Coming to the Lord's Table: A Guide for Visitors and Parents

Who May Receive Communion?

We are glad you are here and welcome you to worship with us! All baptized Christians who have publicly professed their faith in Christ, whether through Confirmation or its equivalent in their own church, and who are prepared to receive in accordance with the teaching below, are welcome to come to the Lord’s Table. This includes communicant members of other churches who share this faith. Those not receiving (including children) are welcome to remain seated or to come forward for a blessing (simply cross your arms over your chest).

The Lord’s Supper in Our Anglican Parish

We are a conforming Anglican parish which means, in keeping with Holy Scripture and the historic Anglican Formularies (especially the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion), we believe that in the Lord’s Supper we truly receive the Body and Blood of Christ: not as a physical change in the bread and wine, nor as any bodily presence of Christ “in, under, or with” the elements, nor as a mere memorial, but as a real spiritual participation in Christ by faith. As Article 28 teaches, Christ is received “after a heavenly and spiritual manner,” so that those who come in faith truly partake of Him in their hearts, “ feeding on him in thy heart by faith with thanksgiving” (1662 BCP).

On Children and Holy Communion

Following the plain teaching of Scripture (1 Corinthians 11) and the direction of the 1662 Prayer Book, we admit to Holy Communion those who have been confirmed, or who are ready and desirous to be confirmed. As the Prayer Book states:

“And there shall none be admitted to the holy Communion, until such time as he be confirmed, or be ready and desirous to be confirmed.”

In Anglican practice, Confirmation (or “Profession of Faith” in other churches) is the public profession (Matt 10:32-33) and personal owning of the faith and Gospel promises into which one was baptized, ordinarily accompanied by instruction in the Christian faith and the laying on of hands by the bishop. It marks a readiness to examine oneself, to repent, and to come to the Lord’s Table with a living personal and mature faith. While baptized children belong fully to the covenant community, the Lord’s Supper calls for this mature and public confession of Christ. If your child is beginning to understand the Gospel and is ready to profess faith, we warmly invite you to speak with the pastor.

Intinction & the Administration of the Sacrament in Scripture and the BCP

We administer the bread and the cup separately, as Christ commanded: “take and eat” and “take and drink” (Mt 26:26-28, Mk 14:22-25, Lk 22:19-20 & 1Cor 11:23-26). For this reason, we do not practice intinction (dipping the bread into the wine), but follow the order plainly given in Scripture and preserved in our Prayer Book liturgy. Intinction obscures this divinely appointed form, introduces unwarranted and novel innovation into historic Anglican practice, and diminishes the clarity of the sacramental signs. We also avoid it for sanitary and hygienic reasons, specifically, keeping crumbs and fingers out of the common cup.

A Final Word

We are honored by your presence and ask all who join us to respect the teaching of Scripture and the discipline of this parish in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. If you have questions, the pastor would be glad to speak with you after the service.