Communion at the wedding?
FI and I are Methodist and getting married in the Methodist church. FI really wants to take communion at the wedding. I have never been to a wedding, outside a Catholic wedding that has had communion. I appreciate the symbolism and the sentiment for his reasons, but I still have reservations. Has anyone done it?
Some concerns I have:
several of my BMs are Catholic. I know they would not want to take communion but I don't want them to feel awkward when everyone else does. The pastor said he could make an announcement in a way that would basically tell everyone to come forward, and if they don't want communion they can send their well wishes and move on kinda thing, I just feel with them being up front it might make them feel weird.
Also the pastor suggests we be the ones handing out communion to our 250++++ guests, it just seems like it would take a while. On top of that I am afraid guests will want to stop and chat kinda thing, and how am I to tell them to move foward?
I think my biggest reservation however is being the one to give communion to my guests. I just don't feel like I could do it. Almost like I am not spiritually ready to serve communion to others? I am this way with praying with others outside of FI, and I am still very very timid to speak in bible studys. I am getting better, but its still hard for me and I think this is just another extension of that.
So has anyone been to/ done a communion and a noncathloic wedding? Can anyone make me feel better about serving communion to others? What do you think of communion at a wedding?
Love is like infinity: You can't have more or less infinity, and you can't compare two things to see if they're "equally infinite." Infinity just is, and that's the way I think love is, too.
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Re: Communion at the wedding?
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lillies: thanks for you words of encouragement I appreciate them. I am working on stepping forward in my faith and you are so right about this being a great time to step out of my comfort zone for His glory. I had thought about doing communion for just FI and I, but the pastor said he would not like to do that as communion is open to everyone not just us. The way he said it made it make more sense so bascially that is not an option for us.
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[QUOTE]We took communion, but it was just the two of us. We did it during the unity candle time. We lit the candle, signed our marriage certificate, then took communion. I would highly recommend doing it that way instead of with the whole congregation.
Posted by DramaGeek[/QUOTE]
<div>I'm loving your idea. We may consider doing that. Mom says "after you light the candle, you'll have a lot of time... do you want to do something else?" and I was lost for a response. Maybe this will work. I must talk with FI about this!! :-) </div>
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[QUOTE]Drama, I kind of responded to your post in my last thread, but bascially that is not an option for us. In the Methodist church communion is open to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ and our pastor does not feel comfortable excluding the table to just us if that makes sense?
Posted by aggiebug[/QUOTE]
<div>I don't know how they usually do communion during church services normally at your church, but for my church, we have ushers (usually laymen or deacons) who have ushering responsibilities during communion. They pass around the trays of the unleavened bread, then the trays of juice. It might make the process go a bit quicker. Basically two guys take a set of pews / rows. One guy takes the tray of items and passes down the second row. The guy on the other side passes a tray down the first row. The first guy takes the tray from the other end of the first row and gives that tray to the third row, and the second guy takes the tray from the other end of the second row and passes it to the fourth row. It goes really quickly for us. It takes 6 ushers at my church because we have 3 sections of pews. Some churches only have 2 sections of pews, so you could literally do it with as little as 2 or 4 guys. The groomsmen might be good candidates for this job if they are comfortable with it. </div><div>
</div><div>Just a thought. </div>
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Communion at the wedding? : I don't know how they usually do communion during church services normally at your church, but for my church, we have ushers (usually laymen or deacons) who have ushering responsibilities during communion. They pass around the trays of the unleavened bread, then the trays of juice. It might make the process go a bit quicker. Basically two guys take a set of pews / rows. One guy takes the tray of items and passes down the second row. The guy on the other side passes a tray down the first row. The first guy takes the tray from the other end of the first row and gives that tray to the third row, and the second guy takes the tray from the other end of the second row and passes it to the fourth row. It goes really quickly for us. It takes 6 ushers at my church because we have 3 sections of pews. Some churches only have 2 sections of pews, so you could literally do it with as little as 2 or 4 guys. The groomsmen might be good candidates for this job if they are comfortable with it. Just a thought.
Posted by kellya01[/QUOTE]
This. Our deacons pass to the congregation, then serve the pastors, our pastors serve the deacons, and then one of the pastors reads the passage from 1 Corinthians 11- "For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night He was handed over, took bread, and, after He had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is My body that is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of Me." <em>{Congregation eats the unleavened bread}</em> In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." <em>{Congregation drinks the grape juice}</em>
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So I would ust do it however you feel comfortable doing it (as long as your church/pastor are ok with it). And no matter how you do it, I think most people know communion is a time for reflection and prayer, not cocktail hour chat time.
[QUOTE]drama - did you take communion before you two kissed?
Posted by amongthelilies25[/QUOTE]
Yes. It was after our vows and the exchanging of our rings, then we lit the candle, signed the certificate, took communion, came back for our kiss and announcement as husband and wife.
OP, I understand what you're saying. If you do communion for the congregation, I think you should have it be passed. If people come forward, what will you do for those who aren't believers and don't receive communion? A lot of people say "they don't have to come forward" but have you ever been the person in the middle of the pew who isn't receiving communion? Not fun. It's much easier, and less conspicuous, to be "that person" if it's a passed tray that you can simply pass on to the next person.
Interestingly, while our church also believes that communion is open to all believers regardless of denomination, our pastor never asked if we wanted to do a whole congregation communion. We chose to take communion together for the first time as husband and wife as a symbol of the beginning of our walk together. I gave it to Ricky and he gave it to me, and we drank from the same cup. We have so many religious beliefs in our families that doing it for everyone would have been...interesting :-P
We have never passed the elements in this church, but I may have to see if this is possible. Thanks ladies.
Fred Rogers
I would personally also feel uncomfortable (or unfit) to serve communion. In the church where I grew up, communion was always served by ordained ministers. I also would feel uncomfortable at a wedding taking communion. I take communion very seriously (as I'm sure that you all do) and when I go to a wedding, I am not in the frame of mind that I am in as I take communion. These are just my personal thoughts. (By the way, I've never been to a wedding where communion was served besides a Catholic wedding where I did not take communion. That could also play into my being uncomfortable with communion during a wedding.)
We also did communion at our wedding, just the two of us. Because of his vows, our officiate could not serve communion to just us, but he said it was ok for another pastor to come up and serve us. (We provided our own elements and cup and plate.) It was our first act as a married couple, right after the exchanging of rings, and right before we were announced to the congregation. We had special music during that time as well. I thought it was perfect!
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Anyone who feels uncomfortable can just pass it on. (I can say so, I pass it on at all the Catholic weddings I go to.)
I would DEFINITELY tell your Pastor you should NOT be giving it out though. Logistically for you as a bride it's a bad idea. With your dress and also in the middle of your wedding... you may be quite emotional. I just know during my wedding ceremony I wouldn't have wanted to have to worry about handing out communion.
Fred Rogers
There's nothing to feel unworthy about serving it -- you're an adult believer and your church doesn't have other stipulations about serving. If your church practices open communion, that is any baptized, professed Christian can partake, your Catholic guests can take communion. They might not, but that's up to them, just as it's up to any other guest if they want to partake.