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There has been a major shift regarding who can now participate in a centuries-old Anglican ritual—that of communion, symbolic of the body and blood of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for the remission of sin. Today, Anglican Bishop of Barbados, Michael Maxwell, confirmed that from December 3rd, Anglicans once baptized as children will no longer have to be confirmed in order to take communion.
In light of this early practice, that no doubt included children to share in the breaking of bread as disciples of Christ, it is our belief as [The?] House of Bishops and agreed to by the Provincial Synod held in 2019, that the Holy Spirit is calling the church at this time to renew this important theological understanding of baptism and return this sacrament to its prominence. This will enable all the baptized to truly know or become more aware of the fact that from the day of our baptism, our Lord Jesus Christ called us to be fully his own, members of his family—regardless of our age.
Bishop Maxwell says that this came through solid theological research which allowed the shift to happen.
For in the same way that we believe Jesus called these little ones at their baptism to come unto him and not to forbid them for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs, they too should be welcome at the Lord’s table to receive from him his body and his blood in holy communion. I want to express my thanks to those, particularly, to former Archbishops, Drexel Gomez and John Holder, and our present Archbishop, Howard Gregory, who have been instrumental in doing the necessary research and setting these things in motion for us to return to this early and communal practice of the church.
Text Referenced:
Acts 2:38-39, 41-42
Acts 16:14-15, 29-33
Mark 10:13-14