Like Martin Luther King, I, too, have a dream.

My dream is about "church." Not just my church. Every church.I have a dream that church simply won't be a building with a collection of people sitting next to each other for a service.In my dream, church is a place where there are no strangers. People will want to know each other.I have a dream that in every church, people will greet each other with more than smiles. Genuine caring will be there along with that smile.I have a dream that people who attend church will realize they are not empty vessels, sitting in pews, waiting for the pastor to fill them up.They will not depend on the pastor's sermon to make them feel good.I have a dream that people will realize they ARE the church.I have a dream that "church" won't be something we attend once a week. It will be something we carry around with us.I have a dream that our "church" will be apparent when we shop, when we play and when we work. We won't leave it behind when we walk out of the church door each week.I have a dream the phrase "church community" will mean something special. In my dream, when people hear those words, they immediately think of a warm, secure blanket.The good news is my dream has a chance of becoming reality.Our pastor often asks us to turn to one another and introduce ourselves. He noted that years ago there was no need for that because everyone knew each other. Those who built our churches were involved in each other's lives. Churches were true "communities."Two things happened to change that. We've become a mobile society where each community has many "transplants." Plus, in our quest for privacy, we've become more isolated. Many of us don't know our own neighbors, let alone those in church.One week, when our pastor encouraged us to get to know each other, I looked around the church and gave myself a challenge. The challenge was to name 10 people I knew well. I could only get to six.Part of that is my fault. Part of it isn't.Part of the fault lies in tradition.For decades, the tradition in my church has been to respond to the ringing of the bells Sunday morning, to sit in the pews for the service then to rush home afterward.Happily, our church pastor is working hard to change that, and groups within the church are doing a better job of reaching out to those in need.I've been writing articles for the faith page for a few decades. That means I get in churches of many denominations.Sometimes I find a church congregation that is especially warm and welcoming. It's no surprise that these churches are the ones gaining membership. When people feel at home, they tend to stay.There are other times when pastors tell me their church members are especially welcoming to newcomers. Sadly, I often find that's not true.When a friend of mine was looking for a church, I told her about one that claimed to embrace newcomers and quickly get them involved in the church. She went to a few services and church events but left when she didn't find anyone who befriended her.Fortunately, more church pastors are finally getting the message across that "church" means more than a Sunday worship service.That makes me believe part of my dream is on the horizon, about to become a reality.In some churches, there is a strong sense of community. People care about each other and respond to each other's needs. Some send vans to pick up elderly people who don't drive.I admire churches where members are expected to do more than show up on Sunday. They are expected to give of their time and talent in helping others. And they do.But it doesn't always work that way. I will always remember being in the office during a winter snowstorm and receiving a plea for help from an elderly woman. She asked if I knew any agency or good Samaritan who would be willing to pick up her medicine at the local pharmacy. Her family had moved away, she said, and she had no one to help her."I belong to a church," she said. "I even sing in the choir. But when Sunday is over, no one knows that I exist, not even the pastor."In another case, a widow who can no longer drive said she has to pay someone to pick up a few groceries at the supermarket. She can't even get to church, she said, because there is no one to drive her.I have a dream that situations like that will disappear.I have a dream we will all stop our busy lives long enough to look around to see who needs help.I have a dream that "church" will take on a new meaning.And I have the faith to believe those dreams will come true.