Communion Service Instructions 1975

Instructions on how to conduct a communion service.

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Communion Service Instructions

(The following is a transcript of a tape sent to all the Way Tree leadership by Dr. Wierwille on February 13, 1975. It provided instruction to leaders on how to conduct a communion service in alignment with the accuracy of the Word of God. This then introduced the practice of the communion service in the local, home based “Twig” fellowships in modern times.)

(Accompanying letter):

February 13, 1975

Dear Leader,

I want you to listen to this tape immediately. It contains urgent information you need to be knowledgeable of. Listen to it more than once. Then I want you to make a copy of the tape available to each of your Branch Leaders, who also will need to listen more than once. Then your Branch Leaders need to get all of their twig leaders into a meeting and listen to the tape as a group.

God bless and I love you in Him.

Dr. V.P. Wierwille

(Tape)

Bless your heart. I sure love you and I thank God for you.

About a year or so ago, I think it was, that I stated that this year of 1975, I wanted every believer in the Way Ministry to fellowship in what we refer to as Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper. In order to do this the best, the Twig level is the best place to do it, and I suggested that if at all possible, that it should be done at no other place than at the Twig level. So I’m now going to give you some suggestions on how to do this very effectively, so that not only will your people be tremendously blessed, but you will be blessed abundantly as well.

I would like every Twig Leader or Coordinator to get his people together as a little family, and then to have Holy Communion with them; and he to share his life with his family. Now, I’d like to see every Twig Coordinator put this into practice, so think it all through, and let’s see what a blessing it will be to our people.

On Sunday, March 30 this year will be Easter. The Sunday before Easter, the 23rd, is called Palm Sunday. During that week of the 23rd, somewhere between Monday the 24th and Saturday, including Saturday night, I would like for you to get your Twig together, and share with them the great love that Christ had in his heart when he died for them, and that you now have in your heart for your family; which is represented by what we do in the Holy Communion Service.

First of all, I would like to recommend to you as a leader or coordinator, that you be sure that you have a copy of Studies in Abundant Living, The Word’s Way, Volume III. Go to “Part Four” and read pages 185 to 273. That’s all about the day that Jesus Christ died, the cross, and the broken body; dealing with the Holy Communion. And especially you leaders, master pagers 201 to 218 about “Did Jesus Keep the Passover?” You see, there are many different ways you can go with your meeting, but be sure you have everything set up before anybody ever comes to the meeting that night. Be sure to tell your people to be on time, because you don’t want anybody straggling in after you’ve started, or any doorbells ringing and disrupting it. And start on time: if you set it for 7:20, you have your people in. If you set it for 8:00, have them in. It would be possible, if you’d like to do this, after your people are all in there, to sit down with your people sometime during that service, and maybe you’ll want to read with them pages 201 to 218. But should you decide to read that with your people, be sure that you can read with real knowledgeable enthusiasm and understanding. But these are things you will have to decide yourself on how best to lead your people. But you will want the Word of God there. You want to bless your people, so you just have to work this Word. By the way, this is a good time of the year to get everybody to read those chapters in that book that I was talking about, Volume III, Studies in Abundant Living. See, these are your people and when you meet with them, remember God has given you responsibility for them, and your people, your family has to be blessed because you are God’s minister to God’s Twig people.

Now here are a number of things that I think you might think through, yet every situation will vary a little. So you’ll have to be flexible, and understand that all you need to do is

