Advice from C of E members about whether I can take the C of E Eucharist, please

[AssignedSlytherinAtBirth]

If you are C of E, is it OK/acceptable to you that someone who used to attend a Welsh Chapel-type assembly but now wants to attend a C of E church is allowed to take the bread and wine? The issue is that I was not baptised as a baby and later confirmed, but rather was baptised (in a pool) as an adult, by the Chapel, not in order to become a member of that particular church, but just as a Christian believer. The C of E people have been incredibly welcoming and friendly but the woman I sat next to today suggested I shouldn't take the Eucharist, and after being told by someone else I could, I feel incredibly hurt, and afraid I might've offended. I really don't know much about C of E rules or conventions.

Thank you, Flowers. I will double check with the lady who invited me and speak to the vicar if necessary.

This. The Church of England is an Open Communion. Unless OP's original Church are 'christian' but not actually Christian (e.g. Unitarian, JW, 7th DA, some Pentecostal and Quaker groups, Mormon,) then she is fine to take it.

The busy bodies are just talking nonsense.

Exactly the same here. I had a believers baptism (in a baptistry pool) at the age of 17 in a non-conformist church, where I was bought up. I am neither baptised nor confirmed into the C of E. I am not only a communicant member of the C of E, but I am also elected to my church's PCC! There is one Lord, one faith and one baptism (assuming trinitarian baptism). By one spirit we are all baptised into one body!

I was trying, but seemed to have failed, to quote @Imperfect10 in my post above!

People like the woman you sat next to are the reason I rarely go to church.

I was never baptised as a child and had never seen communion when I went to a christening that was part of the Sunday service as a teenager.

I just followed what everyone else did and ended up taking the bread and wine.

I was mortified afterwards but I genuinely had no clue!

Now I am a practising Christian and have been baptised as an adult I figure that God wouldn't have minded me taking communion by accident! I'm sure He would be happier that I continued my journey to becoming a Christian!

OP - the standard answer on religious forums about important procedure is talk to (or email) your priest/vicar, rather than field the opinions of randoms on the internet.

When I started getting back into christianity again, I started going to my local CofE church. I think I could have taken the eucharist, as I was baptised anglican as a baby, but I wasn't sure, and in any case I didn't feel "ready", so instead I would ask for a blessing from the vicar. Since then I've decided to become orthodox, and it's quite right I can't take the eucharist yet until I'm baptised/chrismated fully into the church, as I'm nowhere near spiritually prepared for it. It's a deeply meaningful sacrament, not just a sociable sharing of food. In the orthodox church they put out the blessed (but not consecrated) bread ... antidoron... for everyone to take a piece at the end of the service in fellowship. And lovely coffee and cakes to chat over afterwards in coffee hour 😋

I go up but keep my hands behind my back so that I receive a blessing instead.

Thank you, @BlackLambAndGreyFalcon . That's very good to hear!

The thing about the woman who sat next to me is that I think she was trying to understand how someone who hadn't (to her mind) "followed the rules" could go up and receive the communion, and had come to the conclusion that they shouldn't.

And DogandMog, I am well aware that it is a deep and meaningful sacrament, thanks. This is why I was so worried about having done something that I shouldn't have. In my childhood church, adults were not allowed to take it until they had been baptised into that church, even if they'd been baptised elsewhere. So the whole thing about access to the Lord's table should be free to all who believe, etc. is great in theory, but in practice, people have created their own rules and barriers.

The woman you sat next to was not very welcoming or Christian.

So as before,
yes you can take communion as you are baptised into a church in communion with the C of E, a believer and want to and have not been excommunicated.

as per b ,

people like rules, and exclusivity!
the person whom you sat next to was not very welcoming...but likely just mistaken and confused.
Communion is indeed special!

I was taught to hold one hand over chest to receive blessing rather than communion in Catholic Churches.
As an Orthodox Christian I would receive communion in a CofE church, mindful of the fact that it's likely the majority of the congregation hadn't fasted before hand.
My question is (too all reading) how many of you fast before the Eucharist? (I'm not judging AT ALL as believe inner faith supersedes traditions)

My DH was baptised and confirmed a Roman Catholic. Our vicar, knowing this, is quite happy for him to receive communion in our C of E church.

Always go to the bible. Jesus said do it. So crack on

@OhWifey Good point!

I'm interested to know how this came about (fasting before Eucharist). What is it based on?

Methodist Church all who love the lord are welcome at the lords table don’t have to be baptised or confirmed. You can just have a blessing if you prefer

@Vincitveritas I am not completely sure of the history of this and would also love to know but I would think it has to do with having a mindset focused on the service

@MeLeeSah Thanks, that makes sense, I'd never heard of the practice before.

Agreed :)

Being a somewhat less spiritual person, I'd put it more in terms of;

You know when you're really hungry, tired and thirsty, the first thing you put in your mouth seems absolutely remarkable, the moment is intensified by not dulling your palate with things beforehand and the act of waiting for the moment you can have that taste makes it all the more special? That.

I'm Baptist by upbringing, baptised full immersion at 18 and now attend a CofE church and take communion. It's fine. The invitation at our church is for anyone to come and partake. I"m also on the PCC here and not (yet) confirmed. No one's ever said I oughtn't take communion.

I do fast - by which I mean not eating breakfast before church - on a Sunday, but that's mostly because I'm a tardy riser and don't have time!
I sort of got into the habit of it, and now quite like communion to be the first thing I 'eat' on a Sunday. It does make a difference somehow, even though I don't tend to view the elements as anything more than symbolic.
That said, I do have a cup of tea before church, so it's not quite a fast...

As a vicar I would say under Canon Law (as quoted above) assuming you had been taking communion in your own church then you are perfectly welcome to receive communion within the Anglican Church, and in 'my' church I would encourage you to do wo.
If at some point you made the decision that you were definitely going to stay in the Anglican church rather than returning to chapel I would encourage you to be formally received by the bishop in a confirmation service, but not doing so would not be prohibitive to you taking communion.
Slight disclaimer - I am in the church in Wales where we now let anyone take communion if they have been baptised and confirmation is no longer required. So I am replying on my understanding from before our canon law changed a few years ago when it was presumably the same as the CofEs.

No it's not!

@MeLeeSah the rule in the RC church is to fast for one hour before communion. So I do try to observe that. But to be honest, I don't really see the point of it.