Session Decision On Communion
Your Session (the current elected elders responsible for making decisions for this church) spent two months considering various ideas and concerns about how to conduct communion at St. Andrews. Historically, St. Andrews has taken communion on the first Sunday of each month, periodically alternating between passing trays of pre-cut bread and grape juice (the “passing trays” method) and walking forward to servers to tear off a piece of bread and dipping that bread in a cup of grape juice (“intinction”). When we returned to in-person worship after the pandemic, we suspended the practice of intinction and only passed trays. Earlier this year Session received a recommendation from the Worship Committee to return to the practice of occasionally conducting communion by intinction. As with many good ideas, there were potential unintended consequences which lead Session to consider the question thoroughly.
The Book of Order states that session is responsible for deciding how communion is administered (G-3.0201). The Book of Order also reminds us that “Jesus shared meals with his followers as a sign of community . . .” and that Jesus “commended His followers to remember and proclaim His death as a sign of receiving and trusting the love of Christ present to each of us and to the entire world, among other important declarations” (W-2.4000.) Among the concerns considered by Session were the following:
- What parts of the communion liturgy engender a spiritual experience?
- What parts of the communion liturgy engender a communal feeling?
- Personal health impacts from intinction such as multiple people tearing bread from a single piece, the potential for people to accidentally dip their fingers into cup of juice. Or multiple people touching the passed trays before taking their bread and juice.
- Earth impacts from throwing away multiple single-use plastic cups or water waste from washing multiple glass cups.
- The burden on the limited number of Deacons who prepare the Communion elements.
- People’s affection for a particular tradition.
- Confusion about how to pass trays caused by vacant spaces in pews and newcomers.
- And other considerations.
Our process involved lengthy discussions, prayer, and consultation with medical research about the risk of contact spread of disease through a shared communion cup (primarily COVID, but we believe the research applies to other viruses as well). It is acknowledged that there is not much research on the topic of the practice of communion and the spread of infection, and that what little research does exist involved drinking from a communal cup as some Christian denominations do. Yet we assumed that with each increase in the closeness of interaction (shaking hands, hugging, picking up snacks from common plate, and dipping bread in a communal cup) there is an increased risk of infection. Every person in the congregation will assess this risk differently. This was the central reason the Session decided to provide different options for people to choose from. The Session decided the following method:
- The bread will be served in large, rectangular pieces rather than from a common loaf.
- Pastor Jen will stand up front in the center with the bread plate from which each congregant can take a piece of bread.
- One server will stand on each side of Pastor Jen with an intinction cup for those who want to take communion by intinction.
- On each side of the servers holding a cup will be a server with a tray of individual juice glass cups for those who do not want to use the intinction cup (do not want to dip the bread into the cup).
- Two servers will go into the pews and serve those who did not come forward with bread squares and individual cups. It does not matter if someone does not come forward due to mobility issues or preference.
- Below is a link to a diagram of this description.
We discerned that this is an appropriate compromise of both intinction and tray passing. We will follow this method for the rest of the year, and Session can consider any tweaks or changes deemed necessary after sufficient experience with this procedure. We recognize that some may not agree with all aspects of this decision, but the decision-making process was thorough and well considered. As is the practice in a representative form of government, the members of Session were elected to decide such matters. We took that charge with the upmost seriousness and faithfulness.
Yours in Christ,
The Session of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
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