The International Peace Award sponsored by Community of Christ and the Shaw Family Foundation will be awarded at the 2023 World Conference in April.
We are pleased to announce Community Peacemaker Teams as the 2023 recipient.
For thirty-five years, Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has committed itself to the transforming power of nonviolence through activism grounded in partnerships with grassroots peace movements worldwide. Their mission to build partnerships that transform violence and oppression aligns closely with the church’s pursuit of peace and our efforts to abolish poverty and end needless suffering.
Muriel Schmid, Community Peace Teams administrative director, said, “CPT is honored for the recognition this Peace Award represents. We receive it on behalf of all our partners who have resisted violence and oppression in creative and strong ways. We are grateful for the many years of solidarity accompaniment with them and for learning from them. We look forward to the world of peace we are all working toward.”
Community Peacemaker Teams is committed to work and relationships that:
- Honor and reflect the presence of faith and spirituality
- Strengthen grassroots initiatives
- Transform structures of domination and oppression
- Embody creative non-violence and liberating love
Initially supported institutionally by Mennonites and the Church of the Brethren, Community Peacemaker Teams later were joined by a Roman Catholic religious order, Quakers, and the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, among others. Teams are made up of a diversity of staff from a variety of faith and spiritual backgrounds, with a commitment to nonviolence.
Learn more about Community Peacemaker Teams at www.cpt.org.
About the Award
The International Peace Award has been given since 1993. Award recipients usually are individuals or organizations doing important work in justice and peace not currently associated with Community of Christ.
Through awareness and recognition, the award helps promote the importance of partnerships beyond the boundaries of Community of Christ. Read more at CofChrist.org/international-peace-award.
Honorees represent diversity in ethnicity, gender, and faith. Their work aligns with Community of Christ’s efforts to Pursue Peace on Earth and Abolish Poverty and End Suffering by seeking avenues of peace amid conflict, injustice, and suffering of persons, creatures, and the environment.
The award includes a financial gift to be donated to the charitable peace, justice, or environmental organization(s) of the recipient’s choice. Honorees also receive a sculpture created by Wyoming artist Gail Sundell. Each is made slightly different to honor the specific peacemaking contribution of the recipient.