Andy & Claire's Message: On Communion
As we approached the end of 2025, our Clergy team were thinking about communion - always a good thing to ponder occassionally, but this was with a new thought... Should we be doing it differently? After conversations and contemplation with our churchwardens, senior team and Bishop Flora, we’ve made the decision to move back to how we served communion before the pandemic: the bread and wine given separately only. We’re going to make this change at the beginning of February, to give us all some time to “digest” this (pardon the pun). To help us understand the reasoning and hopefully to give reassurance to those of us who have become used to our most recent ways of doing things, our lead clergy Andy and Claire have given us the following explanations:
Holy Communion - from Claire
Back in 2020, when the country was plunged into Covid restrictions, we had to adapt the way we approached Holy Communion and had to accept that we could no longer receive wine from the ‘common cup’ as was our usual practice. The Church of England struggled with this as we put so much emphasis on our common lives together proclaiming the living body of Christ. With those days far behind us, let us revisit the historical journey we as a Church have been on.
Jesus gave his disciples, and therefore us, two direct commandments; to baptise all those who are being saved and to remember him through bread and wine. No one knows exactly how the early Christians practised ‘breaking of bread’ but some of the rituals around this that developed over time were then rejected as part of the Reformation. In England, following our departure from the Roman Catholic church because of the things we disagreed upon, it took time to settle on what we, the Protestant church, did agree were our essential beliefs. These were ratified through The 39 Articles of Religion which drew chiefly from study of Paul’s revelation in 1 Corinthians 11, and give us three key elements with which to approach our understanding of what we are doing in Holy Communion.
This act of remembrance is commanded by the Lord during the Last Supper to be enacted regularly and often. Just as bread does not stay fresh for long, so we need to come to the Communion Table as regularly as possible in faithful obedience to Christ. The table enacted becomes the tabernacle renewed making Holy Communion something of a ‘thin’ place of connection with Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The posture of our hearts is one of thankfulness and humility. We receive bread and wine mindful of our own unworthiness and grateful for all God has done for us through sending us his only Son Jesus to die for us. We also come ready to receive - here is Christ’s body, broken off and passed to us, a willing sacrifice made so that we might be saved, healed and set free.
This act of thankful obedient remembrance is made by the people and for all the people as a reflection of God’s new community. We are witnesses together of all that God has done for us. We are brought near to Christ and closer to one another. We are one because we all share the loaf of unity and the cup of blessing. This declares the Lord’s death until he comes (1Cor 11:26), keeping us gospel centred.
In short, the bread and wine are God given ways of sharing in Christ, experiencing the work of the Spirit, drawing close to the Father and enacting the gospel.
Scientific Reflection - from Andy
As we return to sharing the common cup at communion, we recognise that this may feel unfamiliar or even difficult for some. It is natural to have questions about hygiene and personal safety, and we want to offer reassurance rooted both in faith and in science. Public health authorities, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have noted that although a theoretical risk of transmitting infection through a common communion cup exists, the risk is so small as to be undetectable, and no documented cases of disease transmission have ever been traced to sharing the common cup in worship settings. A study of 681 participants found that those who received Communion as often as daily were not at higher risk of infection than those who did not receive Communion at all (Church of Saint Mary, Afton, 2014).
Several factors help keep the risk very low. The alcohol in the wine has a modest sanitising effect, and the silver chalices we use have natural antibacterial properties. Most churches, including ours, also wipe the rim of the chalice with a purificator after each person drinks, which laboratory studies show can significantly reduce microbes present (Church Rez, Common Cup Hygiene, 2020). At the same time, we wholeheartedly honour the choice of those who prefer not to receive from the cup on a particular occasion, especially if they are feeling unwell or have a cold or virus. Receiving only the bread is a long-standing and entirely valid way of participating in Holy Communion.
Our aim is that all who approach the table may do so with confidence, peace of mind, and a heart turned toward Christ. Communion is ultimately about drawing near to Jesus, receiving his gift, and being united with one another in the Spirit. Whether you choose to share the cup or to receive the bread alone, you are fully participating in this holy act of remembrance and in the gospel-centred community it creates.
If you’ve got anyquestions about this, please do chat with Andy, Claire or Sam or one of our churchwardens, or send us an email at hello@belfrey.org and we’ll put you in touch.