Activity · Communion
Communion
Break bread together and remember what Christ has done, as a group
Leader Context
Communion is a night where your group does a spiritual thing together instead of talking about one. It has the potential to be the night people remember.
You have options. It can be a short moment inside your normal night, or the focus of the whole evening with prayer.
Four things to always include:
- Remembrance. Take time to remember what Christ has done for us.
- Prayer. As a group or individually.
- A quiet moment. Give people room to engage with God without being talked at.
- Bread and cup.
It does not have to be bread and wine or juice. If your group is meeting online, tell people to use whatever they have. The posture of the heart is what matters.
Do not go long winded. Keep the focus. And walk your group through the practice before you do it, so they know what is coming and have a second to prepare.
If your group has mixed church backgrounds
There is a version of this that starts by inviting people to talk about what communion was like growing up, then traces it back to Jesus at the Last Supper and forward to how the early church practiced it together. It grounds the practice in scripture and gives everyone the same starting point.
If your group includes people newer to faith or coming from different traditions, that version is a much better on ramp.
Communion walkthrough, reflection, and early church context
Read to your group
Tonight we are going to take communion together.
Before we do, I want to say what it is. This is not a ritual we are performing. It is us remembering, together, what Jesus did and what it cost him.
I am going to give us a minute of quiet first. Then we will pray, then we will share the bread and the cup.
Questions
Before
Optional, and best with a group that has mixed backgrounds.
What was communion like where you grew up?
After
Do not rush past the quiet.
What came to mind during that?
Next Steps for Leaders
- This month’s communion practice updates in the app every month.
- Other communion ideas for groups if you want more than one format.
- Want supplies? Email dinnergroups@hobokengrace.com by Thursday at noon and we will have them ready for pickup at a weekend service.
- If someone in your group has questions about what communion means or whether they should take it, that is a good conversation, not an awkward one. Have it.
Sarah's overview of communion for groups.