What is Solemn/First Communion?

As Christians we walk the Way of Love.  It is the journey of a lifetime!  Along that journey, we look for opportunities to mark and ritualize transitions in our life with God.  At Trinity, we offer a *Solemn/First Communion classes to provide children an opportunity to reflect on the nature and meaning of the Eucharist.  

• designed for children who are in the first grade, or older.  
• emphasizes that, for children, a primary location of faith formation is in the home.  requires the participation of a parent 
• encourage the whole family to participate together

The point is not to just give you one more thing to do, but rather to give you meaningful ways to take some time to, as a family, think about the sacrament of the Eucharist.

Who participates?

Anyone who is in 1st grade or older is welcome to participate.
That being said, it is designed for families to do together!
We encourage everyone in the family to be involved, and an adult is expected to accompany children to the class.
If you have friends of family with children in 1-3rd grades who would find it meaningful to participate in the class, feel free to invite them! Just let Gay Webb, our family ministries coordinator, know.

When do we meet?

We will be meeting during the season of Lent, in preparation for the Solemn/First Communion Celebration in Easter.
The classes are at 11am on March 6th, Marth 20th, and April 3rd
The date for the Solemn/First Communion ceremony will be decided upon based on the needs of the families participating.

What if I can't attend a class?

If you can't attend a class, we will send you information about what to do.  Since the class is designed to encourage families to reflect on the sacrament of communion and the Way of Love together, missing the class is far less important than spending time together in reflection and prayer in the weeks between classes.

*Why is it called a Solemn/First Communion class?

The Episcopal Church affirms that when someone is baptized they are a full member of the body of Christ.  Given that, we affirm that they have the right to receive communion, if they desire.  However, we also reconize that families can make a range of faithful choices about how and when children begin receiving the sacrament of communion.  In some Christian traditions, children do not receive until participating in a period of instruction leading up to a First Communion ceremony.  While many of our children receive prior to undertaking such a time of instruction, we believe that there is value in spending time with children and reflecting on the sacrament in an age-appropriate way.  Given that, this class leads, for some, to their First Communion and for others invites them into a deeper relationship with the sacrament they are already receiving.