Deacons and/or elders may be commissioned to extend the celebration of the Lord’s Supper to those unable to gather with the worshiping community.
We send you out with this bread and cup
to share the feast of the risen Lord.We who are many are one body,
for we all partake of the one bread.1 Cor. 10:17
Notes adapted from Supplemental Liturgical Resource 1 (WJKP, 1984).
Excerpt from Worshiping God Together: A Guide for Children and Their Parents:
The Lord’s Supper is supposed to be a meal of the whole church — but sometimes people are not able to come to worship because they are sick or can’t leave their homes. After the service, leaders from the church may go to visit these people, telling them about the good news they heard and sharing the bread and cup with them.
Directory for Worship
The serving of the elements may be extended, by two or more ordained officers of the church, to those isolated from the community’s worship, provided:
- the elements are to be served following worship on the same calendar day, or as soon thereafter as practically feasible, as a direct extension of the serving of the gathered congregation, to church members who have accepted the church’s invitation to receive the Sacrament;
- care is taken in the serving to ensure that the unity of Word and Sacrament is maintained, by the reading of Scripture and the offering of prayers; and
- those serving have been instructed by the session or authorized governing body in the theological and pastoral foundations of this ministry and in the liturgical resources for it (W-6.3011).
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Book of Order, W-3.3616e
Learn more about the Extended Serving of the Communion of the Church and find liturgical resources for this ministry.
Prayer after Communion | Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song