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Thank you for all your responses about communion.  I received over 65  
responses!!  About 1/2 said they brought their own gf host (rice cracker,  low 
gluten host, gf bread, gf cracker) and put it on the alter/ gave it to the  
priest/pastor prior to the service.
1/3 said there was a separate plate with gf crackers/host on it.  7  said the 
entire church's communion is gf (Energ tapioca loaf, bob's red mill  mix, 
ener-g crackers, rice crackers.  7 said they bring their own gf bread  or cracker 
from home & then keep it at the seat with them as the bread is  passed out.  
3 said they take the wine/blood only.  1 said he takes  wheat communion 
without any problems.
Here are some excerpts from the responses:
 
We belong to a Christian Refromed Church and they allow my husband to bring  
in his own small piece of bread and keep it in his seeat with him, and then  
instead of taking from the bread offering, he just gets his own out to take  
during communion.  This worked well, with no chances of  contamination.
##################
We ordered gluten free communion wafers from Ener-G Foods (_www.ener-g.com_ 
(http://www.ener-g.com/) )  for our daughter.  She is the only person in the 
congregation that requires  them and it frees us to have extras for traveling 
and for her to take to  college.  She just brings her own with her and the 
pastor says the  blessing.  We all decided this was easiest and avoids cross 
contamination  issues.  At my aunt's church they order the g-f wafers and keep them 
on  hand.  I believe the altar guild has been instructed on cross 
contamination  issues and the g-f wafers are in a small container on the paten with the 
other  wafers.  People requiring the gf wafers help themselves to the wafers to  
avoid the pastors contaminating them.  I don't know what you would do if  
Holy Communion was by intinction (dipping the wafer into the wine) or by  common 
cup.  We have individual cups.  At our Saturday evening service  communion is 
by intinction, but it is a very small service, everyone stands in a  
semi-circle around the pastor and we just walk around to insure our daughter it  the 
first to commune, first to dip her gf wafer in before the wine in  contaminated 
by the wheat wafers.  Don't know if it matters, but we are  Lutheran 
(Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) as is my aunt.  Another  ELCA Lutheran church 
in town also offers g-f wafers and has a note in the  worship bulletin saying 
so
####################
I buy cracker bread (rice from Glutano thru GF Pantry in Glastonbury  CT.

I cut a cracker into 1inch squares and keep them in a zip lock bag in  the 
glove compartment of my car.
I my church we have communion every sunday  by intinction.
So I pull out of my shirt pocket a GF square and hold before  the pastor who 
holds the host. By prior
discussion he knows that I expect him  to bless and consecrate the "body" and 
then I go to the person
holding the  "wine or grape juice" and they in turn consecrate the  "Blood".
###################
When I go to a strange church, I have a  discussion with the pastor before 
the service and have never had
a problem  except I make sure I have a small plastic "stamp envelope" to put 
my cracker  host in before it
is placed on the plate holding the bread or wafers so as  not to contaminate 
my host.
#####################
our entire church has gluten-free communion.  I prepare it at home,  using 
Ener-g tapioca loaf.  I slice it into longer, wider chunks for  dipping into 
juice for our morning services (this type of gf bread does not  crumble, so it is 
good for dipping), and then I create smaller cubes for our  more formal 
service.  (I also use Gillian's Rolls for the "breaking of the  bread" - my 
minister likes to break bread as a part of the service as a  symbol.)  I make and 
freeze about 2 1/2 months worth at a time.  I  label the outside of the freezer 
bags with the date and type of service for  which the bread will be used, and 
the bags are stored in the church  freezer.  The deacons put it in the trays 
once the day  arrives.  Because I am the only one who is gf in our church,  I  
feel that I should take the responsibility for preparing the  communion for the 
church (plus, I know that it won't have cross  contamination if I prepare 
it).  
######################
There was actually an announcement made from the altar for anyone  needing 
gluten free host to go to a particular priest!  This priest carried  two plates, 
with the gluten free host on the lower one.  I appreciated that  detail.
After the service she brought up there should be a way to go to communion  
and not have to go to a particular priest.  That parish wears nametags and  her 
idea at that moment was that perhaps there could be some symbol put on the  
nametag.
#######################
I have tried several different things but in the end have found that  
wrapping a small piece of GF rice cake in saran and placing it in the communion  
plate before the service is the best thing for me.  It remains  uncomtaminated, is 
blessed along with the wheat bread and available for me to  take like 
everyone else.  The rice cake can even standup to being dunked if  that is what 
everyone else is doing....you just have to be first in line!  

