World Communion Sunday is a celebration observed by many Christian denominations taking place on the first Sunday of every October, which promotes Christian unity and ecumenical cooperation. It focuses on an observance of Holy Communion and World Peace. The First Presbyterian Church of Cazenovia will hold such a celebration at its 10:00 am Sunday morning service Oct. 1. The Re. Dr. Thomas Oak will lead the service with Vince Guarneiri, organist and the Senior Choir adding inspirational music.
The tradition was begun in 1934 by Rev. Dr. Hugh Thomson Kerr, a Presbyterian minister, who first
conceived the notion of World Communion Sunday during his year as moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbytery (1930). It was Rev. Kerr’s attempt to bring churches together in a service of Christian unity—in which everyone might receive inspiration and information, and above all, to know how important the Church of Jesus Christ is, and how each congregation is interconnected one with another.
It was then adopted throughout the Presbyterian Church US in 1936, and subsequently spread to other denominations. In 1940, the Federal Council of Churches (now the National Council of Churches), endorsed World Communion Sunday and began to promote it to Christian churches worldwide.
“The concept spread very slowly at the start,” said Rev Dr. Donald Kerr, son of the founder. “People did not give it a whole lot of thought. It was during the Second World War that the spirit caught hold, because we were trying to hold the world together. World Wide Communion symbolized the effort to hold things together, in a spiritual sense. It emphasized that we are one in the Spirit and the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.”
Today, World Communion Sunday is celebrated around the world, demonstrating that the church
founded on Jesus Christ peacefully shares God-given goods in a world increasingly destabilized by
globalization and global market economies based not based on the love and care of humankind.
Join us for a special celebration of World Communion Sunday, Oct. 1.
If you are looking for an open and friendly place to celebrate Sunday morning worship, join us at the Cazenovia Presbyterian Church. Child Care and Sunday School are available during the service. For more information, call 315.655.3191 or visit cazpres.org.