think, think, think, think it through, and do it the best way you can for your people. You have to have a small table, like a coffee table, or a card table, or a lamp table. And you as a Coordinator of the Twig must have everything arranged before anyone arrives. Did you get that? Before anyone arrives. I suggest you put a nice white cloth over the top of the table. It doesn’t have to be linen, but if it is linen, that’s nice. But it has to have a nice cloth on it, and it should be white. I’ve even used a neatly ironed and properly folded white bed sheet over the top of one of my tables for serving my people Holy Communion. And then it’s nice to have a candle, or possibly two candles, on that table. Make the atmosphere in that room where you’re meeting soft and easy, tender and loving for that particular night of blessing. And be sure it isn’t a long, drawn our meeting; like two hours or something. But give yourself the time to do the job that God wants you to do, and then be sure to get it accomplished. And not a lot of running around afterwards, a lot of loud noises, and yelling and shouting and visiting. I’d like you and your people to quietly afterward just meditate after the Communion, go home and let this thing dwell in your hearts that night, as best it can. Alone with God and themselves. And remember, you must be very knowledgeable of those records in God’s Word that we’re talking about, especially that which deals with Holy Communion. You must have these things in your head, read it and work on it. Well, get your table set up and its location proper, so that people can either sit in chairs comfortably, or some may want to sit on the floor in front of it. But it has to be arranged and thought through very carefully. Have a challis - a challis is like a large loving cup - and have that challis filled about three quarters full or so with red wine. That means you’ll have to acquire a small bottle of red wine. Fill that challis, and have it three quarters filled, and set out before anybody gets there. Have it on the table properly, and covered with a napkin; preferably a white linen napkin, if not, a white paper napkin laid over the top of it is okay, also. Then you’ll have to have a small loaf of bread, or even just one piece of regular bread, white or brown. Many times what I like to do is get a small French loaf of bread, and I lay that out in front of the challis on a small tray, or on a white napkin. In other words, directly to the people will be the bread, behind the bread will be the challis, and then I can sit behind the challis, or behind the table. And then I can pick up that bread when it’s needed, and I can get to the wine when it is needed. The table covered with the white cloth, remember that? The bread laid out with the challis behind it, and the horn of plenty on that table, plus two candles, one on each side of the bread and challis. And red candles are pretty for that occasion. Another thing, don’t have the room very brightly lighted if possible. Candles can be very effectively set throughout the room, but be careful and vigilant so nobody knocks them over, and you burn up the place.

So after you’ve got your table all set, and you are in there, and your people are in there; then you may want to sing a song or two, have a few choruses and have some prayer with the understanding. Lead your people into prayer for specific things: like remembering International Headquarters, remembering the WOW’s, the Corps, the work in your state, your Limb leader, and so forth. And then of course you will have the manifestations also, after which you may want to have another song or chorus. Then I’m sure sometime during the service, before you get to the communion proper of sharing it with your people; you will want to read I Corinthians, Chapter 11, beginning with verse 23, and closing at verse 30. Then you may want to have a prayer of blessing over the bread and wine. You know, when I’m ready to give Holy Communion, I usually stand, but there

again it is depending on the way your group is arranged and set up. You could either stand or sit; but be sure it’s comfortable. Now if you have covered the bread with a linen cloth also, then remember you have to take that linen napkin off of that bread, and lay that linen napkin nicely to the side, fold it, don’t mess it up, you’re not in a hurry. Then you do the same for the napkin over the challis. Take your time. Fold it nicely, lay it to the side. Then you pick up that loaf of French bread, or that slice of bread in two hands, and hold it in your hands and break it into two pieces. And right after I’ve broken it, I quote the Scripture (holding part of it in one hand, and part of it in the other,) “Take, eat: This is my body which is broken for you: this do ye in remembrance of me.” And remember the broken body was for your healing, and for my healing, and you can’t let yourself forget that. Then I put one half of the bread down, back on the tray, and then go around and take a little piece of bread, take it out of one of those halves, and put it in the right hand of the believer. Now you go from one to the other, or I’ve just passed it among my people and they’ve taken off their own piece and they hold it in their right hand until everybody has their piece of bread. Then I say to them, “Take, eat”, then we all eat together. Then you wait about thirty seconds in silent prayer, praying in the spirit, speaking in tongues silently. Everybody does this. Then I take the cup, and I say, holding the cup in my hand, “This cup is the New Testament in Christ’s blood unto the remission and forgiveness of sins, this do ye in remembrance of me.” I then take a sip of the wine out of the cup. And then I take the challis or the loving cup, or I pass it around, but ordinarily I take it around with the napkin in the event that someone would spill a little bit to the side of it. You can wipe the side of the challis clean with the napkin. I pass this, one to another, and take a sip. When everybody has partaken of the cup, bring the cup back, set it down, cover it and the bread. And then I have a prayer of thanksgiving, where I thank God for His son, Jesus Christ, and that he came and gave his life for us, and that these symbols of the broken bread and of the cup are indicative of what he accomplished and made available to us. And after that perhaps you can sing a chorus or two, something like: “Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace”, or “My Jesus I Love Thee”, or “Yes, It is Jesus” or any thing soft and nice, mellow, beautiful. Then you may say a few more prayers of thanksgiving, and quietly just sit for a minute or two. Then you’ll have your abundant sharing. God gave so much for you; you and I can never out give Him. Have a prayer, a blessing, a prayer of blessing and thanksgiving, and close your meeting and have your people go on their way rejoicing over what God has done for them.

