The informed consumer understands that in order to purchase wisely, you have to know what you need. Sounds simple; when we go out to purchase a car, we know how many people we want it to seat and how many miles we drive per year. We know to check consumer reports to see what others have said about certain cars or for problems with particular models. The same is true for purchases with which we are less familiar.
Communion supplies as a purchasing category is so full of options; it can be hard to determine which best fits your needs. You may end up asking yourself some questions to which you have no answers. What do I want, a portable communion replacement bottle made of plastic or metal? Is the communion wafer and juice all in one going to be more efficient in my church or more likely to spill?
A Little Self-Evaluation Goes A Long Way
Your very first step in deciding what to purchase is looking at your basic needs. Think about how many you intend to serve and in what environment. This will determine if you need a home kit or trays, something large and simple to pass across rows, or a communion wafer and juice all in one for a few people sitting on the floor in a home group. Next, choose the contents, wine or juice, wafer or cracker. This will help you determine the containers you need and if you will have to buy them separately to get what you want.
The Members Have A Vote Lastly, if you require a communion kit that's portable, you need to ask yourself where you intend to take it. The requirements for a hospital visit are very different than needing it to go in your luggage. Once you get these main pieces of information settled, you can begin making smaller decisions, such as material, look, inserts, and maintenance.
As we researched the options, our team found a few key issues to consider before we made a purchase. Some communion wafer and juice all in one items stick when you peel them back, making spills more likely than open cups in trays; that might mean these would make a better choice for a small group or personal use. For a travel kit, portable communion replacement bottles need to have seals to keep them from leaking if they are transported in luggage. Lastly, if you are going to choose wine, do not get a plastic container for it. It changes the taste and wine doesn't keep well in plastic.
Communion supplies as a purchasing category is so full of options; it can be hard to determine which best fits your needs. You may end up asking yourself some questions to which you have no answers. What do I want, a portable communion replacement bottle made of plastic or metal? Is the communion wafer and juice all in one going to be more efficient in my church or more likely to spill?
A Little Self-Evaluation Goes A Long Way
Your very first step in deciding what to purchase is looking at your basic needs. Think about how many you intend to serve and in what environment. This will determine if you need a home kit or trays, something large and simple to pass across rows, or a communion wafer and juice all in one for a few people sitting on the floor in a home group. Next, choose the contents, wine or juice, wafer or cracker. This will help you determine the containers you need and if you will have to buy them separately to get what you want.
The Members Have A Vote Lastly, if you require a communion kit that's portable, you need to ask yourself where you intend to take it. The requirements for a hospital visit are very different than needing it to go in your luggage. Once you get these main pieces of information settled, you can begin making smaller decisions, such as material, look, inserts, and maintenance.
As we researched the options, our team found a few key issues to consider before we made a purchase. Some communion wafer and juice all in one items stick when you peel them back, making spills more likely than open cups in trays; that might mean these would make a better choice for a small group or personal use. For a travel kit, portable communion replacement bottles need to have seals to keep them from leaking if they are transported in luggage. Lastly, if you are going to choose wine, do not get a plastic container for it. It changes the taste and wine doesn't keep well in plastic.
About the Author:
If you are the church buyer, here's a little help. Short list: Be careful what you buy, where you buy, and when you buy. There is Christian junk; sadly there are unscrupulous "Christians"; and even though online Christian bookstores sell books about miracles, they don't perform them. If you order this Sunday's baptismal gowns on Thursday, I hope you can sew. That's my opinion, and I'm usually right. Blessings.