Communion Preparation Survey

[Clayton Wood]

Hello! We need survey respondents for our high school engineering project. My group is planning on designing a more efficient juice dispenser to aid in filling small plastic Communion cups. Note: we will not collect your email or other private information.

Thanks,
Clayton Wood

Communion Preparation Survey

 

[seeking.IAM]

Answered. You won't find Episcopalian responses very helpful. We commune from a common chalice. No mini communion cups.

 

[~Anastasia~]

I thought it was about us preparing ourselves to receive Holy Communion. I don't think my answers are useful either. Completely different concerns and methods. (Preparation for us covers hours altogether - especially if you include the baking of the bread. Which is the only part I ever participate in. And none of us wants to rush ahead and skip anything.)

Welcome to CF though.

 

[Willie T]

I thought it was about us preparing ourselves to receive Holy Communion. I don't think my answers are useful either. Completely different concerns and methods. (Preparation for us covers hours altogether - especially if you include the baking of the bread. Which is the only part I ever participate in. And none of us wants to rush ahead and skip anything.)

Welcome to CF though.

I thought the same thing. I know your ideas of "preparing yourself" and mine are completely different, but I sure never considered a juice dispensing machine.

 

[~Anastasia~]

I thought the same thing. I know your ideas of "preparing yourself" and mine are completely different, but I sure never considered a juice dispensing machine.

So sometime - don't want to derail the OP's thread - I'd be interested to know what you consider to be essential for preparation? I wouldn't have thought we'd be so different. Preparing ourselves, I mean.

I know the preparation of the Communion would be different - if we include what I would call consecration, which IS the point. We are careful with preparation too and wouldn't use a dispenser machine. But there is an electric kettle for heating water (warm water is poured cross-wise into the chalice, added to the wine). Visitors often ask if the priest makes coffee in the altar lol. I suppose he could if he wanted to, but there's no purpose for drinking coffee at that time.

 

[Albion]

I take it that 'preparation' in the case of the OP refers to getting the elements ready, not how the individual mentally prepares himself or ought to.

My church doesn't have individual cups, but one thing that must be avoided when using them is any noise-producing plastic or paper, etc. covering or packaging which might be used to keep down spillage or make distribution easier. It causes a terrible distraction at the moment when the congregation communes. So that leaves only a standard method of pouring from a larger container into the small cups, which, IMO, requires no new technology at all!

 

[Not David]

I'm curious now, I will make a thread on what we all taught about.

 

[tampasteve]

Answered.

Personally I do not prepare communion at my current church, but I have before. Many people, myself included, do not see it as a chore that needs to be done quickly, but rather an important act to assist the church. Also, it does not take that much time for the small church when you only need around 40-50 cups filled. Sometimes the church uses a common chalice as well.

Perhaps this would not be the case in a church that believes the wine/juice to be a sign or just a representation rather than a church that believes there is some sort of Real Presence once consecrated.

 

[Albion]

Answered.

Personally I do not prepare communion at my current church, but I have before. Many people, myself included, do not see it as a chore that needs to be done quickly, but rather an important act to assist the church. Also, it does not take that much time for the small church when you only need around 40-50 cups filled.

Agreed. That is what occurred to me as I read the OP, too.

Although there seems to be some problem at the church that was referred to, it is hard to see what the difficulty really is. I suppose that the exception might come if the church in question has 500 communicants at a time and the congregation observes the Lords Supper weekly or bi-weekly. (?)