Greetings to you in the name and with the love of Jesus Christ!
World Communion Sunday was first celebrated in the Presbyterian Church in 1936 to demonstrate ecumenical cooperation and promote Christian unity. Four years later (1940) it was adopted by the Federal Council of Churches. The Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren Churches adopted it soon after that. This ecumenical celebration is consistent with the ecumenical spirit of our Wesleyan heritage.
In 1972, The United Methodist Church began promoting World Communion Sunday as an opportunity to support not only chaplains who often work in ecumenical settings, but also to support Crusade Scholarships and scholarships for minority groups. Today every United Methodist congregation is asked to celebrate World Communion Sunday on the traditional date of the first Sunday of October or another Sunday in the year. Special offerings taken on that Sunday are used across the denomination for scholarships for the work of the General Board of Global Ministries and scholarships for ethnic persons pursuing higher education and in-service training.
Since World Communion Sunday is a “shall” in the Book of Discipline, some have asked how to celebrate it in the midst of the pandemic. I urge you to be responsible and think creatively about this important sacramental opportunity in the life of the church. Our Abundant Health Team has provided guidelines for the administration of communion. Please read through those guidelines.
As you reread them, you will see the “guideline” about indoor gatherings not exceeding 25 persons. Many of you have asked if churches are limited to 25 persons in an indoor setting. While I have directly asked the State Department of Health whether or not 25 is a guideline or mandate for life-sustaining businesses, I have not gotten a direct verbal or written answer. But as I have noted in previous communications, we are required to wear masks, keep physically distanced by 6 feet, and provide appropriate sanitation for all public spaces. So keep this in mind as you plan for communion. Also keep in mind our denominational prohibition against the virtual consecration of the elements.
Some of you may review the guidelines and mandates and be able to develop a plan to safely provide communion on World Communion Sunday. Praise God for the aspects of your context that will allow for the celebration of communion. Others, because of your context, will conclude that you cannot safely administer communion. Do not fret, you may choose to postpone your celebration of World Communion Sunday. Further, the “shall” in the Book of Discipline refers to taking an offering and promoting the meaning and reason for World Communion Sunday. Both of these activities can be done without an in-person gathering or actually celebrating the sacrament. As odd as it may appear, you can “celebrate” World Communion Sunday without actually having communion.
Just about every day this pandemic seems to present some new odd, frustrating, unbelievably complex issue regarding how we do church. It can easily be overwhelming. But stay encouraged! We are all here together, supporting one another trying to figure this out. And we have made it thus far, by faith.
I remain resolute in stating that this pandemic will not steal my joy. It will not cause me to give up or give in. I choose to remain optimistic about the work of the Church in general and the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church specifically. I choose to do this because of the One who has chosen to love me. I really do believe in the providence of God. I really do believe in the power of God. I really do believe that because Jesus conquered the grave, He has also conquered COVID-19. And, in the midst of it all, the Church will not just survive, but thrive. These times are what faith is all about. Keep the faith!