Here are some other things I have tried and didn't like:
 
1.   The rice communion wafers, they are very crumbly..I  can't wrap them 
individually and then unwrap them without them falling  apart.
 
2.  Making my own bread for all to partake of gluten  free communion.  The GF 
breads I have tried are too crumbly.  We  had too much bread (the Body of 
Christ) on the floor.
#######################
I belong to a catholic church and they do provide a low gluten host for  my
celiac children. They get if from the group of nuns in the mid-west who  make
them. If you are catholic it is the only acceptable host that the  church
will allow.

They have given us a small container called a pic  (i'm not sure if that is
the right spelling). Then they have also given us a  packet of unconsecrated
host to keep at home in our freezer. When we go to  church we put the host in
the pic and then put it on the altar before mass  and let the priest know. My
children then go onto the altar to receive it  before the priest comes down
to distribute it to everyone else. They wait on  the side of the altar and
the priest gives it to them when he is giving the  host to the eucharistic
ministers (I don't know if you are catholic or not  and if you understand at
what point they are receiving it). The church has  put in the bulletin that
they offer a low gluten host in case other people  need it. If more come
forward then perhaps they would have a separate  line.

The priests do not touch the host because they understand  about
contamination since they were just handling the regular host. The  priest
this past weekend handed the pic to my daughter and she took it out  herself
and ate it
####################
St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem, NC  keeps a small tin on  the 
right altar with Blue Diamond Nutthins. An eight year, a 40 year old, a  60 
year old and probably others that I do not know about signal the  celebrant 
and we partake of a blessed Host. It is truly the most amazing  feeling. When 
I visit other Episcopal Churches I cross my arms at the altar  and receive a 
blessing
####################
I keep the little zip  lock bags that extra buttons come in and each 
communion service we place a piece  of rice cracker in one of the little bags and 
place it in the communion  plate.  I sit in the front row so I get the plate first 
and take the bag so  I can participate with everyone else.
####################
Our church would do  whatever we asked, but when we started going there they 
already had a system in  place for a man who is autistic and can't eat gluten. 
 They have a little  pouch with indivitual slots that one of the parishoners 
made to hold pieces of  rice cake.  They put this on the pastor's plate.  It 
would work just  as well for gf bread or crackers or whatever.
###################
There is a host made by  the Benedictine Sisters that is approved by the 
Catholic Church and the Celiac  Foundation.  Our priest has ordered them.  We are 
buying a pix (unsure  of the spelling) for his hosts that will be placed onthe 
altar during the  consecration.  He will be the first to receive communion by 
a Eucharistic  minister who has not touched the other hosts yet or by the 
priest who said he  can wash his hands with the holy water prior to giving my son 
communion.   We will have to sit in the front.
#################
The rice bread we bring  is a standard rice bread recipe made in our bread 
machine.  Usually we  make it the night before so it's fresh.  However, 
sometimes we forget  and so in the morning we make a thick pancake using rice 
flour and just  shave off the top and bottom and cut it into a rectangle so 
it 
looks like a  slice of bread with no crust.
################
www.myglutenfreestore.com  carries gf communion wafers.
#################
I've bought some rice  crackers (sorta like wheat thins) that they break and 
put inside a 
cupcake  cup in the basket with the wheat bread.
###################
We just bring a piece of  GF bread with us and they set it aside from the 
rest -- like in a little baggie,  or you can put it in one of the 
Sacrament/Communion cups, or whatever your  church has to facilitate taking the 
Communion/Sacrament with, and bless it with  the rest, but they bring it to me... They know 
who it belongs to and there is no  problem..
###################
At our church, they  ordered gluten-free communion wafers. I think the brand 
is NOW (orange label).  They 
keep the wafers in the freezer and on communion Sunday my son goes to  
freezer and gets one. The church has a little covered silver container that  
we put the wafer in. When the pastor sees us come to the railing for  
communion, he simply gets the wafer for my son.
###################
The pastor  holds the GF plate while the elders pass the regular plates; it 
is announced,  and folks who need GF come forward to take it from the plate.  
It's a  presbyterian church, we don't usually come forward.  The GF "bread" is 
a  rice cracker, I think Edward and  Sons




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