Communion Policy

Statement of Belief on Communion

The "Song of Faith" of the United Church of Canada states;

"Carrying a vision of creation healed and restored,
we welcome all in the name of Christ.
Invited to the table where none shall go hungry,
we gather as Christ's guests and friends.
In Holy Communion
we are commissioned to feed as we have been fed,
forgive as we have been forgiven,
love as we have been loved.
The open table speaks of the shining promise
of barriers broken and creation healed.
In the communion meal, wine poured out and bread broken,
we remember Jesus.
We remember not only the promise but also the price that he paid
for who he was,
for what he did and said,
and for the world's brokenness.
We taste the mystery of God's great love for us,
and are renewed in faith and hope."

Everyone is welcome to receive communion at St. Martin’s

Gluten-free option is available

With this as our foundation, the congregation of St. Martin's United Church affirms:

  • Communion is a gift from God to God's people

  • It is a mystery; none of us can say that we understand it fully

  • While we are the stewards of this mystery, the gifts of God are given freely, and for all. These gifts belong not to us but to the Giver

  • We have received the gifts of God freely and are called to share them as freely as we have received them

  • God's love and God's gifts do not depend upon our own worthiness

  • All people are equally worthy in God's sight

  • Partaking in the Lord's Supper can be a means of growing in faith and in identity as Christ's people

  • We understand the desire to partake as "a credible profession of faith"

  • It is a mystery; none of us can say that we understand it fully

  • While we are the stewards of this mystery, the gifts of God are given freely, and for all. These gifts belong not to us but to the Giver

  • We have received the gifts of God freely and are called to share them as freely as we have received them

  • God's love and God's gifts do not depend upon our own worthiness

  • All people are equally worthy in God's sight

  • Partaking in the Lord's Supper can be a means of growing in faith and in identity as Christ's people

  • We understand the desire to partake as "a credible profession of faith"

Approved by St. Martin's United Church Board, May 26th, 2010