[Magdalen] Full Communion with the USA Methodists?

[Roger Stokes]

On 09/07/2017 21:18, Jay Weigel wrote:
> The Lutheran church I attend has both wine and grape juice available, as
> does another church I occasionally attend. (I have heard of  but never
> experienced Episcopal churches that do this.) I notice that many young
> children in both churches opt for, or are directed to, the grape juice.
> Some adults also choose it, for their own reasons. If the Methodists could
> be persuaded to offer both, perhaps the problem could be solved in that

Now I am officially retired and supply as and when asked to I encounter 
a variety of practice. This has included a small container of grape 
juice on the altar for the Eucharistic Prayer, much as I dislike it. Our 
rules for receiving communion differ from those in TEC in that children 
can be admitted to Communion in accordance with the rules set by the 
diocesan bishop if the Church Council (vestry in TEC speak) have 
authorised it and after appropriate preparation by the parish priest. My 
last parish was not prepared to consider this when I put it to them and 
in this diocese the minimum age for such admission to Communion is 7. 
However this does present problems as other dioceses have a lower 
minimum age, such as 4, and once a child has been admitted to communion 
they may not be refused even in a parish which has not adopted the 
practice of admission to communion before confirmation. This would also 
apply to, for instance, visitors from TEC but, under civil law, we 
cannot give alcohol (even at home) to children under 5.

Ain't life a mess?

Roger