Who Can Take It?
We extend an "open" Communion table, meaning the invitation to receive Communion during a service is open to any follower of Christ, regardless of denominational affiliation, or spiritual tradition. Anyone who has accepted God’s forgiveness and surrendered their lives to Him is invited to share the Communion meal at Green Valley.
Those investigating Christianity who have not yet made a commitment of faith through Jesus Christ are encouraged to simply let the Communion plate pass by, utilizing that portion of the service to pray and invite God's activity into their investigation of faith.
How does GVCC celebrate Communion?
During communion, bread and juice are served. The bread (or cracker) represents Jesus’ body which was broken for us on the cross. The juice represents the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from sin and which also tells us that God’s new promises to us are based on His grace and forgiveness.
When is Communion celebrated?
Communion is celebrated during select weekend services throughout the year. Download the GVCC App to get notifications when we have Communion.
We also encourage people to celebrate communion in their families, small groups, classes and serving groups.
Why is Communion important?
Communion helps us remember all that Jesus has done for us and is still doing for us.
“Do this to remember me.”
Communion gives us an opportunity to check ourselves and square ourselves with God and each other. The Apostle Paul gives us this teaching:
For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.” For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself.
— 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, NLT
Communion unites us as followers of Jesus in his vision and mission for his church. The Apostle Paul explains that we are one through sharing communion.
When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body.
— 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, NLT
Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
— Romans 12:4-5, NIV