Communion is one of the sacraments of the church.
It is a special time when Christians share bread and wine (or grape juice) together and remember Jesus. During the last meal that Jesus had with his friends before the crucifixion, he took a loaf of bread and a cup of wine and shared it with them. Jesus asked his friends to remember him everytime they shared bread and drank wine together. And we, as followers of Jesus, still do that today.
This sacrament is known by different names in different churches:
Holy Communion — the word “communion” means a close relationship; sharing the bread and wine or grape juice is something that we do together in community
The Eucharist — “Eucharist” is a Greek word meaning “thanksgiving”; we give thanks to God for God’s great gift of new life through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection
The Lord’s Supper — this is the Christian family meal; we remember that during Jesus’ last supper with his disciples he said, “Do this in remembrance of me."
In the sacrament of Communion, the church acts out the drama of God’s love for humankind. God’s grace comes to us through things we can see and touch and taste. In Communion, God comes to us in the bread and the wine (sometimes called “elements”), symbols that we can touch and taste. We bring to the table bread and wine, which represent our daily life and work. We receive back again the bread and wine, now transformed by God’s Spirit into symbols of God’s love and grace.
For centuries, churches in the western world restricted Communion to those who could “understand” it. In Orthodox churches, on the other hand, children are part of this table fellowship from birth.
Churches today vary greatly in their practices around who participates in the sacrament of Communion. For some congregations, only those who are members of the church can participate. For other congregations, all who are baptized are welcome to share in this sacrament. And for other congregations, all who are present in worship are welcomed at the table.
There are also many different ways that Communion is served. In some churches people go to the front of the church to receive the elements. In other churches the elements are passed among the people. In some churches the priest or minister serves the elements. In other churches members of the congregation, sometimes including children, serve the elements.
Experience has shown that young children can grasp the truth that is enacted in the sacrament of Communion.
At Payson Park Church, children join the congregation periodically throughout the year for Communion.

We believe that God calls us to study his word. As Christians, infants are baptized before they truly understand God’s word, so as older youths they enter a specific program called Confirmation. The Confirmation program is designed to provide the means by which youth may come to know God fully and make the Christian faith their own.

Children, ages two and up have the opportunity to sing in the Children’s Choir. This musical experience is appropriate for all age levels as they learn about singing and performing for worship services. Rehearsals are held during the week and the children sing periodically throughout the year during the worship service. If your child is interested in joining the choir, please contact the Children’s Choir Director through the church office.

Our Summer Church Camp Program provides fun, memorable Bible learning activities for children of all ages. Each day the youth will sing catchy faithful songs, play teamwork-building games, nibble on munchies, take on a daily challenge to let Jesus’ love grow into their homes, experience electrifying Bible adventures, collect Bible memory buddies to remind them of God’s Word, and create Bible point crafts they’ll take home and play with all summer long.  We typically study stories about the life of Jesus.

The church observes a Safe Church and CORI reviews are required in order to insure the comfort and safety of every child.

• www.potters-workshops.com
• www.rotation.org
• www.spiritseasons.com
• www.uccpress.com
• www.macucc.org
• www.heifer.com