Whereas, John Wesley also, in his September 10, 1784, letter to Dr. Coke, Mr. Asbury, and our brethren in North America, advised "the elders to administer the supper of the Lord on every Lord's day"; and
Whereas, during the lifetime of John Wesley, Methodists crowded parish churches to celebrate Holy Communion with a "zeal kindled in [their] hearts...by the flaming message of the love of God which they received from the Methodist preachers"1; and
Whereas, since Wesley's death "the place of Holy Communion in Methodist worship [has] declined, and the beliefs about it [have] lost continuity with the traditional doctrines which the Wesleys espoused...."2; and
Whereas, the 1982 World Council of Churches Faith and Order Paper No. 111, Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry (BEM) reminds us that:
1. "Christian faith is deepened by the celebration of the Lord's Supper";
2. "as the eucharist celebrates the resurrection of Christ, it is appropriate that it should take place at least every Sunday"; and
3. "as it is the new sacramental meal of the people of God, every Christian should be encouraged to receive communion frequently"; and
Whereas, the April 30, 1986, response of The United Methodist Church to BEM issued by the Council of Bishops:
1. affirms that "the Wesleyan renewal movement within and beyond the Church of England was as much sacramental as it was evangelical";
2. judges BEM to be "right" in considering the eucharist, as it "effectively unites word and sacrament," to be "the central act of the Church's worship";
3. proclaims that "God's effectual word is there [in the central act of the Church's worship] revealed, proclaimed, heard, seen and tasted";
4. acknowledges that "the Church's long experience shows [weekly celebration of the eucharist] to be normative"; and
5. declares that "we intend to urge our congregations to a more frequent, regular observance of the sacrament";
Therefore, be it resolved, that the General Conference direct the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church to take the necessary actions in the annual conferences to assure that all parishes are continually growing in their understanding of Wesleyan eucharistic piety and practice and moving toward the frequent, regular celebration of the eucharist as the parishes' central act of worship, which the Council of Bishops committed to in their response to the BEM paper; and
Be it further resolved that the General Conference direct the bishops to charge each district superintendent in his or her respective cabinet with the responsibility of developing with each pastor and parish specific plans and timetables for recovering the weekly celebration of the eucharist as the central act of the parish's worship; and
Be it further resolved, that until such time as weekly celebration of the eucharist becomes the central act of each parish's worship throughout The United Methodist Church, the General Conference direct the Council of Bishops to develop and implement annually a calendar of Sundays and other holy days (including but not limited to: Christmas Eve, Baptism of the Lord, Transfiguration Sunday, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, World Communion Sunday, All Saints Sunday, and Christ the King Sunday) that are to be specifically set aside for eucharistic celebration as the central act of worship in all United Methodist parishes throughout the world.
1 J. Ernest Rattenbury, The Eucharistic Hymns of John and Charles Wesley (Cleveland: OSL Publications, 1990, page 3).
2 Geoffrey Wainwright, Methodists in Dialog (Nashivlle: Kingswood Books, 1995, page 211).
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 22628-DI-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference