In general we celebrate Holy Communion on the first Sunday of each month, with some variation for special days in the church calendar or practical reasons. We always celebrate Communion on Easter, for example. Please contact us if you need to know for sure. Communion is one of two “sacraments,” or sacred and instructed acts of the Protestant Church. That is, Jesus said “do this” and used the imperative voice for Baptism and Communion. TMI? Well, it’s why we do it: to honor Jesus’ words.
This Sacrament has several names, too. It’s called the Lord’s Supper, sometimes the Love Feast, and quite often the Eucharist. That last word means thanksgiving. By every name it involves a table, historic elements that we call bread and cup, and at least one Deacon or member: a pastor or priest can celebrate this only in company, not alone. Usually we come to the table to receive, and most often you’ll hear the words, “This is the bread of life,” and “This is the cup of blessing.”
In our opening prayers at NHCC we say, “Come not to settle an argument but to continue a quest. Come not because you must, but because you may.” Therefore, anyone who seeks to follow Jesus and believes in the power of resurrection is invited. Some churches require membership or baptism. We welcome visitors and ask that you be “on the journey to baptism,” if not yet baptized. Ideally you’ll get this sense of inclusiveness in all of our community events, because this table doesn’t belong to us, anyway: it belongs to God. And we think that the Holy Spirit is with us, and her favorite thing is to unite us.
We use grape juice as our communion drink in order that all may participate. We use a variety of breads, and gluten-free is always available, again, so everyone is welcome.