"Without the sharing, it’s just a guy reverently munching a snack."

Special dispensation - for anyone who wants to fly to the moon:

• If you want to pour juice in a cup and eat a cracker
• You can call it anything you want (for the amount of funds invested and risk)
• And I am OK with that

According to a 20 July 1969 Associated Press dispatch:

“Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. went to the moon today with a piece of Communion bread he will use there to symbolize fellowship with his home church on earth.

When the Rev. M. Dean Woodruff [minister of the Webster Presbyterian church where Aldrin was an elder] brought out the bread for Communion, a portion of the loaf had been broken away. The minister explained that Aldrin took a portion of the loaf with him on the moon trip and at some time during the afternoon, after the moon landing is made, Aldrin would symbolically join the other parishioners in Communion during one of his rest periods.”

While he was, strictly speaking, not together with the other members of his church, they were together in spirit. So in that sense, at least, he wasn’t really trying to have communion without sharing.

In addition Clint’s article at Cripplegate, here’s a little blurb from a Texas news source about the recent anniversary of the event. Apparently his (old?) home church still thinks it’s a big deal. They celebrate it every year.

http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bayarea/news/article/Webster-Presbyte…

What about shut-ins and the hospitalized, etc.? Seems to me that being in the same place at the same time with the congregation is really important but not indispensable. You can “share” in what your church did somewhere else a few hours ago or last week. But I do think consciousness of the importance of fellowship is not optional.