ROYAL PRIESTHOOD OPEN CHURCH SEMINAR DREAM

9.25.2023. I awoke from this dream at about 7. A. M.

Note: Jon Zens, although a very humble minister, is known around the world for his contributions to House Church and Open Church ministry.   https://www.searchingtogether.org/aboutus.html

Dotty has a wonderful ministry to orphans, strippers and prostitutes.  Many Christians will overlook, at least numbers two and three and avoid involvement at all costs. Others, for reasons of prudence and to avoid impropriety, are not in positions to become more involved than perhaps to pray. Dotty and her team have seen miracles working with strippers and prostitutes, and recently, with the help of her husband Jon, she wrote a testimonial book on her ministry.  If you would like more information on Dotty’s book, please contact them through the link above which will take you to the Searching Together website.

Here is the letter I sent to Jon and Dotty, about the dream approximately ninety minutes after I had word processed it:

Hope you are doing well. I just woke up from a dream (about 8:30 AM). Jon was in it and Dotty was mentioned.

The dream started with Jon meeting me at a parking lot along a freeway near Taylor’s Falls or Balsam Lake.  He picked me up and were going to go to a special meeting in the cities.   When I entered the passenger seat of Jon’s car he greeted me, then informed me about a change of plans.

Jon said “Wayne, Dotty sends her greetings.  She was going to come, but an incident came up where she had to help one of the prostitutes she ministers to and went there instead.   The three ladies from the BLANK home fellowship are still planning on meeting us at the seminar.  I don’t know what to expect. I was given a special invitation, literally begging me to come, but they did not offer to let me speak.  They only said that they had a new style of open church, and they wanted me to be a “silent qualified observer.”

Scene fade. Jon and I arrived as the main room in an old traditional church was having its last pew removed. We stepped into the sanctuary and walked across the red and black speckled carpet to the center of the room.  It was empty except for a giant cross on the wall and 1^st Peter 2:9 written in large flowing navy-blue script.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

1 Peter 2:9

 

 

Just then three middle aged ladies came in and one of them reminded me of Pam Spock’s mother Millie, not so much in the way she looked, but in her personality. They excitedly greeted Jon and began looking around the room.

The ladies asked us if we had met any of the people yet who were hosting the seminar and what we thought about the adventure so far. Jon said that we had only seen some of the leaders removing the last pew, but we were the first to arrive at the seminar, so he did not have (Jon chuckled) enough “qualified observation” time put in to make an honest evaluation.

Jon asked me what my feelings were.  I responded, “Like you said, Jon, we just got here, and we haven’t talked to anyone. Nice verse on the wall!  But honestly, in my spirit, it feels very strongly like clergy-laity distinction with a new paint job.”

Just then the hosting group, with their wives and a few guests, walked into the room and introduced themselves and designated who among them were the “plurality of elders” and which one of them owned the abandoned church building.  Following the meet and greet session, several men, mostly fiftyish, but two of the men were thirtyish, lined up in a row in the center of the bare sanctuary.  The “leaders” were dressed in a mix of tieless suits and casual clothes.

One man, who looked to be the oldest, and wearing an open collar corduroy tan sports jacket, over a yellow oxford shirt, cleared his throat and ran his hand, each finger adorned with an expensive ring, through his long sandy hair, which was bald on top. He said that we were free to spend time with the Lord at the edges of the room until they let us know when the worship began.

Just then Jon’s phone vibrated.  He reached for it, and we could hear an incoherent voice on the other end.  I couldn’t tell the age or gender of Jon’s caller.  Jon looked concerned.  As he pocketed the cell phone, he said to the group in the room, “Sorry, I need to go put out a fire. Not literally of course.  I will be back as soon as I can. Probably about an hour or so.”

Jon Zens left the building.

I walked from the center back to one of the corners of the room. I sent a prayer flare to the Lord, not only about what I was feeling concerning the spiritual atmosphere, but because I knew that I couldn’t stand for long, especially if I didn’t walk around.

The “leaders” were quietly, and not so quietly, discussing how they should do the “royal priesthood service” when they started.

I noticed several people around the exterior edges of the room, either standing around looking confused or quietly praying, alone, or huddled in groups of two or three. I had the feeling that I needed to worship the Lord quietly.  I lifted my hands and began as softly as possible praying and thanking Jesus.  After about five minutes several people drifted to my corner of the empty sanctuary and began quietly doing the same.

Suddenly one of the leaders rushed from the center of the room, ran up to us, waving his hands frenziedly and “whisper-shouted” to everyone, but while peering up into my face, “Stop! Stop! You can’t start the service without us!”

The short pudgy man in his black suit coat and white shirt waddled back, like an emperor penguin, and joined the line of leaders in the center of the church.  The first leader who had been wearing the tan jacket, ran his fingers through his hair again, then lectured us on why my example had been scripturally inappropriate, but with the caveat that at least I had not been looking around confused and/or just idly conversing during the pre-service quiet time.

Then the “leaders” tag teamed with each other for about twenty minutes explaining how their new and scriptural open church system worked.  Following a quick prayer for the meal, one of the younger “leaders” dressed in a tropical shirt and jeans whistled loudly.  Several of the ladies, and young people who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, walked in carrying folding tables which they placed in a square around the leadership team.  Several younger people wheeled in a cart of folding chairs, putting several on the inside of the circle of tables for the leadership team. All the other chairs were placed around the outside edge of the circle of tables. Then the ladies of the host group began putting out food for those of us seated at the outside edges of the table.  The leaders sat as well but used an inner side of the encircled tables across from their group.

Just as we were beginning to eat, the two main leaders left their food table, and quietly and as politely as possible, came over to where I was eating with the three ladies of Jon’s acquaintance, and explained to me in detail, why my behavior during the pre-service quiet-time-with-Jesus had been inappropriate.

Scene fade.  Jon returned just as the concluding prayer, following the meal, was offered.  We all said our goodbyes to the members of the “new and scriptural open fellowship church”.

Scene fade. Jon’ and the ladies who had agreed to meet with us for the seminar, had coffee in a nearby cafe. Nobody joined us from the host fellowship, so we were free to talk openly.  We discussed what had happened at the seminar while Jon was away taking care of his undisclosed emergency.

 

End of dream.

 

May Jesus richly bless you Jon and Dotty!  P.S. on the 31^st of last month I had a dream about an Irish American evangelist preaching and singing at a park by the sea (circa early 1900’s) along the east coast.  When I get it posted at my website, with the backstory and song, I will send you the link.