By Joelle Wight, Temple Ministries director
Although the details are fuzzy, I still remember entering the Community of Christ Auditorium Chamber in the fall of 1999. I walked toward the seats in front of the transverse aisle, not with other church members, but with my first-grade class. We, along with 5,000 other students from around Independence, Missouri, USA, had been invited to hear Jane Goodall speak.
Though I was only seven years old, the excitement and pride I experienced in that moment are etched in my memory. Knowing that my faith community was hosting this important speaker and inviting others to hear her affected me profoundly. That event instilled in me, at that early age, a passion for peace and for honoring those working for it in the world.
Fast forward twenty-seven years, and we are preparing to recognize another environmental peacemaker at the 2026 Peace Forum, hopefully instilling or affirming in all who attend a passion for peace and for honoring those working for it.
That event instilled in me, at that early age, a passion for peace and for honoring those working for it in the world.
Author and activist Bill McKibben will join us October 16–18 to receive Community of Christ’s 2026 International Peace Award. He will share from his deep wisdom on issues related to climate justice and care for creation as we explore the theme, “Seeds of Peace: Environmental Justice and Action.”
The theme was chosen with great intention. At the 2023 World Conference, the gathered body adopted a resolution calling Community of Christ to join others in declaring a climate emergency. A declaration in solidarity with others is important, but if it isn’t backed by meaningful action it fails to have its intended effect.
In addition to requiring a declaration, this resolution called for specific responses that further the work of climate justice. At the 2025 World Conference, two additional pieces of legislation related to climate justice also were adopted. Their adoption showed that a commitment to fulfilling their mandates is a priority for Community of Christ. We, as a faith community and a prophetic people, understand the urgency of the climate crisis.
The forum’s theme shows not only our collective discernment and Conference action, it reflects the very core of who we are as a people in pursuit of peace. We don’t pursue just any peace, not one that is shallow, false, or hollow. We are a people in pursuit of God’s peace, shalom—a complete, all-encompassing, holistic peace that includes all creation.
In Doctrine and Covenants 155:7 we are told:
…the time for hesitation is past. The earth, my creation, groans for the liberating truths of my gospel which have been given for the salvation of the world.
This important reminder highlights for us that the gospel we proclaim is not intended only for the human occupants of Earth, but all the other-than-human elements of creation.
Our Enduring Principle of Sacredness of Creation upholds this perspective. This principle, officially adopted in the early 2000s but evident throughout the movement’s history, communicates our understanding that “…God created and called it all good” and that “we join with God as stewards of care and hope for all creation.”
The 2026 Peace Forum, centered around climate justice, invites us to more fully integrate our care for creation as an essential element of our gospel witness and peace work.
We are excited to have a schedule full of inspiration and challenge. Although the Peace Forum officially begins on Friday evening, those interested are invited to join “So That Life Might Flourish: Praying With the Earth,” a wild spirituality retreat during the day Friday to explore how creation can inform and shape our spiritual formation.
We hope you will join us…planting seeds of peace together—seeds that will flourish as new, sustainable communities of justice and peace for all creation.
Later that night, the International Peace Award and the Human Rights Awards will be presented in a special service. McKibben will deliver the keynote address. He also will lead sessions during the day Saturday. He will be joined by other individuals and groups passionate about this issue who will share during worship services, breakout sessions, and hands-on activities throughout the weekend.
Children and youth will be active participants and will add their voices to the conversation around climate justice.
As a people of faith, we are called to respond to the shuddering of the Earth, challenging the structures and systems that perpetuate unrestrained consumption and unchecked greed. As we approach October, I find myself again feeling excitement and pride as Community of Christ commits anew to amplifying voices for the cause of environmental justice and to working toward God’s preferred future on, for, and with Earth.
We hope you will join us at the 2026 Peace Forum as fellow gardeners, planting seeds of peace together…seeds that will blossom into embodied faith, seeds that will grow into prophetic personal changes, seeds that will bloom into discipleship in the public sphere, and seeds that will flourish as new, sustainable communities of justice and peace for all creation.
Join the Peace Forum
Join us for the Peace Forum from 16–18 October 2026 at the Temple in Independence, Missouri, USA.
Register Today