Going to Sunday service in a mid-century Protestant congregation likely lingers in your mind. Perhaps because of the small box of wood that was attached to the back of the pew. It did not have a lid. There were holes evenly spaced across the top, and the compartment beneath those holes held cups, and the side offered space for a small pencil. These tiny details, like the use of wooden communion cup holders, were part of the rhythm of Sunday worship every week.
The cups used for Communion (communion cups, or Eucharistic cups) were wooden cups used as communicable objects. The wooden communion cup holders became part of your rhythm of church life.
Before churches replaced glass communion cups with plastic disposable cups for communion, many churches had glass reusable communion cups. They would fill these smiling cup glass cups filled with wine or juice and pass them down the pews, often seating them in wooden communion cup holders.
After drinking, you would place the cup back in one of the holes. The holes held the glass shaped base, although it could not be completely secure, it often stood upright to avoid spilling.