We are Each Other’s Bread and Wine
no. 13
by Melody Pannell
Director of Diversity and Community Engagement
at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia
Mennonite Mission Network invited Melody Pannell to share a reflection on World Communion Sunday, Oct. 3. She dovetails her thoughts with 1 Corinthians 11:17-22 (NRSV). Mennonite Mission Network published the reflection on October 27, 2021 and has given permission to Bridgefolk to include it in this series on Eucharist and Peacemaking, We are Each Other’s Bread and Wine.
1 Corinthians 11:17-22 (NRSV)
As a child growing up at Seventh Avenue Mennonite Church in Harlem, New York City, New York, one of my favorite songs to sing together as a congregation was “We Are One in the Spirit.” This song was not in our traditional Mennonite hymnal book. It was considered a contemporary hymn and was written in the 1960’s by Peter Raymond Scholtes (1938-2009). He was a parish priest and choir director, who created the song for an ecumenical event.
Experiencing many different cultures and aspects of social identities within my church and community, I developed a deep appreciation for the lyrics of this unifying song.
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord;
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord;
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored. …
To continue reading click here.