Once a year we invite the young people of the Church to begin receiving Holy Communion. The invitation is made to children from about seven years old who worship regularly with their parents or carers. The children use a workbook called ‘Going to the Supper of the Lord’. The book is designed to help them understand a little better the significance of the Communion service and some of the symbols used in the Church.
The parents work through the book with the children and it often becomes a family discussion and project. Families enjoy the experience as everyone learns a little more. Parents and the children meet with one of the parish clergy fortnightly to answer any questions they are still pondering. We are not interested so much in the children gaining knowledge as much as we hope that the parents will share their faith with their own children.
Adults
When there are adults who have not previously begun to receive Communion we encourage them to be baptised if they have never been baptised and then to be confirmed.
When people have come from other Churches they are welcome to receive communion if they have been a communicant in their previous Church.
When someone has come from another Christian Church we encourage them to become members of the Anglican Church so that they can fully participate in the life of the Church. However, we like to think of the Church having an extended ‘veranda’. As such people may experience the joy of community life and begin to grow in their faith, before making a commitment.
Once someone from another Church is ready to make the commitment of membership we invite them to be officially received.
Reception into Communicant Membership
The Anglican Church has a strong commitment to the whole body of Christ, the wider Christian Church. We recognize the baptism of other Churches and would not presume to re-baptise anyone. We also recognize the public commitment of faith that other Christians make at their confirmation, particularly other traditional Churches.
Hence when someone comes to us from another Christian faith it is often easy for them to become members of the Church. We like to use a formal rite of Reception so that there can be a strong sense of belonging to their new home within the Christian Church. We hold the liturgy of reception at the same time as confirmation so that the candidates for reception can be appropriately welcomed by the bishop along with the confirmees.
If you would like to be received into the Anglican Church here in the Anglican Parish of Waterloo Bay, we would love to help you prepare for this occasion. Please contact us