Although this Baptist has never understood communion using grape juice! ARGHHH!!!!
Posted on 05/05/2020 5:14:59 PM PDT by marshmallow
TALLAHASSEE, Florida - It’s almost unheard of to go into a Southern Baptist church and not have a plate passed for donations.
Until now.
“It took a pandemic for a Baptist church to quit passing a plate. That’s almost unthinkable. It’s close to heresy. Real close,” said David Uth, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Orlando and president of the Southern Baptist Pastors Conference on a video conference on how to reopen churches. “It’s just not going to be the same.”
The meeting was set up by the Florida Family Policy Council and had about 800 church leaders from across the country listening to the conversation about the impact of the coronavirus on religious institutions and what to do going forward. A prominent message was that a church isn’t just a building, but rather a community, so there has to be a new way of thinking about spreading God’s message and not spreading a disease.
“Everything that we’ll do, we’ll do outside,” said Eli Hendricks, the pastor at a small Tallahassee church. “I will perform baptisms. I feel like that is an instrumental time in the life of a believer.”
But he said he will ask people to wear something to cover their faces. And when it comes time for an offering, he, too, won’t pass a plate.
“We’re not going to pass the tray, because if you have dozens of people touching them, you raise the risk of that virus being passed,” he said.
Instead, pastors said they’ll set up donation stations at the front of churches, or go back to the long-handled baskets that can be extended down church aisles.
(Excerpt) Read more at cruxnow.com ...
I’m wondering how my church will handle communion once we get back together. We do it every week, and they’re passing a tray of crackers that everybody has their hands in. I thought it was unsanitary before a global pandemic. Now I’m sure.
Maybe I’ll bring my own cracker.
In “Plymouth Brethren” churches - an evangelical fundamentalist group, very close to Baptists beliefs-wise - the baskets is passed around in just the breaking of bread (communion) meeting, where it’s almost always only believers/church members attending.
There’s no passing the plate in the public meetings (preaching, bible study, Sunday School, teaching) since they don’t believe non-members/non-believers should feel put upon to support the church.
On March 1st (our last church service) we had communion.
The pastor had gloves on and picked a piece of bread off the tray and dropped it into our hand. We took a small cup out of another tray. I suppose one could touch more than just their little cup if they weren’t careful.
Usually we grab a piece of bread off the pile on the tray (and no doubt touch other pieces). Then dip the piece of bread in a communal cup.
Washington State Churches Should Re-Open Now:
It is time for the churches of the state of Washington to re-open immediately. The first amendment of our US Constitution guarantees that our government cannot infringe on the free exercise of faith based gatherings. Churches can re-open safely by social distancing indoors, meeting outdoors, or meeting in cars in their own parking lot. Not only is the constitution on the side of churches but so is US Attorney General Bill Barr.
Under Barr’s direction the DOJ is watching to see how the state governors treat churches that meet and do so safely. AG Barr already believes that several states have over-reached their authority. This protection by the DOJ should provide churches with a willingness to re-open now.
If every church in the state re-opened right away this would send a message to the governor that religious freedom of expression is not his domain. Our God desires that His people meet to collectively praise, worship and learn about Him. The government should never demand that any faith based community shut down.
Churches voluntarily shut down under orders from the governor but now they need to re-open as this is their right under the US Law. I hope pastors and religious leaders in our area will take a stand for freedom today or one day there may be no freedom left to guard
I'm not sure if trusting what Bill Barr says is a good choice, but his point is still pretty solid.
My guess will be BYOC(Bring your own communion). The minister will bless it, and then you can take it. I’ve had online services since the governors shut down the states for the ChiCom Flu. This past week I had an Entenmann’s Chocolate Éclair, and a glass of chocolate milk for communion.
They have failed us. Not giving my church a dime, although I will give to those few priests and pastors who have quietly kept their churches open and stayed with us.
And this is true whether you’re Protestant or Catholic. The institutions abandoned us. Faithful shepherds stayed on, and they’re the only thing I’m giving to in the future.
Wow, I got a FReeper two-fer on this thread.
John Stemberger, the guy who organized the conference is a but of a friend of mine and we attend a brethren assembly.
We’ve been wondering how they will handle the “elements” when we get back to business.
I have long cringed at some church practices..like common wine cup communion, too mamy hands on the communion bread, the handshakes and hugs and the often foul holy water fonts in Catholic churches. I think these should have been addressed long before the COVID crisis.
Although this Baptist has never understood communion using grape juice! ARGHHH!!!!
Yes our church ordered disposable communion sets at the onset of the infections. Works wonderfully.
The consecrate host is not a cracker.
Nor is the wine blood
To me, that is not Holy Communion containing the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. It’s just a substitution.
Do you understand the word transubstantiation?
trans = transfer
substantiation = substance
Through the powers granted to the priesthood, the priest consecrate the bread and it substance is transferred to the Body of Christ. When he consecrates the wine, the substance is transferred into the Blood of Christ.
It still tastes like bread and wine, but it is completely changed into the Body and Blood of Christ.
Look up a book entitled “Eucharistic Miracles” and you will see that this happens all over the world.
Ah..”Miracles”.
“To me, that is not Holy Communion containing the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. It’s just a substitution.”
I understand your position. It fits Catholic teaching. Baptist teaching is we do it to remember what God has done. Big difference.
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