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.