September/October 2011 This I Believe
Creating Community in Portland
by James Twyman
James Twyman
It feels to put down roots in my favorite city — Portland. As you know, I’ve traveled around the world for many years teaching and performing, but there’s no place I feel more connected and welcomed than here. That being said, I want to give something back — to initiate something in Portland that has never been considered before, anywhere in the world.
Let me explain: For nearly 20 years I’ve been sharing a vision of peace, especially in countries like Bosnia, Iraq and Israel while wars raged. In many cases, thousands of people joined me by praying or meditating for peace while I performed in those countries. Each time this happened, miracles followed.
The first time I traveled to Iraq at the invitation of Saddam Hussein, we alerted the global network to join me, and to our great surprise, millions of people responded. Three days later, the impossible happened — a peace accord was signed, temporarily putting an end to the violence.
My intention is to form a similar local movement here in Portland called the Beloved CommUNITY. I will be there every Sunday, and when I’m on a peace mission somewhere else in the world, I will still broadcast my message from wherever I am, bringing you along on the journey. In October, I will be joining leaders from the 12 major religions of the world in Assisi, Italy, and we will broadcast the service live. You’ll be the hub of a worldwide movement of peace, just by joining us at the Beloved CommUNITY each week. Portland is about to awaken to its spiritual destiny.
The Beloved CommUNITY services are held every Sunday at 6 pm at the Awakenings Wellness Center, 1016 SE 12th Ave. in Portland. Visit www.belovedcommunity.org.
— James Twyman