Communion Service
Week ending Saturday 3rd April, 2021
Why?
In John 13 we find Jesus celebrating the Passover Meal with Him. This likely took place on the Thursday evening, before his crucifixion on the Friday. Saturday 3rd April is the Sabbath over “Easter Weekend” and so we will be following in the footsteps of Jesus and the disciples and celebrating Communion together in our homes.
It has now been 10 months since we’ve had our last Communion Service due to the constant covid-19 regulations.
We invite you, along with any members of your immediate household to take part in this special Remembrance Service.
A experience to remember
Last year we thought that it would be our only online/home communion service; but events have not turned out like that. However, we hope that this experience will again be a special experience for you, and for our whole church family – one that you will remember.
Please consider taking time to plan for this … you really will reap the rewards and if you have kids, get them involved in the making of the communion bread and grape juice. They’ll surely benefit being part of it.
A Special Experience to Remember
We are encouragaing you to make your own communion bread and grape juice once again. So here’s what you need to know:
1. We have created an ingredient list & instructions how to make your own communion bread. You can download it below.
Ingredients (for a family)
1 tablespoon water
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon rapeseed / olive oil
A zip lock bag
1 1/2 tablespoons white four and 1 1/2 tablespoons brown flour, or 3 tablespoons spell flour
Method
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
- Add tablespoon of water in ziplock bag then pinch of salt and a teaspoon of oil, then shake together.
- Add sieve-measured flour then mix in bag until texture looks like moist play dough, but not sticky. If sticky, add a dust of flour and mix.
- Release air from ziplock bag then roll dough until it’s flat.
- Cut bag at the side then transfer dough to tray.
- Use knife to score lines so that it gives an outline for square pieces of bread around 3-4cm square – enough for the number of people in your family
- After 5 minutes in the oven reinforce line in bread then bake for another 10 minutes
2. To can make your own grape juice by squeezing the juice out of grapes.
3. We will soon upload a link to a sample preparation guide which you might like to follow with your household as you prepare the communion bread and grape juice. It will include bible readings and songs. Feel free to adapt and change it to fit your own personal circumstances – it is just a guide.
You can follow the preparation guide at any point in time this week, but you might like to consider doing it on Thursday evening – the same time Jesus shared the Passover Meal with his disciples.
We suggest that you download the PDF’s above, have a read through them, and then work out how your and your family / household will share the experience together of making the bread/grape juice.
Of course, it is also possible to just make the bread and buy the grape juice.
Alternative to Making Your Own
If don’t want to make your own communion bread and grape juice we will happily send you a small communion pack in the post. This pack will contain 1 small cup of grape juice and 1 small piece of communion bread as you can see in the image.
To request a communion pack please click this link and fill in the online form. These commion packs will need to be requested at the very latest on Tuesday 30th March to guarantee delivery to your home with An Post. You can still request after this date, but we cannot guarantee delivery.
Is there anything else I should know? Yes!
There are 1, 2, 3 other things you need to know to be ready for Sabbath 3rd April.
1
Preparing for the foot-washing
If you are living at home with other people then you will be able to take part in the foot-washing. If you don’t you may want to consider missing this part of the communion service out this time round.
Items needed – 1 bowl per person. Some warm water from the tap. A towel.
2
Foot-washing Service
We would encourage you to experience the foot-washing service together with those in your own house either on Thursday or Friday evening, on Sabbath morning before Sabbath School, or alternatively, on Sabbath afternoon after the Worship Service.
3
Communion Service, Sat 3rd April
The worship service on Sabbath 3rd April will be focussed on the Communion Service. You will need your pre-made or pre-ordered communion bread & wine with you during the service. We will lead you through the rest.