We believe that all are welcome who wish to eat this shared meal remembering Jesus Christ.

In order to be hospitable to all who come, we serve grape juice. Parents decide when their children are ready to eat the communion meal.

We alternate between two styles of serving the communion meal.

• Intinction: This means taking a piece of bread and dipping it into a shared cup of grape juice. Members walk by rows to the foot of the stairs at the front of the sanctuary. Eat the food as soon as you have dipped the bread; the server will say a blessing as you do. In order to serve those for whom walking is a challenge, servers are glad to come to you in the pew; please let an usher or the person next to you know if you would like a server to come to you.
• Individual cups: When we want to allow people to serve one another, we pass trays of bread and small cups of grape juice in the pews. After each person has been served bread, the pastor will signal that all should eat together. The sharing and drinking of the grape juice proceeds the same way. Put your empty cup in the holder in the pew or between the chairs.

What does the United Church of Christ say about communion?

Where is communion described in the Bible?
While Jesus and his disciples were sharing the Passover feast together, Jesus requested that his disciples remember him when eating together. The details are embedded in the larger story of Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem and the events leading to his crucifixion and resurrection. Each of the four gospels has some details of that meal. In addition, we have details of appropriate behavior for communion from Paul in his letter to the church in Corinth; he is addressing reports that the congregation is eating the remembrance meal in a spirit of discord and selfishness.

The Gospel According to Matthew 26:17 to 35
This telling of the story begins with Jesus’ giving instructions for the passover and includes his prediction that Judas will betray him and Peter will deny him.

The Gospel According to Mark 14:12 to 31 
This telling of the story begins with Jesus’ giving instructions for the passover and includes his prediction that Judas will betray him and Peter will deny him.

The Gospel According to Luke 22:7 to 38
This telling of the story begins with Jesus’ giving instructions for the passover meal and includes his prediction that Peter will deny him.  It also gives some instructions to the disciples for the future and addresses the ever-present argument among the disciples about hierarchy in the group.

The Gospel According to John 13:1 to 17:26 
This telling of the story includes Jesus’ washing his disciples feet and a final prayer of blessing for his disciples.

Letter from Paul to the Church in Corinth (#1) 11:17 to 34
From this description come some of the church’s traditions about confession, repentance, and forgiveness in connection with communion.