Guidelines for SDA Communion Service Announcements and Preparation

The communion service should be announced at least three weeks before it is performed at the churchGCB April 24, 1901, page 449.12.

While the specific timing for the announcement of regular church sessions is designated as three weeks, the practice of the Seventh-day Adventist church is to observe these sacred ordinances four times annuallyEW 302.2. This schedule, often referred to as the quarterly meeting, was established to replace earlier confusion and ensure the service is practiced more frequently than once a yearEW 302.2+1.

Purpose and Preparation

The communion service is a vital part of church life, intended to serve several spiritual purposes:

• Commemoration of Deliverance: It commemorates the great deliverance from sin through the death of Christ, just as the Passover remembered Israel's deliverance from EgyptCCh 298.3.

• A Hopeful Outlook: The service is designed to keep the hope of the second coming of Christ vivid in the minds of the believersCCh 302.3+2.

• Self-Examination: Before partaking, members are encouraged to engage in self-examination, the confession of sin, and the reconciling of differencesCCh 301.4+2.

• A Season of Joy: While it involves deep heart-searching, it is not to be a season of sorrowing, but rather an opportunity to meet with Christ in His saving lightCCh 301.4+1.

Conducting the Service

• Inclusivity: Following Christ's example, the service is not exclusive; while open sin may exclude the guilty, it is not for men to judge who should present themselves at the Lord's table 1 Corinthians 11:28DA 656.1.

• The Ordinances: The service typically includes the ordinance of feet-washing, which was established by Jesus to promote humility and disentangle the heart from worldly pride1TT 517.1+1.

• The Emblems: Only unleavened bread and unfermented wine are used, as fermented wine would destroy the symbolic representation of the pure blood of ChristPTUK May 19, 1898, page 310.1+2.

• Officiating: The service is normally led by an ordained minister or elder; however, an ordained elder may officiate at a different church if requested by the conference and in harmony with that local congregationCOOD 171.3.

This regular observance allows the church to remain a light in the world, showing the Lord's death until He comes Matthew 5:14-16+1. Everyone is invited to look away from themselves and look to Jesus, finding cleansing through the merits of His bloodT25 126.2.