Communion recommended each Sunday

Many congregations in
Southwest Texas serve
Eucharist weekly

By Claudia M. Williams
Staff Writer
The 2004 General Conference recommended that United Methodist congregations move toward a richer sacramental life, including celebration of Holy Communion each Sunday.
The recommendation came in “This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion.” That booklet explains the theology and practice of the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper in The United Methodist Church.
A number of Southwest Texas Congregations are heeding the call and offering Holy Communion each week.
“Holy Communion is a means of grace when we join with God, as is prayer, fellowship, studying scripture and listening to preaching,” said Pastor Richard Selke of Los Fresnos UMC. “Jesus told us to take communion often in remembrance of him.”
Los Fresnos UMC celebrates Holy Communion weekly at the 8:30 a.m. worship service.
John Wesley, founder of the worldwide Methodist movement, tried to take Holy Communion often, Selke noted. Church historians say that during the years Methodism was beginning and growing, Wesley communed four to five times a week.
“I think Wesley intended that Methodists take communion once a week,” said the Rev. John Wright, senior pastor of Grace UMC, Corpus Christi. But as the Methodist movement expanded across the United States, weekly communion wasn’t possible.
“Many of the preachers in early Methodism were not fully ordained,” Wright said, “and so they were not able to consecrate the elements. That’s partly why the custom came about to have communion four times a year.
“Communion happened when the superintendent, the presiding elder, came to hold the quarterly conference. Often the presiding elder was the only person authorized to do communion on the frontier.”
The Rev. J. Michael Lowry, senior pastor of University UMC, San Antonio, said, “I feel strongly that United Methodist churches should offer communion weekly, although not necessarily on Sunday. I think the first Sunday of the month came about through tradition.”
University’s Wednesday evening worship service includes communion.
“I think you’ll find there’s a movement more and more toward weekly communion,” Lowry said.
Other Southwest Texas congregations offering weekly communion—either on Sundays or weekdays—include: Bethany UMC, Austin; Buda UMC; First UMC, Boerne; First UMC, McAllen; First UMC, Seguin; First UMC, Victoria; and First UMC, Johnson City.
Grace UMC, Corpus Christi, offers communion every Sunday at two of its three services. Member Scott Tilton takes communion every week.
“It’s a time I look forward to,” he said. “God seems more personal to me while I’m taking time at the altar rail. Each Sunday I know I’ll have those few moments there for a personal time with God.”
Shirley Jones, another Grace member, said, “I ask the Lord to guide me through the next week—until I take communion again.”
In Austin First UMC—located across the street from the state Capitol—offers a noontime service each week that includes Holy Communion. People “come to be quiet and away from work and to be reminded of our grounding,” said the Rev. Mimi Raper, associate pastor. “It honors their need to be quiet and still in God’s presence.”
The short service begins at 12:10 p.m.—allowing people to walk from their offices—and includes scripture, a few comments by a pastor and a period of meditative piano music.
Laypeople bring the bread for communion, Raper said, and assist in serving the sacrament by intinction.
“People like the significance of one loaf, one chalice,” she said. “They like the significance of sharing in one body.
“They are a close-knit group. They’re comfortable praying aloud and asking each other for prayers.”
Sometimes they ask that their prayers be shared with the whole church, Rapier said. “Like communion, that makes them part of a larger body of Christ,” she added.
About 25 “regulars” attend the brief meditation and communion service each week, Rapier said. But sometimes the count is five, at others 100. The group is racially diverse, and not all are United Methodists.
“Having a worship service with communion offered in the middle of the day and in the middle of the week communicates to downtown Austin that we are open and inviting,” Rapier said.
“God’s love is for all. We don’t ‘check’ anything at the door.”