14th Street Christian Reformed Church, Holland, MI
Letter to the Congregation

June 10, 2010

To: 14th St Congregation
From: Elders
Re: Baptized Members at the Lord’s Supper

Last January the Elders of 14th St unanimously voted to open the Lord’s Table to all who have been baptized. In February the full council also voted to do this. We announced our decision to the congregation at that time. We also decided that we wanted to notify Classis Holland of our decision before implementation. The classical church visitors called on us in a special meeting, interviewed us and wrote a report to Classis Holland. In May we brought our decision to Classis Holland for information. Classis had small group discussions about it but made no formal decision about how to respond as a body.

Now we are ready to move forward. Starting on September 12, 2010, anyone who has been baptized will be welcome to the table of the Lord. We want to continue to deepen our understanding of what it means to celebrate this sacrament together. We will still encourage our young people to make professions of faith, but profession of faith is not a prerequisite to coming to the table. All who have been baptized are welcome.

Parents of small children might wonder about how young is too young to come to the table. We sincerely believe that the feast is meant for all of us and we encourage parents to bring their children whenever they are ready. The Pastor, Children’s Ministry Directors and the Elders are happy to talk with anyone about this. We are excited to gather together at the table and to obey our Lord’s command to remember Him.