Visited Presbyterian Church

[Nilloc]

I had intended to post this earlier, but have been busy.

Last Sunday I visited my local Presbyterian Church (website here) less than five minutes away. I've only been to two other churches before, one of which is an Independent Christian Church (my home church) and a Baptist Church. So needless to say, this was a very different experience. I really did like it though. It was a pretty small congregation, so every one noticed me. They were all very nice and forgiving of me not knowing the process (e.g., holding hands during the final prayer, etc.). The one thing that disappointed me, though I expected it and know that most churches do this, is that they do not do weekly communion. My home church and the Baptist church I visited always had weekly communion. I've gone to my home church since I was nine months old, so weekly communion is something I've always done. It just felt weird being in church and not doing it.

Still though I'm really glad I went and will probably go back sometime in the future. I enjoyed myself so much I'll probably visit some other local churches of different denominations. I'm not looking to change churches now or anything, but I liked the experience of seeing other churches and how they do things. I do plan to move to a nearby town within the next year and if that happens I'll probably start attending a Presbyterian Church regularly, as I doubt I'll want to make the drive in to my current church. Either way, Presbyterians rock!

 

[hedrick]

I agree about communion. Calvin would agree as well. But somehow many Presbyterian churches started treating communion as something that should be a mountain-top experience, and it was felt that this could be if it was too often. In much of the 20th Cent it was once a quarter. Now most churches do it once a month. Only a few are weekly.

 

[pastorbenjohnson]

I've experienced this same thing a a couple of different churches. Somehow, it is believed that communion ceases to be special if it happens too often. It would become habit rather than a rare, unique experience. The problem with this logic is that we could say the same thing about things like preaching, prayer, or singing. If we only did them on special occasions it might seem like those occasions were special. But if these things are intended to be "means of grace" that God gives us, we should make liberal use of them. I know I need as much of God's grace as I can get!

 

[hedrick]

As a grad student I attended a Presbyterian church that had communion weekly. It definitely did not make it less special. However most PCUSA churches now do it once a month, whereas it used to be once a quarter. A lot of pastors would like to see it weekly. So there's progress. I'm hoping that it will slowly happen.

 

[Osage Bluestem]

As a grad student I attended a Presbyterian church that had communion weekly. It definitely did not make it less special. However most PCUSA churches now do it once a month, whereas it used to be once a quarter. A lot of pastors would like to see it weekly. So there's progress. I'm hoping that it will slowly happen.

The PCA church we are joining does it once a week.

 

[pastorbenjohnson]

I'm all for once a week!

 

[kenrapoza]

My PCA church also practices the Supper weekly.

 

[melannewis]

My church does communion once a month. I found this strange at first, as I grew up in an Episcopal family and service every week had communion, but I have grown to love and cherish those times when we do have communion. I do sometimes think that we got lost in the traditions and rituals at church and they can sometimes lose value if we don't hold treat them as something special.

 

[AndrewZinc]

I enjoyed myself so much I'll probably visit some other local churches of different denominations. I'm not looking to change churches now or anything, but I liked the experience of seeing other churches and how they do things.

I think that is a really good thing to do. I have been a life-long Presbyterian and it was only at university that I started mixing with Christians from other denominations - including, ehh ... Charismatics ... - but it is important to learn that the way we do things is not 'the only way' or 'the right way'!

As regards Communion, we in the Church of Scotland appear to be quite extreme as we have a 'Communion season' with elders visiting all the members before it, and it is very formulaic and sombre. We only have it 4 times a year.

Whilst I understand the reasoning (e.g. we chant the Lord's Prayer every Sunday and it is so easy to run it off without thinking about it) I think it is so far removed from what the disciples experienced with Jesus that we have lost something. We do have some 'informal communions' at Christmas, Easter etc and those seem more intimate and contemplative than if you are worrying when to open your eyes when your praying!

Either way, Presbyterians rock!

Do we? We rock? Oh yes, we do rock!!