Matthew 26:26-28
"Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread and, praising God, gave thanks and asked Him to bless it to their use, and when He had broken it, He gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat; this is My body. And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you; For this is My blood of the new covenant, which ratifies the agreement and is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins
- - -COMMENT- - -
I want to tell you a little of what I heard and learned and experienced about the bread and wine over the past years in the workers Two-by-Two Go-To-Meeting-System.
My Mom and Dad started going to convention in 1922 and Mom told us that in those years, they would pass the bread and wine around on Sunday as there were not many people in the machine shed, but as the membership grew in the coming years, the workers said they were going to quit that practice as it was too time-consuming.
My mother-in-law told me that during the '30's, there was a meeting place just down the road a few miles from them where the people in that meeting had problems among themselves and during testimony, they would dish out advice to one another and the animosity became so bad among them, that the head worker told them that they could not have any bread and wine for a whole year and after that period of time, he would see if their feelings for one another had improved.
Now, if I have this correct, the bread and wine is not a salvation thing or used as a punishment thing, as Jesus said it was a remembrance thing, and as often as you are met together, you will partake of this that represents 'HIS” body and blood as that helps us not to forget “HIM.”
That head worker, “Nichol Jardine 
,” who was sent out by William Irvine , took the bread and wine away from them, well..................that just made another problem for them as they could meet together for a whole year for worship and praise to God, but could have no remembrance of Jesus.
Leave it up to some workers and they can really screw things up.
Have any of you heard that when a meeting is put in the home, they can't have bread and wine until the home has been consecrated?
I have also heard that two workers living in a batch far from the friends and they have their own meeting on Sunday morning in the batch but they can't have bread and wine, as their batch has not been consecrated, so they can eat bread and drink grape juice all week, but not Sunday morning in their meeting.
I know of one home that on Sunday morning, they discovered they had no wine in the house and the store was miles away, so they quickly made prune juice.
Now, I had meeting at my house about twenty years, and after some years had gone by, I asked Charles Steffen , “our head worker,” if there is a wrong way to dispose of the bread and wine that's left after meeting. We don't worship the bread and wine, he said, and there is no wrong way or no right way to do with what is left. What is left, you can do with it whatever you want to, as it has no meaning whatsoever, as the part that had meaning, the members ate.
“What do you do with it,?” he asked me.
I said, “I throw it outside for the birds as they need something to eat, too.”
“That's fine,” he said.
When meeting was over, I would take what was left out to the kitchen and then go back and shake hands and chat a little. But one meeting place I was at, the elder would build a fire in the fireplace and all the members would stand around quietly and watch the bread be consumed by the fire. I'm sure they are still doing the same today and that's okay as there is no right way or no wrong way as Charles said.
All for now,
Thomas Schroeder
Two-by-Two List – March 9, 2001
In an article here on VOT called, The "truth" Came into Our Family in 1917 , scroll down to read this:
There came a day when we decided to disobey the head worker’s ruling and attend all Special Meetings, Gospel meetings and Conventions. Well, the walls did not fall down although there were mixed feelings amongst the friends" about our presence, most welcomed us back. We continued like this for about 3 years then about two years ago, the senior worker in our area of his own visited us in our home and gave us permission to attend all the fellowship meetings. HOWEVER - we were not to take part in the meeting or partake of the bread and wine, as this would have to be sorted out later.
Our waiting for this to be sorted out dragged on for nearly 18 months and several attempts to discuss it or resolve the situation were thwarted.
In 1951, Jack Carroll said in a sermon on "Regular Gatherings :"
Breaking of bread.
It would be a helpful study to read the 12th chapter of Exodus, Luke 22 and other portions of scripture concerning the "Breaking of Bread", and have this fact firmly established in our minds, that there is this close connection between the first Passover Feast and the first N.T. breaking of bread.
Some years ago, in the city of Vancouver, the Church of England put on a Palestine Exhibition to raise money for their missionaries. It was very interesting and in some ways, very instructive. I attended a lecture on the Passover and listened to the speaker explain very clearly and scripturally how the Passover feast was established and what it signified. After the lecture, he asked some to come forward and ask any questions in connection with the Passover Feast.
I asked if the Passover Feast was established in the homes of the Children of Israel and never celebrated anywhere else?
He replied "That is true, and even to this day the Jews keep the Passover Feast, not in their temples nor in their synagogues but in their homes,"
I asked him then, "What is the connection between the O.T. Passover and the N.T. Breaking of Bread? "The N.T.
Breaking of Bread is the perpetuation of the O.T. Passover Feast."
