The Meaning of Communion to One Pentecostal Church

Jennifer Thome

February 9, 2004

The Rock Church, like many Pentecostal churches in the United States, has only one formalized ritual in its service: Communion. Congregants take Communion on the first Sunday of every month, but for them the ritual itself means less than the experience.

Pentecostals do not believe the wafer and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus, as do Catholics. For them, the bread symbolizes the body of Christ and the wine is the blood. "It is a remembrance of the broken body," says Pastor Roger Casey, who has led the church for the past 10 years. "It is broken and given."

Members of the Rock Church say communion is also a declaration to the world that they believe in Christ. "It is a celebration of the Lord's table," says Joe McGee, a member of the Rock Church for over twenty years. McKee is Irish and grew up in the Catholic Church. He converted to Pentecostalism thirty years ago while working on an oil pipeline in Alaska. "Through the Supper it affirms to me the right to the throne of God."

McGee says Communion is an important part of being a Pentecostal because of the symbolism. He believes the blood of Jesus saved people. But he does not mind if he misses a Communion Sunday. He says he does not need to take Communion monthly for a religious experience. For McGee, the service is what brings him to church.

About 70 members worship at the Rock Church on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Only 30 people attend the 3:00 p.m. service on a Sunday in February, but many say they will stay for the 6:00 p.m. service and attend prayer services throughout the week. The members are as diverse as New York City. One woman wears a sari, a teenage girl wears jeans, and an African-American woman wears a pillbox hat.

In general, Pentecostals eschew rituals. Casey says the beginning of the Pentecostal religion is an outpouring of emotions, rather than formal doctrine. Throughout the service congregants speak in tongues, a language they believe only God can understand, and they sing and yell whenever the spirit moves them. This emphasis on experience over doctrine differentiates the Pentecostal church from other expressions of Christianity. Members see the structure of the service itself as the ritual.

"The format is ritualistic. Saying hello, praying for the sick, reading of the word," says Henry Garcia, a member of the church.

About 70 members worship at the Rock Church on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Only 30 people attend the 3:00 p.m. service on a Sunday in February, but many say they will stay for the 6:00 p.m. service and attend prayer services throughout the week. The members are as diverse as New York City. One woman wears a sari, a teenage girl wears jeans, and an African-American woman wears a pillbox hat.

In general, Pentecostals eschew rituals. Casey says the beginning of the Pentecostal religion is an outpouring of emotions, rather than formal doctrine. Throughout the service congregants speak in tongues, a language they believe only God can understand, and they sing and yell whenever the spirit moves them. This emphasis on experience over doctrine differentiates the Pentecostal church from other expressions of Christianity. Members see the structure of the service itself as the ritual.

"The format is ritualistic. Saying hello, praying for the sick, reading of the word," says Henry Garcia, a member of the church.

At the Sunday service, the pastor asks for people to come to the front of the church to receive prayers. One by one, a third of the church lines up by the grand piano in the left corner of the narrow church. Casey removes his glasses and places them on the high pulpit. He takes a small jar of clear liquid from his pocket and places it next to his glasses. One by one, the church members come forward. The organist plays simple chords while the rest of the congregations repeat simple words. A woman, dressed in a purple pantsuit with black pumps, leans forward and whispers into Casey's ear. They move slightly away from each other and he shakes the jar a couple of times. A few drips of liquid fall onto his finger. He reaches for the woman's forehead and draws a cross with two strokes.

He places oil on her forehead.

"Oil is the symbol for quickening power," Casey explains after the service.

He clasps his hands over her ears and they pray. His knuckles turn white, his hands red from the pressure. Casey's mouth moves, but only a "Glorify!" or a
"Jesus!" can be heard over the organ. His face turns red with the effort of his prayers. When he is done the woman turns and walks away. There are tears in her eyes.

The prayers are performed on anyone who steps forward. Tears and smiles alternate as the prayed-for walk away. While some wait in line, the rest of the congregation sit in pews and lift their hands into the air. "We are lifting out spirits up. Giving God glory," McGee says. "We don't go through a ritual to be with God."

Pentecostals believe there is no intermediary between God and themselves. "We stand alone before God," McGee says.

(Updated April 19, 2004)