722 N. 145th St. | Shoreline, WA 98133

Pandemic: Stories of Hope

An evening of healing through stories

On Wednesday, September 29th, at 7:00 PM at St. Dunstan’s offered the first in a series of story sharing events, entitled “Pandemic: Stories of Hope. An evening of healing through stories.” The pandemic has created ongoing suffering and trauma, and sharing our stories is one of the ways we can begin to heal. 

At this first event, guest speaker Pastor Rick Reynolds shared his personal stories of struggle and hope from his personal experience of the pandemic, and from the homeless people he encounters in his work with Operation Nightwatch. The evening included an opportunity to share our own story and hear others’ stories in safe, small group conversations. We ended with prayers for healing.

The Rev. Rick Reynolds is Executive Director of Operation Nightwatch. A graduate of Woodway High school in Edmonds, Rick had a desire to count how many homeless people lived in Seattle in 1996.  Thus began the nationwide One Night Count of the homeless started by curious and compassionate Rick Reynolds.

Rick, a graduate of Seattle Pacific and Fuller Theological Seminary, was drawn to volunteering with Operation Nightwatch in 1981.  He wears a clerical collar, goes to the bars and when people say, “Father, I don’t go to church,” he answers, “That’s ok, we came to you.”  He is a dear friend to the friendless and learns a great deal from them. 

Rev. Rick became Executive Director of Nightwatch in 1994. During that time the budget has grown from $70,000 per year to $1.7 million.   Nightwatch purchased a building to house people in 1999, paid it off in 2002.  He was acknowledged by Seattle Pacific for his work by being its Alumni of the Year in 2015.