Communion Vessels

On the third Sunday of every month, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper in our worship service.  People come forward and receive a cube of bread and a small cup of juice - the body and blood of Christ.  The vessels we use to celebrate communion have a unique backstory.  FCC member Bud Muyskens felt that the traditional silver communion trays and cups just didn’t fit in our sanctuary aesthetically.  He wanted something more earthy and fitting for our colors and architecture.  In the mid 1990s, Bud commissioned the creation of a new set of communion vessels.  These were designed and produced by Calvin University Art professor, Carl Huisman.

Each vessel is decorated with a cross.  If you look closely you can see the outline of a person on that cross.  It is almost as if we are looking at the cross of Christ from behind.  This reminds us that in communion, we are proclaiming the death of Christ until he returns.  We still use the plates each month in our communion service.  Since Covid, we no longer use the chalices for intinction, but have gone back to the small cups.  This unique pottery continues to facilitate our communion with Christ in his death and our communion with each other in celebration.