The acolyte ministry stems from Old Testament times. The Scriptures tell of the Prophet Samuel assisting Eli the priest and of Elijah being assisted by Elisha. The new Testament illustrates early Christian adoption of this custom, retained to the present day as the honored office of acolyte.
GeneralThe Acolyte Warden is Bob Haslam. The Acolyte Warden is appointed by the Rector and serves at his discretion. The Acolyte Warden reports to Candace Bawcombe and Davidson Morse.
We enjoy a long and great Acolyte tradition at Saint Andrews. Please take time to view the many photographs of acolytes from years past around the Parish. As we are often reminded with our own children; our Acolytes prompt us to pray for them, laugh, and maintain a joyful spirit. We have another great group this year.
Purpose of the MinistryAcolytes are the young people of our congregation in grades 6 through 12 who help with worship service. They serve as examples for worshippers, leaders of the congregation during the service, and assistants for the clergy and lay ministers. Acolytes participate in all phases of the rites and ceremonies of the Church. The Ministry gives our young people an opportunity to assume a leadership position in the Parish, learn our traditions, and to actively participate in its services in a very unique and memorable way.
Recruiting and TrainingOur young people became eligible to participate in the Acolyte Program after they have been confirmed. The young people in the confirmation class are encouraged during the year to enter the Acolyte Ministry after they are confirmed. Next year we will work with the confirmation class to begin Acolyte training during their classes.
In May, following Acolyte Senior Sunday, all of the Acolytes gather for the graduates to lead and assist with a training session. We enjoy fellowship, pizza and stories that help train the new confirmands and existing acolytes on their duties and responsibilities. The seniors take great pride in "passing the torch." The Church summer schedule (around May 25) begins our new year.
OrganizationThe acolytes are divided into teams, each of which has an adult leader. The goal is to have each leader be responsible for refresher training, scheduling, proper dress, and making sure that their team arrives ready for the appointed services. The adult leaders are encouraged to participate in the service by sitting from time to time with their team in the acolyte pews during the service.
At the present time there are seven teams. The teams and adult leaders are Canterbury (Nick Genua), Holy Cross (Bill Penney), Trinity (Tom Laker), St. Peter (Robert Haslam), St. George (Jim Stouffer), Seraphim (Isaac Manning) and St. John (Stephen Eisner). The list of Acolytes is available to parishners in the Parish Office or from Bob Haslam. We have 37 young people participating in the ministry. We try and balance each team considering different age levels, friends and family. The Senior or oldest Acolyte is the team leader and usually carries the cross.
Training includes instruction on how to perform the four Acolyte positions: Crucifer, Flag Bearer(s), Torch Bearers, and Server. Training also includes an explanation of the liturgical traditions we observe and correct liturgical vocabulary. Training for special services, such as Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day, baptism, weddings and funerals, are done on an as needed basis.
Each Acolyte is given an Acolyte Handbook. The Handbook contains, the liturgical vocabulary and a detailed description of the duties of each Acolyte position. It also contains the rules each Acolyte is expected to observe and a definition of terms, which are used in the Church. Davidson Morse, Candace Bawcombe, and Robert Haslam recently updated the Acolyte Manual following Bill Dickson's changes, requests and approval. The handbook is posted on the Parish web site under the Acolyte Ministry page. Bill Greenhill, our former Warden, originally prepared the Handbook and did a wonderful job both in the layout, detail and educational information. Bill Greenhill also prepared a power point for our training sessions.
The changes many have observed in the procession and services are a result of many hours of discussion, testing, and reading historical information so the Acolytes can carry on the traditions we value, consistent with our 1928 Prayer Book and our Anglican tradition. Bill Dickson, Candace Bawcombe, Davidson Morse, Bob Haslam, Bill Greenhill, Mom's of acolytes and the Acolyte Dads have all been involved in one way or another developing our current Ministry. Our Acolytes have worked very hard and spent many hours working to learn the new duties and should continue to improve in performing their duties. The acolytes' current duties should remain the same for several years, and any more material changes are not anticipated at this time.
FellowshipOn one of the last Sundays of January, we attend the rodeo together, and this year we will attend the Rodeo after the annual meeting. In our periodic training sessions, we may either go to lunch or have food delivered.
RecommendationsPlease thank your Acolytes for their service and the many hours they give to continue our traditions and educate themselves on the Anglican worship. If you have any questions, ideas or constructive critique, please contact Bob Haslam at (817) 332-3115 or email: robert@hg555.com.