<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hi there!

Several people asked for a copy of my article that appeared in the
October issue of Canada Lutheran about gluten-free communion.  You are
welcome to reprint it, but they ask that you include a byline that it
was first published in October in Canada Lutheran and that the author's
name appears as Rebecca Goyan so they can identify it if they see it.

The particular brand of brown rice crackers I use are the Hol-Grain
variety.  The celiacs in my church community jokingly refer to the gf
free bread as the "everything free, including taste" bread.

Becky
Calgary, Alberta

When the Staff of Life is Toxic

    "The body of Christ, given for you," intones the pastor, as he tries
to hand me a piece of bread.  "Thanks, I'm allergic," is my reply.

    The pastor stops, momentarily stunned.  He manages to mumble out a
blessing and goes on to the next person.  It's my fault, really.  I
didn't get to church early enough to flag down the visiting pastor and
inform him of my communion habits.

    I am one of a growing number of people who cannot eat gluten.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, oats, barley, and related
grains.  It also hides in additives such as modified food starch,
hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and food colourings.  Reactions to gluten
vary from mild indigestion to anaphylactic shock.  I am so sensitive
that even a minute amount makes me violently ill.

    I am not alone.  There are various reasons why someone would want to
follow a gluten-free diet.  People with celiac disease avoid gluten to
prevent intestinal damage.  There are people with gluten or wheat
allergies or intolerances.  People with conditions such as multiple
sclerosis or autism sometimes find that a gluten-free diet improves
their quality of life.  Whatever the reason, adhering to a gluten-free
diet presents some challenges for receiving communion.  I can't eat the
communion bread.  Because I cannot consume even a trace amount, I am
also unable to drink from the common cup.

    Depending on the community I am in, I either commune first, or I use
individual cups.  I carry a communion kit in my car - wrapped brown rice
crackers that can be used by any church I visit.  They must be wrapped
to avoid contamination.

    In the bulletin at my home congregation, we announce that brown rice
bread is available.  Brown rice crackers are kept in a container on the
altar so that more people from our community can fully participate in
communion.  The participants select their own piece to avoid
contamination.

    I will follow this diet for the rest of my life.  It's not the
easiest path to take, but the support of my family, friends, and church
community makes this path easier to tread.

Rebecca Goyan, a member of Faith Lutheran and organist at Shepherd of
the Hills Lutheran, Calgary, Alberta