Seven Tips for Offering Gluten-Free Communion

Last updated on: April 14, 2014 at 10:24 am by Christy Thomas

Seven Tips for Offering Gluten-Free Communion 2014-04-14T10:24:31-05:00 Christy Thomas

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In my retired life, I wander from church to church on Sunday mornings. When I was serving a church, I celebrated Holy Communion weekly, knowing I needed the sacrament for the sake of my soul. The liturgy anchored my week. But now, as one who must eat gluten-free, I find this practice highly problematic.

At a recent church visit, I breathed with relief after reading the bulletin and seeing that gluten-free wafers were available for communion. Without them, I would have to deny myself the grace of receiving the fullness of the sacrament.

Upon coming forward, I made my request for a gluten-free bread. The server nodded graciously, and went to the table to get some. And I took a deep sigh when I saw that she picked it up with the same hand she had been using to tear bread for the other communicants.

I received, hoping I would not get sick from the contamination.

Fortunately, the effect was minor, but thought it might be helpful to set out how to prepare the table for the growing number of gluten-frees. Although many are going gluten-free as part of a health-diet-bandwagon, and a little bit is no big deal, greater awareness of the prevalence of celiac disease means that there are those who must not ingest it in any way

With Easter nearly here, many will be attending services who do not do so regularly. Providing the sacrament for them shows gracious hospitality. The gesture will not go unnoticed.

So, here are Seven Principles to a Safe Gluten Free Table!

1. Contamination is the number one concern.

2. The bread or cracker you use for gluten-free communion needs to be certified as being produced in a contamination free bakery. If you do use a commercially baked cracker, please note that these should be broken into smaller pieces before offering them, particularly if everyone else is being given a piece of bread. The crackers are too large, very dry, and nearly impossible to chew and swallow gracefully. Remember, the goal is hospitality, not embarrassment!

3. It is possible to make your own bread or crackers. Most health food stores have some high quality gluten-free mixes. However, whoever does the baking needs to make sure no contaminated kitchen implements are used in the preparation. Also, gluten-free products tend to crumble easily, making it harder to tear off a piece. Gluten is the glue that gives bread its chewy texture. Without it, the bread can look good and occasionally even taste OK, but will not have the same properties as regular bread.

4. If communion is taken by intinction, you MUST have a separate cup for the gluten-free intinction. Last year our Annual Conference ended with a Service of Holy Communion. I was one of the last to receive and noted with dismay that I was offered the same cup as everyone else. Let us just say that nearly a week of real misery afterward convinced me never to do that again.

5. If at all possible, have a dedicated server for the gluten-free station. It solves a multitude of problems. If not possible, put the gluten-free wafers/bread on a separate plate and extend the plate to the communicants so they can take their own. This solution is far less preferable. The awareness of the shared loaf, offered by one to another with the personal touch, is an important part of the sacrament. So this is the second best option, but it beats the alternative.

6. If you use only commercially produced wafers both for the normals and for the gluten-frees, the chances of contamination lesson. Recently I was in England, where there is a much higher awareness of the needs of the gluten-free than in the US. When attending worship, I noted something really helpful: the regular communion wafers are the standard round ones; the gluten-frees are square. The same hands could touch both with far less likelihood of contamination because those wafers (which I believe can survive a nuclear blast unchanged) don’t shed crumbs.

7. Once more: contamination is the number one concern. For me, ingesting a product with gluten in it is the same a ingesting something with poison in it. Many others suffer similarly.

I hope these tips will help. If you have other ideas, please put them in the “comments” suggestion so everyone can benefit from them.

gluten-free Communion

intinction

The United Methodist Church

UMC

Previous Post

April 8, 2014

The Inquisition Cometh #UMC

Next Post

April 17, 2014 I Would Have Cut and Run As Well

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category " obedience abortion accommodation accountability administration adolescence Advent advice an ordinary death anxiety apology apportionments Ash Wednesday ask thoughtfulpastor baptism betrayal Bible bondage calling certainty change character charity children Christianity Christmas church church as garden clergy clergy credentials closure comfort compassion competition compromise Confirmation conservation conservative conspiracy theories consumer conversion coronavirua corruption courage covenant cultural context death Deconstruction discipleship discord divorce doctrine doing good drugs dysfunctional Easter Easter; Resurrection education election entertainment envy escape evaluation evil exclusive church exercise faith faithfulness family fasting fear feast featured film review finances first world problem food forgiveness fundamentalist garden gay marriage General Conference generosity giving thanks GLBT glory good government grace guilt habit happy harmony hateful acts healing health health care heaven hell hello/goodbye heresy hidden agenda holiness homelessness homosexuality humility hymn hypocrisy Imago Dei In training inclusive church indulgence injustice innocents insurance intolerance itinerancy joy Justice kindness Kingdom of Heave kingdom of heaven language laughter laundry lawsuit leadership Lent LGBTQ liberal life Little Things Matter longform meandering thoughts memories mercy metaphor metrics miracle misfortunes morality Mormon Muslim mystery worship natural disasters New Category Name nutrients older adults oppression pain Paleo paperwork partnered pastor peace pension pharmaceutical placebo politics poverty prayer privilege public schools questions quiet racism rain reason reconciliation religion repentance requirements rescue respect rest resurrection retirement Sabbath sacrament sacred salvation same-sex marriage sanctuary schism schooling science SCOTUS secrecy separation of church and state sexism sexuality short cuts silence sin sleep soil spiritual journey stillness suffering surgery sustainable church teacher technology thank you theology therapy thinking tolerance TOS trust truth Uncategorized welcome Why Easter? wisdom women worship

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 December 2025 October 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 March 2025 February 2025 December 2024 November 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 October 2022 September 2022 July 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 October 2021 July 2021 June 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 January 2020 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 July 2007 March 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz