Communion Stories

The Lord's Supper, sometimes called communion or the eucharist, is often a solemn occasion for Christians. But what do you do when things don't go as planned during this holy meal? 

Here are three stories about unexpected—and unforgettable—communion experiences. Enjoy! 

Take a Little Off the Top

When my uncle was a young pastor serving a rural church, it was the custom of a couple from the congregation to provide homemade grape juice and bread for communion every month. The couple would set out the juice and bread on the altar table before worship and cover the elements with a white cloth, where they would remain covered until it was time to receive communion. 

One Sunday, as my uncle uncovered the elements halfway through the worship service, he discovered that the grape juice in the communion cup was entirely covered in mold. Not having any extra grape juice on hand, he wasn't sure what to do. 

He asked the congregation to pray, and as he led them in a prayer he stood in front of the altar table, scooped out the mold with his hand, and hid it in the cloth. When everyone said "Amen," lifted their heads and opened their eyes, no one was the wiser. 

It turns out that the couple who provided the juice and bread were on vacation that weekend and had set everything up on Friday afternoon instead of Sunday morning. 

Grin and Bare It

A friend of mine, a Catholic priest, was serving a parish in rural North Carolina, providing Masses in both English and Spanish. The mass in English drew a small crowd of farmers, but it was necessary to provide multiple Masses in Spanish every week for the large population of migrant workers from Mexico who lived in that area. 

These Masses, he said, were often so crowded that there were not enough places for everyone to sit, and it was not uncommon for there to be a lot of movement in the pews, especially among impatient children. 

But nothing prepared him for the time when, as the priest was in the middle of celebrating Mass, an unmonitored toddler stepped out into the center aisle of the sanctuary and quickly began removing his clothes. 

By the time the priest had finished consecrating the host, he looked up to see that the boy was entirely naked and was apparently prepared to exercise his potty training skills. Luckily, at that moment, an adult hand reached out from the pews and scooped up the boy and his clothes.

As quickly as the boy had appeared, he disappeared into the crowd. 

"I had no idea what to do," the priest confessed. "I've seen a lot of strange things happen during worship, but that one caught me off guard." 

A Thief in the Night

It was as a week of summer church camp was drawing to a close that I found myself with a group of counselors and campers enjoying mountain pies around a campfire. If you've never had a mountain pie, they are made by toasting two slices of bread and filling in a pie iron, creating a small pastry-like treat. 

The night before everyone returned home was often the high point of the week, a time to share stories, laugh, cry, and celebrate  communion. After we had finished singing camp songs and had all eaten our fill, I went to the cooler to get the communion supplies. 

But they weren't there. I found a cup, a plate and a cloth, but no bread or juice. Looking around, I found at the edge of the woods a punctured juice container and a piece of shredded plastic wrap that had held the communion bread. It seems that a nighttime visitor with a mask and a striped tail decided to have communion on his own.

No problem, I thought. We've got back-up supplies. But when I returned to the campfire, I discovered to my dismay that the entire loaf of bread had been used to make mountain pies. 

After I announced our predicament to the group, one resourceful camper pointed out that there was one mountain pie that hadn't been eaten. It hadn't been eaten because it had been left in the fire too long and was burned almost beyond recognition. 

Nonetheless, we salvaged what we could, asked God's forgiveness, and celebrated communion that night by passing around a gallon jug of orange drink and some blackened bits of crust.