Some thoughts on how to approach the question of moving to a weekly Eucharist in your patch…
Be clear on the “why” of moving to a weekly Eucharist
The point of thinking about moving to a weekly Sunday Eucharist is the possibility it holds of a richer experience of the God of the gospel. “Liturgical correctness” has its place, as does ecumenical convergence (that is, most churches do it and so should we). But the proposal that we move to weekly Eucharists in the UCA is “evangelical” in its intention – it is concerned with the gospel and our gospelled experience of God.
Make friends for the project
Such a shift as moving to a weekly Eucharist is something which affects the whole community. Sensitive and sensible conversation with your minister or church council is essential. This will likely require the naming and exploration of some of the objections some people might have to such an innovation (see, for example), Why this won’t work.
Teach and Learn
A proposal like this will also involve learning more the Eucharist itself and about the traditions and practices we already have. materials to assist with this will gradually to be added to our Resources page. See also Teddy Ray’s suggestions (United Methodist Church, USA) for a way a congregation might helped to consider moving to a weekly Eucharist
Experiment with a trial period
To shift to a weekly Communion is a big change and, like all big changes, is likely to cause not a little anxiety. Yet there is no reason why faith communities can’t begin to explore the possibility of weekly Communion with a trial period, or a series of periods to “try it on”. Central to any happy move to a weekly Eucharist is that worship is experienced by your local community to be better when the Eucharist is included. Faith communities need time to experience that this might be the case. A trial period might be a liturgical season (for example, the seasons of Easter or Ordinary). A trial period should also be a generous length — three months would be a good period of time for a community to settle a bit into a new pattern, to see how it feels.
Plan for a long-term experience
Simply moving to a weekly Eucharist is not a one-time fix-it for a faith community. Communing weekly is an experience into which we grow over a long period of time. While we often look for projects to yield fruit in a few months, or a year or two, to move to a weekly Eucharist is to commit to a long period of reception and exploration of this part of worship.
Be open to experimenting along the way
There is no “one size fits all” for worship, and the same applies to the celebration of the Eucharist per se. Local variations might be important – what kind of bread is used or what wine, whether set responses are used in the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving (and whether they are said or sung). the method of distribution, etc.
Be prepared for trade-offs
Shifting to a weekly communion will undoubtedly require some changes in other aspects of your worship service or community’s life. The question here is what is the most important. In proposing Do This, we are convinced that whatever is important, the Eucharist is part of it. Other things – how many songs are sung, how long the sermon is, etc. – might have to give way a little to make space for a return of this central part of Christian practice to weekly UCA worship.
And share your experiences…
An important part of the Do This project is that it is “grass roots” – something which some congregations are inviting other congregations to consider. As such, the community of experimentation and experience is important. Letting others know what you’re doing, how it’s going, what works and doesn’t, what you’re going to try next will encourage others and help us to grow together into a new experience of the God of the gospel. See the Contact and Feedback page to let us know what you’re doing.