Gluten-free Communion Bread

[Mike Schutz]

Is your church offering a Gluten-free communion bread alternative for your congregation?

Are you purchasing the wafers?

Are you making your own?

[Dave McClung]

No. The communion bread pieces are so small that it wouldn't make a difference.

[Mike Schutz]

No. The communion bread pieces are so small that it wouldn't make a difference.

Sorry, Dave, but that is not the perspective of several folks in my church with SEVERE food allergies.

[Roy Richardson]

Sorry, Dave, but that is not the perspective of several folks in my church with SEVERE food allergies.

We had one who couldn't even have had the bread touch something with gluten in it.

It's a big issue for some

[Jon Twitchell]

I conversed with a minister a while back whose church had determined that the entire selection of bread would be gluten-free, in order to both accommodate the person with allergies, AND celebrate our unity in Christ. It was a tangible (yet costly) theological statement that I appreciated.

[Nate Pruitt]

For a person with Celiac disease this would be so significant. In those instances a church serving a breakfast, communion, or a fellowship would become dangerous. I did construction at the house of a girl who was on the most extreme end of the disease and the deal was that we would eat off site and would wash thoroughly. Gluten free wafers and educating the church on making such specific choices in other gatherings are beautiful portrayals of laying down our lives so that all can come to the Table.

[Mark Bolerjack]

over the past few months, Betty is now making a gluten free bread that everyone takes. She uses a mix that comes from Whole Foods Market (Cheebee Bread?). I will direct her to this thread.

[Betty Bolerjack]

The bread is called Chebe, pronounced the way Mark spelled it. I get it at a local health food store, not Whole Foods. I haven't seen it there. I have seen some of the mixes at Sunflower Market, but not the All-Purpose Bread Mix which is the one I use. It can also be ordered online. It is basically just tapioca flour, but each mix has other ingredients. However, all are naturally gluten free and, I believe, allergen free.

I mix it according to the package directions, using eggs, olive oil, and water. The eggs are the only allergen in our communion bread and I have considered using an egg substitute to make it completely allergen free. I then divide it into 8 portions and score it for 40 pieces like I did with the wheat bread. We serve it to everyone and it has been well-received. I wish I could guarantee it against cross-contamination, but I can't because products containing gluten are prepared in our church kitchen where I prepare the communion elements. I do bake the bread at home where I have more control over the environment.

Now, to address Dave's comment which, I know, several have already done, but being an attorney, I think he will appreciate this. There are, indeed, people who are so extremely sensitive to gluten that even being where it is served is dangerous for them. There are a couple of girls in Tamara's Girl Scout troop who are almost this sensitive. They cannot even play games in a place like Chucky Cheese without wearing gloves. I asked their mom how they handled selling GS cookies. She said they kept them in one room and prayed! The troop leader is very conscientious about making sure they and Tamara (not as sensitive) have GF food when there is any event. I have yet to be able to educate our church on the issue. If these girls were to attend our services on a Sunday when we were serving communion, I would not be comfortable with them partaking even of our bread at this point in time. It is too risky. If I reassured them that it was completely gluten free, I would be opening us up for a major lawsuit if they were to get sick. Therefore, I have been thinking about putting a disclaimer in the bulletin that we cannot guarantee that cross-contamination has not occurred. This month was the first time that it was announced that our bread is gluten free and I cringed. It's a tough, tough situation, but I think education of the entire congregation is definitely in order. I will continue toward the goal of making our bread safe for all to partake.

Thanks for bringing this subject up, Mike!

Forgot the link: http://www.chebe.com/

[John Reilly]

I pay attention and we offer when need arises. I did a wedding were gluten free wafers were an option because some seven (7) people (invited guests) required them. The serving plate for gluten free needed to be washed carefully as the seven people allergic are highly sensitive.

[Larry Parsons]

No. The communion bread pieces are so small that it wouldn't make a difference.

I agree and for most Nazarene church it every 3 month so it not going to hurt.
Thanks
Larry

[Dana Grant]

No. The communion bread pieces are so small that it wouldn't make a difference.

Actually, we have a woman in our church who kept having severe gluten-reactions after she had been off of all gluten in her diet. It was discovered that there was gluten in the filler of one of her medications. There are people who are so very gluten sensitive that even the tiniest amount of gluten can make them very ill. Amazing, but true.

Our church has switched over to gluten-free communion bread. We have a very large family in our church, and every member that has been tested so far has been positive for celiac. Quite amazing.

[Betty Bolerjack]

I agree and for most Nazarene church it every 3 month so it not going to hurt.
Thanks
Larry

Larry, did you read the other posts on this thread, including mine? It DOES make a diiference for some. Even touching something that someone else has touched (like a game control) who has touched something like pizza (How many people actually eat pizza with a fork? They pick it up with their hands.) can be life threatening for someone who is extremely sensitive.

