Time to Pass Trays Again
As wise King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” I don’t think he was talking about how we serve communion, but this wise saying probably applies there, too.
When the pandemic hit five years ago, we took a number of precautions at Northside in an attempt to prevent the virus from spreading among our numbers. After we began meeting again, we continued to use prefilled bread & juice containers for several more years. But our elders have now decided it’s time to start passing communion trays and offering plates again, starting February 9.
You might think it’s not complicated to make this change, but there are many things that need to be coordinated to make it happen.
- We’ll be using more trays than we have in the past so the four middle sections of pews can be served from both the front and the back. This should save a little time.
- We’ll need 22 men to pass the trays each Sunday. If you would like to take turns doing that job, please fill out the 2025 involvement survey and check Box #4 (Pass communion and offering trays) in the Worship section.
- In the past, the men serving communion lined up in the baptistry area before worship, sat on the front pews, and served from the front. Now we plan to have the men assemble in the Fireside Room at 9:45, receive their serving assignments, and then stand at the back of the Auditorium until time for communion. The communion trays will be on rolling carts in the Fireside Room and then moved to the back of the Auditorium after worship begins. Bible Boomers, that means you will need to exit your classroom as quickly as possible when class is over.
Sandy Lytton will assign the men to serve each week, but the days of sending postcards to notify them are over. Now she will use Realm to make the assignments. When a man is assigned, he will receive a notice in Realm asking him to accept or decline the assignment. Men, if you want to pass the trays, it would be a huge help if you would accept/decline that assignment quickly when you receive it so we can have several days to find replacements for those who are unavailable.- If you prefer to continue using prefilled bread & juice containers, some will be available near the middle Auditorium doors.
