The Sacrament of Communion 

The sacrament of Holy Communion (also known as The Eucharist, or The Lord's Supper) is a significant and deeply symbolic ritual of the church.  It is a remembrance of the "last supper" Jesus shared with his disciples and friends where the gathered people shared wine and bread on the night before Jesus was betrayed and eventually taken away to die.  It is symbolic act that connects us with each other, the global Christian community, and with God.  

Here at Sunset we typically celebrate Communion at least four times a year.  The United Church as a whole practices an "open table" or "open communion" where people of all ages, races, theologies, genders, orientation, denomination etc are welcome to receive the elements of the meal (in this case bread and grape juice.)

There are a variety of ways Communion can be served:

1.  individual cups and bread cubes:  In this case, the elements are passed among the congregation on plates.  When the tray is passed to you, you take the bread or wine, and then pass the plate to the next person (or to the server if you are on an end seat).  Follow the instructions of the minister:  sometimes the bread is eaten before the juice trays are passed around, and sometimes you are invited to hold on to the bread until you have the cup of juice.  When in doubt, follow those around you.  Hold on to your cup until collection baskets make their way to you.

2.  Intinction (also known as "rip and dip"):  you will be invited to make your way to distribution stations where folk give out pieces of bread, and hold a cup of juice.  Once you get the bread, don't eat it!  You will want to dip your bread in the cup of juice (no sipping!)  As you do these two things, the folks doing the distribution will say something like: "Bread for the journey" or  "The cup of blessing".  All you have to do is say "amen".  Once the bread is dipped in the juice, you can eat it and then make your way back to your seat.

Communion often ends with a prayer and a hymn.

Most of the time, communion at Sunset is done through intinction.  There is always one station that has a gluten free option for those that need it.  If some one is unable to make their way to a station, then the elements will be brought to them.  Please know that children are encouraged and welcome to participate in communion, and if your child has gone off to Sunday School,  don't worry, someone will let the leaders know that it's communion and all the children come back to worship.  

When in doubt, don't be afraid to ask a Sunset member or have a chat with the minister.  We want to make your experience of Communion stress free and joyful.

Resource used:  The Unofficial United Church Handbook. Edited by Scott Douglas and Nanette McKay.  2007: The United Church of Canada