Lord's Supper
Seeking God, Sharing Christ, Serving Others
Seeking God, Sharing Christ, Serving Others
Eastgate celebrates communion at each worship service. We believe that this sacrament of sharing bread and cup in remembrance of Christ is a defining act of our faith and discipleship. It represents our repentance and our forgiveness, Christ's overwhelming love and compassion for us, our active participation with other Christians, and a foretaste of the heavenly banquet promised by Jesus in his teaching.
Throughout history, and even today, communion is not an act of unity, but of division in the church. Many people are explicitly or implicitly told that they are not invited to participate in this sacrament -- because they aren't members of specific churches or haven't received permission from specific church leaders.
We believe that those exclusive rules have more to do with human judgment than with God's judgment. While there may be times when people feel unworthy to participate in communion, most Biblical instructions about such times are about maintaining healthy relationships with other people (even when we have differences with them), rather than in creating a set of rules for the Lord's Supper.
Instead, we find our guidance in the description of the very first Christians, who responded to the invitation of Peter on the day of Pentecost. "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:42)
In our congregation, we try to follow the example of these first Christians in our worship. There are times of teaching/preaching, prayers, fellowship and greeting, and Communion in each service.
If you are seeking a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, you are welcome to share in the Lord's Supper at Eastgate. You do not have to be a member of our congregation or our denominational church. You do not have to have been baptized in a specific way. You don't even need to have everything figured out about your faith -- good, bad, or otherwise. When the time to share comes -- either as the trays are passed or when you are invited to come forward to receive -- you are invited and welcome.