Now, if you have anything further that you feel you need to know, regarding this set up, I suggest that you get in contact with your Limb or Area Leader. If you can’t get what you need to know that way, write to me, and I’ll write back to you. I think I’ve explained it rather thoroughly if you’ll make your notes and listen. Think it through, what I’ve said. Make your notes of this tape one after the other. Maybe you’ll have to listen to it two or three times. Be sure to get that Volume III, Studies in Abundant Living book and I Corinthians 11. You can put together a wonderful service that will just bless all of your, and God’s, people. By the way, before you leave that night, be sure that you have an abundant sharing offering, as I’ve already mentioned. Because it’s God’s promise that as they give, they are going to receive. God gave His son, Jesus Christ, and that night should be one of the greatest nights of abundant sharing that you have ever seen in your Twig. But you have to prepare your people for this s a couple of weeks before. So start

talking about that wonderful Communion service for the believers immediately. Set your date, your place, and time. And that night is for the Christian family, believers. It’s not a witnessing night, pushing of classes and so forth. It is just for the believers and your family to get together. So make it great for God’s people: that it will be the best night that you and your family have ever had. And I assure you that out of it all, you will be blessed more than anybody else.

By the way, as you get this information out to your people, and are encouraging them to do their reading, and get ready for this wonderful week in your Twig; be sure to remind them that night, nobody can be late for the meeting. If you start the meeting at 7:00, you’ll want everybody in before 7:00; so when you start, nobody’s going to be ringing the doorbell, or walking through in front of people, or this king of stuff. Be sure that when you all get together, the Branch Leader with his Twig Leaders, that all of you understand and talk this stuff over. And work with one another, and even help one another to get the challis, the cloths and so forth, if you have to; in order to make it the most wonderful night you can for God’s people.

Well, that’s just about it on the instruction on how to do a Holy Communion service at the Twig level. I’ve already enjoyed it with you because I just know the joy and blessing it will be to you. And I surely thank God for you, and for the privilege you have in doing this so beautifully with God’s people. So you act like God’s man or God’s woman, and you just lead your Twig triumphantly.

I’d like to have a word of prayer with you before I close this tape, and just thank God for you, and your people; and your believing, and your walk; and the way in which you hold forth God’s Word.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for every believer that hears this tape on Holy Communion. May it inspire them to be just the kind of men and women that will hold forth the greatness of your Word; and that our people will be delivered physically, mentally, and spiritually and every other way. And that this will be a wonderful time for our people in their lives, to be set so dynamically free; that they can manifest a life that is more than abundant. I surely thank you Father for every person that will be participating on the Twig level in this wonderful celebration of Holy Communion. And I thank you for just blessing their lives abundantly through the ministry of your Word, and the people who minister that Word: the Twig Leaders, the Coordinators. And I thank you Father for the privilege of sharing our hearts and our love with our people, through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

God bless you, I love you, You are the best!