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My Plymouth March 2008 - Friendship Communion

Last week Tuesday, our Friendship ministry celebrated communion together. Pastor Steve and several elders participated in this evening worship service with our Friendship students, volunteers, and guests.

One of the delights we have here at Plymouth Heights is our Friendship ministry. Most Tuesday evenings, 60-70 people gather in our Fellowship Room for a time of worship. This gathering time includes singing praises, sharing and lifting up prayer requests, and a teaching time designed to proclaim the stories of the Bible in the most concrete ways possible. Not only do our Friends make a joyful noise, they also consistently pray for each other and for other concerns of our church. The worship and experience of being the body of Christ together is very moving and refreshing for those who are involved.

This past Tuesday, the Friendship ministry expressed another aspect of what it means to be church as they celebrated communion together. Pastor Steve led the teaching time by acting out different parts of the story of God’s redemption. He began by telling the story of the first Passover in Egypt as the blood of lambs was painted onto doorposts. From there he led a journey to Jerusalem and Calvary, showing how Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He then brought attention to the communion table and the gifts of the bread and the cup, pointing out how Jesus is the Lamb of God here in Grand Rapids still today. Several of our elders then served communion to those who had gathered for worship.

While this was not the first time that our Friendship ministry has celebrated the Lord’s Supper together, last Tuesday was the first in a long time. For many of our Friends, this setting is the only one where they are able to participate in this sacrament because they are unable to make it to church for Sunday worship services. For the Church to come to them and to join them in worship with this celebration of communion speaks powerfully to their inclusion in the body of Christ. More than that, Plymouth Heights and the Church as a whole, is built up when we are able to experience the grace of Jesus Christ in settings like this. Though we are not certain when the Friendship ministry will celebrate communion again, we would love to have you join with us in the next time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper together.    

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