Communion Service
Communion is celebrated in a variety of ways throughout the Christian church. The actual method is not so important since it is not dictated in scripture. Far more important is that everyone who participates is aware of what we are celebrating, why we are celebrating and our individual responsibilities to come with a right attitude of heart and mind.
These few paragraphs are intended to explain a little about the way in which Bryn Independent Methodist practices this important opportunity of grace.
Who is invited to Participate
This celebration is of particular significance as a time when we remember the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ as the supreme demonstration of God’s love for us, and the means by which He paid the penalty for our sins.
Anyone who professes salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is welcome to join with us in these celebratory services. However, everyone is reminded of the importance of having a clear conscience before God and men, so that they can participate in the service in a “worthy” manner.
Format of the Service
Various people may be invited to lead the communion service and each may have their own preferences as to how the service should be conducted. We welcome any variations in the way communion is administered as long as they are consistent with scripture.
However, we are aware that some prefer to follow the "normal" practice of our church and it is for this reason that we offer the following guidance:
- Before the start of the service, the emblems are placed on a table at the front – the wine being served in a rack of individual glasses. Stewards are appointed to help in distributing the emblems later in the service.
- The service opens with a hymn of worship and prayer of dedication
- This is followed by one or more scripture readings and/or short devotional word that is appropriate for the occasion. The objective is to help those present to fix their attention on the purpose of the gathering, to challenge their preparedness and to encourage everyone to approach the occasion with a right spirit and attitude of heart.
- The leader prays a blessing on the bread and the wine and may or may not ask for others to lead the gathered people in short prayers, as they feel led by God.
- At an appropriate time, the person leading the service initiates the distribution of the emblems by handing them to the stewards, who then pass them around to everyone present.
- Once everyone has been served, the whole gathering stand up and, following the person leading the service, partake of the bread and the wine together.
- The service then closes with a hymn of praise and prayer of thanksgiving
When we celebrate Communion
We regularly celebrate Communion (sometimes referred to as ‘Breaking of Bread’, the ‘Lord’s Table’ or the ‘Sacrament’) on the second Sunday evening of each month and at various other times throughout the year.
In addition, we have a separate Communion Service before the morning service on the first Sunday of the year, Easter Sunday, Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday and Church Anniversary Sunday. This service is conducted in a separate room to the morning worship so that people are able to gather for worship without disturbing the Communion service. There is usually a break of around 15 to 20 minutes between the two services while people move between rooms.
There are occasions when members of the church are unable to attend one of our regular gatherings, typically as a consequence of sickness.
Such people can request the church leaders to bring the communion service to them in their own homes at a time that is convenient.