The Communion Table at Broad Street

The Communion Table at Broad Street has a new life, crafted by Phil Johnson, with elements from the original table.

Several years ago the church made the decision to take out carpeting and put hardwood floors in the chancel of the sanctuary.

This change necessitated another change: the communion table that graced the sanctuary for decades was too heavy for the new floors.

Enter Broad Streeter Phil Johnson. Phil is the current chair of the Building and Grounds Committee and an accomplished woodworker.

He created the beautiful pulpit and communion table that is used in the early service. Phil was asked to create a new communion table for the sanctuary. Phil had the wonderful idea to incorporate elements of the old table into the new one. Like many in the congregation, Phil felt an attachment to it, and the memories of life events that happened around it.

In Phil’s words:

“I was able to salvage the top, the column/arches and a few other pieces. I thought the hard maple (the lighter wood in the new table) would be a nice contrast to the darker parts from the old table. It ties in a bit with the new floor, and also let’s the table stand apart from all the other dark wood up there. There was some very nice detail on the old table, but frankly it was a bit lost on that huge old table and its monochromatic brown stain. I think it’s nice that the table continues to share the columns and arches, consistent with the theme of the sanctuary.”

But more than a piece of furniture, this table is holy ground. At it, generations of Broad Streeters have gathered to eat and drink the bread and cup, remembering Christ’s welcome and presence with us. This new table carries the memory of those past generations in its salvaged wood, even as it opens space for future generations to gather.

Each time we receive communion, we proclaim that this is a welcome space, a family table, where all belong. It is one of the most important things we do as a church: to eat, drink, and remember together. Phil’s creative and skillful work ensures that the visible reminder of God’s feast will stand at the heart of our worship, past, present, and future.