Now, put someone like that in this scenario... We serve donuts prior to the morning service. They contain gluten. Someone eats a donut or two before the service but doesn't wash their hands, just wiping them on a napkin. We usually serve communion by intinction. This person dips their piece of gluten free bread (which is now contaminated) in the juice, or worse yet, drops their piece of bread in the juice. Suddenly, the juice is contaminated. If the gluten sensitive person then dips their bread in that same cup of juice, they could become extremely ill and possibly even die. That's how serious this issue is.

So, those of us who serve by intinction need to make special arrangements if we are aware of someone in our midst who has that issue. The frequency of communion or the size of the piece of bread have nothing to do with it.

*stepping down off my soapbox*

[Nate Pruitt]

Larry, did you read the other posts on this thread, including mine? It DOES make a diiference for some. Even touching something that someone else has touched (like a game control) who has touched something like pizza (How many people actually eat pizza with a fork? They pick it up with their hands.) can be life threatening for someone who is extremely sensitive.

Now, put someone like that in this scenario... We serve donuts prior to the morning service. They contain gluten. Someone eats a donut or two before the service but doesn't wash their hands, just wiping them on a napkin. We usually serve communion by intinction. This person dips their piece of gluten free bread (which is now contaminated) in the juice, or worse yet, drops their piece of bread in the juice. Suddenly, the juice is contaminated. If the gluten sensitive person then dips their bread in that same cup of juice, they could become extremely ill and possibly even die. That's how serious this issue is.

So, those of us who serve by intinction need to make special arrangements if we are aware of someone in our midst who has that issue. The frequency of communion or the size of the piece of bread have nothing to do with it.

*stepping down off my soapbox*

So true. I didn't care to elaborate before because of the flow of the post I made previously. When I worked at that young woman's house we not only ate off site and then washed our faces and hands up to the elbows, but we did so after discarding our drinks. If we brought a drink cup into her home, which we had been drinking from while eating our meal, then the cup would have been contaminated. If the cup were to leave a puddle of condensation on her counter when we set it down there would be residue on her counter. If the cup was discarded and the condensation dried when she got home it could result in her preparing food in a contaminated area without knowing. I'm glad that we did what we did to make sure that she felt safe and comfortable at home. The general contractor I worked for was a former minister who was volunteer staff at the church we attended at the time. Such care was to be extended to any of our clients. This is what I meant before when I talked about laying down our lives for another. To think of things we hadn't thought of, and to respond to requests rather than dismissing them, was how we showed compassion toward others. I don't miss the construction, per se, but working for a boss like that is something I would always be willing to do. He imitated Christ in his actions and we imitated him. What a great opportunity for the church to minister!

We actually have multiple families with children with Autism at our church. One dietary thing that is common is to be GFCF (Gluten-free, Casein-free. Casein is dairy protein). I think I am going to mention this option, and what Betty has shared specifically about using Chebe, so that our families will know that we want to accommodate their kids coming to know what it means to participate in the Lord's Supper, as well.

[Jon Twitchell]

I agree and for most Nazarene church it every 3 month so it not going to hurt.
Thanks
Larry

Fortunately, more and more Churches of the Nazarene are recognizing the importance of celebrating the sacrament more often!

[Mike Schutz]

We not only have several in our church with Celiac, we also have a family with special needs children who have removed gluten and soy from their diet upon recommendation of their doctor and seen significant changes in behavior. We now have two of our senior adults whose medication ( for autoimmune issues) requires them to be completely gluten free.
Of course, there are varying levels of sensitivity.

[Jacquelyn Horne]

The answer that the amount of gluten in a communion wafer is so small it wouldn't matter is greatly, dangerously, in error. Gluten Sensitivity is a continuum from mildly sensitive to extremely sensitive. My husband is on the extreme end of the scale, to the degree that gluten in the amount of wheat flour in a communion wafer would probably hospitalize him and create severe side effects, i.e aggravated divirticulitis. For people such as him, blindly following your advice would be quite dangerous. People at the other end of the scale might notice no discomfort. For some celiacs, there are no symptoms, so the gluten in the wafer would simply add to the cumulative damage to their small intestine. You are not a medical specialist but you are giving medical advice; you need to be careful because some people will blindly follow what a person in your position advises, possibly to their great harm. Furthermore, the assumption that God will take care of it is testing God, which is wrong. Please correct your original post. If you do not believe me, contact a true celiac specialist such as Dr. Cynthia Rudert in Atlanta--she is a international authority on celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Thank you for the opportunity to comment. If you wish to discuss the seriousness of small amounts of gluten, I will be delighted to do so--you have my e-mail. Dr. Jacquelyn P. Horne