First Communion...

Although I attend Jordan UCC in South Whitehall Township, I live in Bethlehem, PA, in the house I grew up in, just a few blocks away from East Hills Moravian Church on Butztown Road where I had been confirmed and received communion for the first time. At the time of my first communion, the church had used communion wafers, and I remember that it stuck to the roof of my mouth and tasted like glue. East Hills, like Jordan, now uses bread for communion Sundays, which definitely tastes a lot better. Other churches I've been a part of will used the matzoh, the unleavened bread used at Jewish Passover meals. Many churches, including Jordan and East Hills, now also allow kids to take communion before their confirmation or if a person's been baptized as an older child, teen, or adult if they believe that Jesus is their Lord and Savior and understand that communion is taken to remember His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. 

Since my own teen years, I've taken communion many times. But this past summer, I ended up switching to a gluten-free diet due to multiple food and drug allergies, including to wheat, rye, and barley, all of which contain gluten proteins that can trigger allergic reactions in my immune system. Gluten can cause damage to the small intestine in people who develop an autoimmune disorder called celiac disease.

I have been able to find gluten-free bread to make sandwiches and toast with and a gluten-free cake mix I made for my birthday. I also continue to enjoy naturally gluten-free foods like fruits, vegetables, meat and poultry, eggs, and grains like rice or quinoa. But I had no idea what I would do when a communion Sunday came around at Jordan. I also knew there were others in the congregation in my shoes, and I wasn't sure what the options would be for us. I approached our pastors, elders, and deacons and gently asked about what we would be able to offer for gluten-free communion bread options. They knew we had to offer it as a congregation and had been exploring ways to serve it so it would be kept gluten-free and not come in contact with regular bread. With their encouragement, I donated a loaf of gluten-free bread and also gave them ideas on where to shop for it when they needed to buy more.

Since I donated the bread, we've had communion once in September and once in October, both times announcing its availability to anyone who needed it and having it brought to the person by one of the pastors. I am thankful for the congregation's response to those of us who are gluten-free and to many other houses of worship who accommodate people with food allergies and other medical and mobility issues. When we reach out to others around us and make them feel like they're a very important person who can make a valuable contribution to the life of the congregation, we recognize that God made them special and we appreciate and love them no matter what!

If your church is considering using gluten-free bread or matzoh for communion, you can order it online or check your local supermarket like Weis, Wegmans, or Giant for bread options. And if you're not quite sure on how to serve it without any cross-contamination, please contact other churches like Jordan (610-395-2218) or East Hills (610-868-6481) to ask them about the serving options they've chosen so you can adapt them to the needs of your particular church community. God bless you, and thank you for including everyone who wants to be a part of the congregation.