The Sidesmen (now Sidespeople)

Provide assistance to the clergy in the safe and orderly conduct of services and assist the congregation in their worship experience

Contact

Activities

The ministry leader of this group is the main contact for all sidespeople. That person is a member of the worship committee and will communicate with the captains on all sidespeople duties arising from those meetings.

An integral part of Anglican worship services is the tradition of the use of lay persons called sidesmen (now Sidespeople). The term originated during the early days of the Anglican Church and referred to assistants to the wardens with the duties of protection and security. Now the visible duties of the sidespeople are collecting the offering and ushering at communion. However there are additional duties of which many may not be aware. They check that the lighting, sound system, fans and other facilities are ready. They distribute the prayer books and bulletins and welcome worshippers. They also must be aware of anyone needing assistance such as operating the elevator.

The sidespeople look after the traditional ringing of the bells to start the service. They assist latecomers in an orderly entrance, and make a count of the attendance and post it so that the Servers can prepare for communion. While the service is on, the sidespeople must be aware of happenings inside and outside the Church. They have to act in case of an emergency. Also they need to be diligent in case of improper activity during the service or on Church property. After the service, the sidespeople insure that the pews are neat and the books are ready for the next service.

In the case of St. Timothy's, the sidespeople arrange for the delivery of the flowers to shut-ins. At St, Timothy's we have had a pool of persons who share sidespeople's duties. On most Sundays with three services, eight persons are needed. During the past year, over thirty individuals have served regularly and another dozen have assisted at special events.

Annually, sidespeople are requested to sign up for services for the year. A commitment of a month's services twice a year is usually made. In addition we welcome new participants who wish to help.

There are "captains" who supervise each sidespeople for each of our regular services. The captains are: 8:00 Service Ron Wilson; 9:15 Service Reg Perkins; 11:00 Service Keith Hutchinson. During Summer Services, the captains are: for 8:00 Service Ron Wilson and for the 10:00 Service Keith Hutchinson.

We believe that the work of the sidespeople is an integral part of the worship at St. Timothy's.