I might have expected queuing for Communion to be rather negative! …standing in a suppliant line to receive a gift from a powerful, often male, figure. But repeatedly I found women had subverted this to make the experience a positive and empowering opportunity for social interaction!
They talked of being all together, smiling to one another, allowing themselves to wave to people: “In the queue, I’m looking out for who I know, ‘Hello!’ ”
A couple of other quotations:
“…that’s lovely. I mean, some people might want to … be more private or whatever, but to me I like that we all queue up”
“You know the queue? … it’s not the attitude of people who are queuing for receiving benefit or the post … People are always very concerned about their place in the queue especially in England … [but, going for Communion] everybody is giving their place to another person and there is no rush. Everybody’s relaxed and so it really makes me feel that there is something that is endless and that is really open to everybody who wants to receive it.”
What do you feel about the Communion queue?
Have you ever thoughts about it before? Do you love it or hate it?
Do you have a story to tell about being in the queue?
Please share in the comments box below 🙂
All comments are moderated before posting on the blog, so please feel safe to contribute here.
Thanks, Kim
Women In Communion 
I have mixed feelings about queuing for communion. We sat in a square for the morning meeting at the Gospel Hall when we celebrated community passing the bread and one to each other. We sit in a circle at Othona, the community I attend on the south coast . I prefer the sense of community the circle engenders to the individualistic edging forward of the queue yet I appreciate that a circle is also exclusive, and is hard to break into. The circle may be a symbol of eternity but it is finite.
LikeLike
I was thinking about this this morning, standing behind a mother who was holding the hands of two small children. She knelt at the rail, one child standing on her left and one on her right, and the three of them received the Eucharist/blessing together. It was endearing, and I found myself quite moved, suddenly remembering seeing my mother at the same rail.
LikeLike
Thanks so much for your contribution Ferial. What you say about the emotional connection of remembering your mother at the same rail, chimes with what several of the women I talked with shared about the significance of family in receiving communion. It meant a lot to remember how they had been brought when they were young, and sometimes also to be now bringing their own children in the same way. Thank you for sharing this beautiful image and special insight. Kim
LikeLike
You’re welcome.
The communion queue also represents (for me) the long line of saints and believers always moving toward union/reunion with God. Maybe it was designed for that. The circle always feels a little like the Conestogas circling for safety, the community experienced as exclusive. But I’m both visual and kinetic and I understand that everyone doesn’t see the world the way I do.
LikeLike
Thanks so much for your insight about responding to the queue as a visual and kinetic person. Something I’ve been very committed to in my research is recognising our differences and uniqueness as much as the things that we may share particularly as women. I think yours is a really helpful reminder in this area of ‘how’ we share Communion that different ways will respond to different aspects of our personalities – and of course where we are at different times in our lives too. Thanks again for your valued contributions here – I’m appreciating your insights very much. Kim
LikeLike
My partner and I are both female. We worship in a C of E cathedral where there is a big queue down both north and south aisles each Sunday at the 10.15 service. I’ve always been very aware that those still in the body of the church, either waiting to be invited to join the queue or already having returned to their seat, watch others as they go up and return. I used to find it really hard that many male and female couples freely walked in either direction holding hands and for a long time – several years – this caused me quite a lot of pain each week. That is, until I decided that if my partner and I also held hands in full view of everyone – regulars and visitors – we would actually be making quite a statement to all present about who we are and inviting the community to consider how they really felt about the statement by the main entrance that we were an openly inclusive congregation.
To this day, no-one has ever made any comment, either positive or otherwise, but as we have continued doing this over the last few years, gradually I have felt more and more confident and now really see this as an invitational ministry to those who may be visiting, looking for a church, who are themselves gay, that this is an OK and safe place to be gay and Christian.
These days, my partner, who is taller than me, usually stands behind me in the line, with her arms round my waist. I make a point of making eye contact with people waking back down from receiving as we wait our turn, and just smiling. Increasingly, I have found that whereas at first quite a lot of people looked away, now I feel that more hold my gaze and return my smile.
Alison
LikeLike
Alison, thanks for sharing such a powerful story of how the Communion queue has been a place of witness and a means of gradually bringing about change too. I’ve reflected, from other things women have told me, about how the Communion queue can help affirm and support people, and even be formative of the nature of community (which I guess in some ways you are describing) – but not how it could actually be a means of transformation and a place of your own ‘invitational ministry’ for others. It sounds like you have been courageous in changing the queuing from something that brought pain, to something through which you are empowered and can offer a gift to others. Do reply if anything doesn’t sound right as I’ve reflected on what you’ve written. Thank you for sharing so deeply from your own journey, I appreciate it very much. Kim
LikeLike
Hi Kim,
What you’ve written sums it up nicely and is encouragingly affirming. Thank you!
Alison
LikeLike
I usually sit at the back of a church if I know there is a queue for communion as then I don’t have to negotiate the queue as I know I’ll be near the end. The part that annoys me is if the queue leads to receiving communion standing up where is never enough time to pause and contemplate receiving from God. The part I am very aware of as a priest is observing who is together in the queue as they come forward so I wait for them to kneel together to receive communion together.
LikeLike