / Shania Ie
Groups of 10 to 15 people meet during the week to pray and talk through Sunday's message. Leading or hosting a group means building the kind of friendships where someone notices when you're missing and calls.
Team lead / Rev. Michael-Ray Mathews
Next Steps meets every Sunday after service in the Fireside Room for 30 minutes. People learn who UAMEZ is, discover their spiritual gifts, and choose a team to serve on. Our team welcomes them, walks with them through each step, and follows up afterward.
Team lead / Alicia MiddletonCurious about the rooms behind these roles? Learn about Amazing Kids or small groups. Exploring a ministry is not a commitment to serve.
Leadership
Connect with Pastor Kaloma A. Smith to explore how you can lead, serve, and strengthen our church family. These leadership roles are usually filled through appointment or election.
Class Leaders are the shepherds of our congregation. Each one checks in on the members in their class and prays with them. When someone is sick or grieving, a Class Leader is often one of the first people at the door, right alongside the Pastor.
Lead / Dene Mathews
Stewards look after the spiritual and practical well-being of our Pastor and oversee the offering each Sunday. Much of it happens behind the scenes, and a healthy church needs it.
Chairperson / Jenny Bloom
Trustees care for our campus on Middlefield Road, including the buildings, the grounds, and the long-term decisions that keep them safe and ready. Every family that walks in on Sunday walks into a space this team protects.
Chairperson / Justin Montgomery
The Deaconess Board prepares and serves Communion and assists at every Baptism. When you receive Communion at UAMEZ or watch a baby being baptized, the Deaconesses made that moment ready.
Lead / Lucila NwatuA better kind of yes
You do not have to earn your welcome with a shift. Come to worship. Learn some names. Find a group. Let belonging have its own beginning.
Explore Next StepsThe practical things
If you're wondering about timing or what's expected, start here.
No, church membership is not required. You are welcome to visit, get to know people, and belong in the life of UAMEZ whether or not you serve.
Schedules vary by team. While you shadow, your team leader can talk through the schedule and what works for you before you make a commitment.
That is what shadowing is for. After completing Next Steps, choose a team to explore and spend your first few Sundays seeing how it works. You can ask questions before committing to a rhythm.
Amazing Kids volunteers are background-checked through Planning Center before serving. Ask the church what screening applies to other roles.
Teens may serve with Guest Experience, Worship, Creative, or Production. Complete Next Steps, then shadow a team to see what fits. Ask us about the right next step for your family.
Yes. Join Team Amazing through our Church Center form (opens in a new tab). You can fill it out even if you have not finished Next Steps yet; complete Next Steps before serving. You can also email us a serving question.
The first step is a conversation
Come to the Fireside Room after any Sunday service and we'll help you find your place.