He said "In a private home in Jerusalem, later they "Broke Bread from house to house."
When did they cease to Break Bread from house to house?" I asked.
"I cannot tell you, neither can I justify the church in taking the communion service out of the homes of the people of God and placing it in the hands of the priest in a public building."
I then asked, "Would it not be a good thing to take the Breaking of Bread to the place where Jesus established it?"
He replied, "It would be revolutionary, it would turn the world upside down!" and hurried away.
To take the Breaking of Bread out of the hands of the hireling preacher, priest, or parson, out of the church building into the homes of the people of God, and place the responsibility of providing and distributing the emblem in the hands of common ordinary working men would revolutionize Christendom. There are those who don't value the privilege of meeting together on the first day of the week to Break Bread in a home consecrated to God.
The reason is they don' t clearly understand its meaning and significance. When you leave your home on the Lord's day to go to the home of another to keep the Feast, this memorial, you are not only obeying the scriptures, but you are registering a protest against every false system of religion that has blinded the eyes of men and women through all the ages to the glorious Gospel of Christ.
All should make themselves acquainted with the scriptures that refer to the Church in the home, and only in the home. One of our brothers expressed his disappointment that so many of God's people were unable to give a simple, clear reason of the hope that is in them. When a stranger asks questions, he is not able to give an answer that satisfies the minds and hearts of those who may be seeking for the Truth.
Read over Ex. 12, and notice the different statements that are made about the Passover Feast, and try to establish in your mind a parallel between what you read in this chapter, and so many chapters in the N.T. about the Breaking of Bread.
From the "Workers, Friends ,Conventions and Meetings in the Home " website:
WHAT TO EXPECT AT A SUNDAY MORNING MEETING IN A HOME: Everyone will quietly gather in the meeting room between 9:30 and 10:00. The crowd is quietly reading their bibles getting ready for the meeting. If a worker is present he or she will lead the meeting.If a worker is absent, an elder or appointed member of the meeting will lead the meeting. The owner of the home may be the elder/meeting leader if he has been professing for a long time. At 10:00 the silence is interrupted by a worker or elder saying something like "Does anyone have a hymn to start the meeting?" Or the elder or worker will give out a hymn number. A song leader or the elder will begin the singing. No instrumentation will occur during the singing. One or two hymns will be sung before prayer time. All professing people will pray and then the elder or worker will pray last. Then the elder or congregation member(friends) will give out another number. Then it is testimony time. All of the professing people will testify. Many friends feel that taking part is mandatory for those professing. (One can only pray and testify ONCE in meeting and interrupting or talking out of turn during meetings is strongly prohibited).
Testimonies focus on scripture, personal struggles and thankfulness for finding truth. Elder or worker usually testifies last.
- Then the emblems (bread and wine) will be taken by the friends. Forms varies somewhat. A worker may ask for someone to give out part of a hymn and then ask for someone to return thanks for the bread. The bread is passed around and then someone is asked to return thanks(pray) for the wine/grape juice. The cup is passed around the crowd. Then the last hymn is sung. The elder will pass around the bread and wine even if a worker leads the meeting. Only baptised members partake of the wine. A hymn may be sung to end the meeting. Or a part of a hymn will be sung before someone returns thanks for the bread.
Some places have a union meeting which is just a large meeting the first Sunday of every month. Members from 2 or 3 different meetings will meet at this meeting. Otherwise this meeting follows the same routine as the Sunday morning meeting. Workers like to see the friends attending all of the meetings including the gospel meetings geared for outsiders.
Attire:Workers often expect professing men to wear ties to the Sunday morning meeting though some professing men dress more causually for the Wednesday night and gospel meeting.Women are expected to wear dresses with sleeves, stockings and hair up on their head in a bun.
From "The Church With No Name ," - Religious Tolerance
One source describes a typical house church meeting on Sunday morning:
- The service is led by the "presiding member," the man of the house where the meeting is held. He sits facing the congregation and asks for suggestions for a hymn
- The hymn is sung, without accompaniment
- Individual members deliver extemporaneous prayers; "none...refer to personal problems, material needs or current events."
- Attendees of all ages describe the meanings derived from their private Bible study, and its effect on their lives. The presiding member gives his testimony last.
- Another hymn is sung.
- They engage in the ritual of the Lord's Supper in which bread is broken and passed among the congregation. Grape juice is shared from a common cup.
- The leader says a closing prayer.
- The meeting ends. No program was distributed; no sermon given; no collection taken; no announcements were made.
