[Heart-Rest]

"They had a assigned deacon to walk down the aisles during service and take a gourd on the end of a long stick to knock you in the head if you fell asleep... "

In some pilgrim churches, I believe they also used a gentler "feather tickling stick" to wake up snoozers.

[verga]

<>I>In some pilgrim churches, I believe they also used a gentler "feather tickling stick" to wake up snoozers.

You will notice they had both the feather and the gourd. The feather was for the elderly, and the gourd was for everyone else.