For the 2007-2008 year we have 162 active women; 60 new ladies this year; 127 Friday morning participants (including 9 in the ESL group); 40 Tuesday evening women; and 5 ladies doing both morning and night studies. We have 39 states represented and 9 different countries including: Singapore, Japan, Canada, South Africa, Korea, France, Germany, England and Finland.

Where and When do we meet?
Side By Side--Rochester has two groups.  One group meets on Friday mornings from 9:15-11:15 at Autumn Ridge Church, located at 3611 Salem Road SW Rochester, MN 55902.  Childcare is provided for a modest fee.  The other group meets on Tuesday evenings from 7:30-9:00 in homes.  Childcare is not provided, but babies in arms are welcome. 

What are our goals?

1. To reach out to the spouses of physicians in our medical community in order to help meet their spiritual, emotional and physical needs.
2. To learn more about God and the Bible while growing in our relationship with Jesus Christ.
3. To challenge women to study and apply the Bible to their lives daily.
4. To be a place of prayer and support.
5. To build Christian community through friendship.
6. To provide a safe atmosphere for children where Biblical principals are modeled and taught.

What do we believe?

We believe in one God who exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God.  We believe Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead.  Through His sacrifice, we can have eternal life and a personal relationship with God.

Start SBS In Your Community
Are you interested in starting a Side By Side in your medical community? For more information visit this link : www.cmda.org/go/sidebyside 

Why minister to doctors’ spouses?

Many people would hardly consider them to be in need of an outreach ministry, but it's actually quite the contrary. A false perception exists that if you are married to a physician, you must surely have the "perfect life." But life as a doctor’s spouse can be difficult and many are just barely hanging on. They've been uprooted from their families, moved away from home, and often feel like a single parent or a single person while their spouse is building his or her career. And because of that, many struggle with resentment, exhaustion, loneliness and isolation.

That is where SBS steps in. We believe there is something unique about the support other medical spouses can offer each other. And though many of our members would never come to a "Bible study," they'll come to a place where people understand what they are going through, where they find friends and surrogate family members, where they find help and companionship. Our number one goal at SBS is to help meet the physical and emotional needs of these spouses so that we may minister to them spiritually as well. And how do we do that? We tell them about the personal relationship they can have with Jesus Christ and demonstrate His love for them through our love for them. Ultimately, we can only do so much to meet the needs of one another, but our goal is to point our women to the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who can meet all their needs.

There is a huge social element involved in SBS. We place a high value on cultivating and developing relationships with one another and to do that, we spend a good deal of time together outside of our regular meetings. We offer a wide variety of activity options from Small Group get-togethers, cooking classes, picnics at the park and trips to the movies! Some activities include our kids; others are just for the grown-ups! But the underlying goal of them all is to reach out, make friends, and encourage, love, and support one another. Besides, we want to have fun while we do it!

Many of our members have moved into a new community, away from their families. This can be quite challenging at times. When you don’t have a mom to call at the last minute to watch your kids or you need someone to pick you up because you had a flat tire (and your husband cannot leave work), you have to have a community of support. And SBS tries to be that community by taking care of each other in ways that a family would, whether it’s by cooking meals or providing childcare. We strive to help meet whatever needs we can.

However, despite all the fun we have and the help we give, the most important aspect of SBS is indeed the Bible study. Getting our members into the Word and showing them how it is applicable and relevant to their daily lives - that’s what it is all about. We want to share the good news of the Gospel and lead all of our members into a deeper relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.