Board considers sacrament’s meaning

April session to explain
new UM statement on
Holy Communion

United Methodist News Service
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—United Methodists should consider Holy Communion as a “kingdom scene” in anticipation of the life to come, not a funeral service.
The Rev. Daniel T. Benedict Jr. made that point earlier this month in a presentation to elected policy-makers for the General Board of Discipleship.
“Holy Communion is not a funeral service,” said Benedict, a Discipleship executive. “It is a time to remember all that Jesus did for us. It is body and blood, not milk and cookies. Diners, beware!”
Benedict presented a theological inquiry on Holy Communion and baptism for elected Discipleship directors during their March 9-12 meeting in Nashville.
When people partake of Holy Communion, Benedict said, they should be aware of what they are going to do with the rest of their lives.
A conference on “This Holy Mystery,” sponsored by the General Board of Discipleship, is slated April 26-28 in Nashville. The session is designed for bishops, district superintendents, connectional ministries directors, conference and district worship directors, seminary professors, pastors, deacons and seminary students.
The 2004 General Conference, the denomination’s top legislative body, approved a study on Holy Communion conducted by the Board of Discipleship as the church’s official interpretive statement on the sacrament.
The study, “This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion,” was produced by a 19-member task force. The 16-page paper clarifies United Methodist Holy Communion tradition, theology and practice for local churches. It is also intended to help the church be in accord with ecumenical movements in sacramental theology and practice.
Benedict said task force members all agreed that Holy Communion should be celebrated weekly.
The Eucharist should become “ordinary, not extraordinary,” he said. The Lord’s Supper should form the church into a community that reaches out.
“If you are meeting Christ each week, of course you will reach out,” he said.
The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, top board executive, said, “Each board meeting will have someone do theological instruction on the work of disciple making. Baptism is the basis from which our ministry springs; we are baptized, and then we start a lifelong journey of growth in faith. Holy Communion is the meal that reminds us of the great love of God.
“We want to be grounded in those two sacraments.”
In an opening address to elected directors, Greenwaldt said the board helps leaders in all areas of the church look “holistically at the health and vitality of local churches and annual conferences.”
In other action, the board approved a Global Young People’s Convocation in late May 2007 in a central conference. Sponsored by the Division on Ministries with Young People, the convocation is for United Methodists ages 12 to 30 and adult workers with youth and young adults.
The event is to celebrate the mission and vitality of young people, develop young people as leaders, highlight emerging trends in youth and young adult ministry, and provide a forum that embraces the church’s global reality.