[I hope I've got the Italian right for "The church of Jesus' love"]

I have a dream for a church today.

I dream of a church that is a friendly church, where people want to be.
Where they know they are loved and know someone will pray for them.

I dream of a church that is a relevant church, where the Bible truths
are applied to the lives and problems of everyday people.

I dream of a church that is an asset to its community, where if it was
in danger the whole community would rally around it as a valuable asset.

I dream of a church where tolerance and affirmation of diverse views,
cultural and worship styles is a reality.

I dream of a church where the different groups can communicate to each other.
where unity flows from understanding and a common consensus on our goals.

I dream of a church where information is viewed as our friend rather than
our enemy, and information gatekeepers become redundant as the general
public can become well-informed, thereby giving better input.

I dream of a church where the stigma of not being "right" is replaced
by loving concern to help people progress in their lives as the Holy Spirit
moves them.

I dream of a church where kids are encouraged to express themselves creatively
for God, not pressed to conform into the cookie-cutter mode.

SDAnet is, in some sense, a prototype of the church invisible, the church
without walls. If walls in the mind could be removed as easily as
walls of brick and stone, then maybe it could really be a church without walls.
But until then, I encourage you to dream with me. After all, the last two
times I made a post to the net saying the type of church that I'd like to see,
I got exactly what I asked for. Maybe it will work for us again. Thank
you all for sharing six years of dreams. Extra-special thanks to
John Fegan who was one of the four charter members and has seen all six
years of it. Dave Plaisted, who posts the proverb of the day, was also a
charter member. Dan Bidwell, along with a couple other Andrews faculty
joined soon after, and has served as the chair of the board ever since
we've had a board, and also as the systems manager for our node.
We have generated approximately 67 megabytes of posts during that time,
and are having a record-breaking month this month. Thanks for all your
support and patience.

Steve Timm