Spencerville Seventh-day Adventist Church
16325 New Hampshire Ave • Silver Spring, MD 20905
![]() Communion
![]() Communion is observed at least four times a year and regularly scheduled on the church calendar. Communion elements added to the customary worship service include foot-washing (ordinance of humility), and the partaking of unleavened bread and unfermented grape juice. Many Seventh-day Adventists, while they take part in Communion services, often don’t fully understand what it represents. Those not of the Adventist faith may find the practice quite different from what they have seen in other churches. Hopefully you will find explanations here that will help create understanding. Questions may be directed to our pastoral staff by e-mail or telephoning the church office. Communion is one of the fundamental beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. You may read the belief statement here as well as an explanation from the book Seventh-day Adventists Believe. Simply Put When Jesus was here on earth, He met with His disciples at the close of His earthly ministry for one last supper. They gathered in an upper room to eat the Passover feast together. Customarily, the table would include the Passover lamb. However, we do not read of its presence in any of the gospels. But we do know that the true Lamb was present in the form of Jesus Christ. I ![]() Participating in the Communion service allows us to express our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We remember His death and sacrifice on our behalf and recommit ourselves to joyfully proclaim His death and resurrection until He comes again. Communion service is announced at least one week prior to encourage members to self-examine, repent, and confess in preparation for the service. It is a time of renewal and recommitment. Just as when we were first baptized, we are washed, we are cleansed, and ready for service. Communion in the Seventh-day Adventist Church is open to all believers. What You Can Expect Communion at Spencerville follows the same worship order as other Sabbaths. It is part of both early and the 11:15 services. What you read here will describe what you will experience during the second worship service, but the same elements are found in the other, however, it is a bit less formal. Early service is followed by Sabbath School. The second worship service will follow the same pattern as other Sabbaths with hymns, music, offerings, and a sermon, however, the sermon is typically shorter. Often the choir will sing during this service, but not always. Music is carefully selected by our Minister of Music to set the overall tone of the worship. After the homily, the pastor will dismiss the congregation for the foot-washing service (ordinance of humility). Foot-washing takes place in several other rooms within the church. During this portion of the service, two individuals partner and follow the example of Jesus when He stooped to wash His disciple’s feet. Each person serves the other in turn. There are rooms designated for women only (a woman washes the feet of another woman), men only (a man washes the feet of another man), and families (family members or married couples partake in the foot-washing together). ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The congregation will sing a hymn just as Jesus did with His disciples. Upon leaving the sanctuary, the congregation is given the opportunity to give an offering at the door which is used for the Good Samaritan Fund. This is a special offering taken only at Communion. The proceeds are managed by the head deacon and pastoral staff and used solely for the relief of Spencerville members who suffer financial emergencies due to loss of work, illness, or other unexpected economic setbacks. Funds from other sources are set aside for non-member community assistance. Additional links on this topic:
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