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REINSTITUTING THE COMMON CUP AT COMMUNION
Northminster’s Worship Commission is considering reinstituting the common cup at our communion service. The common cup would be in addition to the small cups with grape juice that are currently part of communion. Our community, as most are aware, is comprised of folks who come from diverse religious and theological backgrounds. For those of us from Catholic and Episcopal traditions, this part of communion can hold a significant spiritual and sacramental significance. For this reason, at Northminster, from the beginning and prior to the Covid pandemic, we offered the common cup with wine to those wanting to partake of communion in that way as well as the small cups with grape juice for others, a sort of “cafeteria plan” for communion. Likewise, we offer a gluten-free option. The common cup is rich in both symbolism and history. The return of the shared chalice can mark a renewed sense of unity, reflecting the earliest Christian gatherings where all drank from a single vessel, underscoring the deep spiritual bond that communion embodies.
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has found no documented transmission of any infectious disease has ever been traced to the use of a common communion cup. The consensus of the CDC is that a theoretic risk of transmitting infectious diseases by using a common communion cup exists, but that the risk is so small that it is undetectable. Just in case, the CDC suggests that appropriate safeguards are wiping the interior and exterior rim of the chalice between communicants, using a clean cloth for each service, and rotating the cloth frequently. We will follow all these suggestions. Of course, anyone with an active respiratory infection (i.e. cold or flu) or with moist or open sores on the lips should not drink from the common cup.
We will ask that no one partaking of the common cup use intinction (dipping the bread in the wine). The reasons for this are twofold. Intinction does not diminish the threat of infection and may actually increase it since hands (especially unwashed hands) are at least as likely to be a source of infection as lips. And at Northminster we use Challah bread (a symbol of our relationship with and the hospitality extended to us by the congregation of B’Nai Israel in our early years) broken from a loaf rather than wafers (which are traditionally used in intinction) such that a few dippings and crumbs in the wine can and does create a mess.
Prior to deciding to reinstitute the common cup we would like to hear from you concerning your interest in partaking of communion in this way. Please talk with any member of the Worship Commission about your interest. Since the individual cups with grape juice remain an option, the only changes would be that an additional server will be needed and an additional step in the preparation of the elements.
Northminster’s Worship Commission: Craig Henry, chair, Peggy Burns, Marilyn Decker, Brandy Kimble-Keen, Chels King, Patti Pate, Patren Spicer, Bob Trent, Carol Ann Tubbs
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