I Have a Dream for the Northwest Yearly Meeting

Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the Spirit of God.

I have a dream that one day soon our Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends will rise up and live out the gospel (good news) without shame, fear, or hesitation.

I have a dream that one day people who we have offended, and those who have offended us will be able to sit down together at the table of reconciliation set by our Lord.

I have a dream that one day the Pacific Northwest and our local meetings will be a place known for freedom (freedom from sin and freedom from oppression) and a place of justice for ALL people – no matter their race, culture, gender, life circumstance, status, or capacity to understand and comprehend God’s mysteries.

I have a dream that our children and youth will not be judged on external factors like appearance, special needs, skills, or abilities, and instead be judged by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day as I look out over our Yearly Meeting gathered I will be able to see women and men, young and old, ALL ministers; each and every one a worshiper of God involved in the work of the ministry, not out of guilt but out of a deep love for our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I have a dream of a Yearly Meeting that is passionate about sharing their faith in Christ with those hopeless and broken in our neighborhoods and communities here and abroad. A dream that we would not be fearful, but compassionate, articulate, giving, and loving as we live out the good news through service to our neighbors.

I have a dream that we would, each one of us, take seriously our obligation to study God’s Word and other great resources that support His Word, so that we may be able to love God and love our neighbors to the fullest extent.

I have a dream that this Yearly Meeting would rise up above its struggles and divisions to become a shining light to the Pacific Northwest and to the world. Not for the recognition by the community, nor for the praise of other Christians, nor for the glory of our Yearly Meeting, but for the glory of God and God alone!

And on our way to that day, we will be able to join hands and sing the words of the worship anthem:   

"There is no one like our God. Greater things have yet to come and greater things 
are still to be done in this [Yearly Meeting], greater things have yet to come, 
and greater things are still to be done here.”

______________________

This is an adapted version of the "dream" I shared at the end of the 2014 gathering of the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends at George Fox University.  Its lyrics and phraseology resemble the great Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a Dream" speech with my own thoughts and words creating a new theme. Several people from the NWYM have asked for this adaptation to share and use with their own local meetings.