Communion at St Aldates
Everything you need to know
about serving communion at Aldates
Thank you so much for helping with communion at Aldates!
As a communion server, your role is to help people to participate in and receive communion. Communion is an important moment in the life of our church, and we want to do everything we can to make is as distraction-free as possible, whilst also recognising that, as a large church, we need to do everything we can to be as efficient as possible.
The Service Pastors for each service are responsible for finding people to serve communion. At each service, we have stations positioned around the church, where two people serve bread and wine together. The stations are slightly different at each service - more details for the service you will be serving at are below.
At every service
Bread and Wine
We serve communion using wafers and wine. We have gluten free wafers and non-alcoholic wine available at every station.
Wafers - the gluten free wafers are in the small china ramekins. If someone asks for a gluten free wafer, please distribute this with the other hand - i.e. use a hand that hasn’t touched the regular wafers when handling gluten-free wafers.
Wine - the ceramic goblet contains alcoholic wine, and the wine glass contains non-alcoholic wine.
Before Communion
Decide with your partner in advance of the service start who will distribute the bread and who will distribute the wine. Please also discuss with your partner which wording you will use for the distribution. It is good to be consistent between you. Suggestions:
‘The body of Christ, broken for you.’ ‘The blood of Christ, shed for you’.
‘The body of Christ, keep you in eternal life’. ‘The blood of Christ, keep you in eternal life’.
During Communion
When the celebrant asks you, please make your way swiftly to the stage to collect the bread and wine, via the steps behind the pillar close to station C, having cleaned your hands with the gel provided there. Both you and your partner will need to come to the stage.
Please distribute the bread and wine with a smile and warmth, following the the loving attitude of Jesus. You should be fully present to each person coming for communion but aim to maintain a reasonably swift pace in distributing before you move on to the next person.
Sometimes, people may indicate they would prefer to receive a prayer of blessing rather than communion - in this case, the person distributing bread should pray a brief prayer, for the person to know God’s blessing. Ask their name before you pray, and, if you’d like to place a hand on their shoulder as you pray, ask for permission first.
The 10am Service
The 10am is one of our busiest services for communion. Stewards will invite people to come to your station row-by-row.
Stations A, C, D, E and F are manned by pairs: one distributing bread, and the other distributing alcoholic and non-alcoholic wine.
Station B, the centre station at the front, is manned by three people – the celebrant (clergy member) serving break, flanked by two wine servers, one on each side.
If serving at Station A, once people in the room have finished receiving, please serve the team in the Welcome Area and the team in the Broadcast Gallery.
If serving at Station D, once people in the room have finished receiving, please serve anyone in the Oak Room.
If serving at Station E, you should start by serving facing the back of church, with your backs to the camera platform. Once those seated at the back of church have been served, please move to the front of the camera platform, facing the front of church. Please offer communion to those operating the cameras once people in the room have finished receiving.
After Communion
Once everyone has received, please return everything to the Oak Room kitchen.
The 12pm Service
At the 12pm stewards will invite people to come to your station row-by-row.
Stations A and C are manned by pairs: one distributing bread, and the other distributing alcoholic and non-alcoholic wine.
Station B, the centre station at the front, is manned by three people – the celebrant (clergy member) serving break, flanked by two wine servers, one on each side.
If serving at Station A, once people in the room have finished receiving, please serve the team in the Welcome Area.
If serving at Station E, please offer communion to those operating the cameras once people in the room have finished receiving.
After Communion
Once everyone has received, please return everything to the Oak Room kitchen.
The 4pm Service
At the 4pm service, the celebrant will invite people to come to receive communion when they are ready.
Stations A and C are manned by pairs: one distributing bread, and the other distributing alcoholic and non-alcoholic wine.
Station B, the centre station at the front, is manned by three people – the celebrant (clergy member) serving break, flanked by two wine servers, one on each side.
If serving at Station A, once people in the room have finished receiving, please serve the team in the Welcome Area.
After Communion
Once everyone has received, please return everything to the Oak Room kitchen.
The 6pm Service
The 6pm is one of our busier services for communion. Stewards will invite people to come to your station row-by-row.
Stations A, C, D, E and F are manned by pairs: one distributing bread, and the other distributing alcoholic and non-alcoholic wine.
Station B, the centre station at the front, is manned by three people – the celebrant (clergy member) serving break, flanked by two wine servers, one on each side.
If serving at Station A, once people in the room have finished receiving, please serve the team in the Welcome Area.
If serving at Station E, you should start by serving facing the back of church, with your backs to the camera platform. Once those seated at the back of church have been served, please move to the front of the camera platform, facing the front of church. Please offer communion to those operating the cameras once people in the room have finished receiving.
After Communion
Once everyone has received, please return everything to the Oak Room kitchen.