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The Community of Christ International Peace Award was established to honor and bring attention to the work of peacemaking and peacemakers in the world. It has been bestowed on an individual each year since 1993 (except 1996, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2020 to 2022).

Overview

The award was instituted as part of the peace and justice ministries associated with the Independence Temple, which was dedicated in 1994, the year following the inaugural award. The Community of Christ International Peace Award includes a cash gift for the benefit of the recipient's project or endeavor.

The Community of Christ International Peace Award has been given annually (with the exception of 1996, 2015, 2017, and 2018) since 1993 at Community of Christ World Headquarters during significant events, including the annual Peace Colloquy, the biennial World Conference, and the International Youth Forum (held every four years). The cash value of the Community of Christ International Peace Award ranks among the top 20 international, non-governmental peace awards in the world (in a list topped by the Nobel Peace Prize) and among the top seven in the United States. As of 2006, the award includes $20,000 for the recipient to donate to a charity of his or her choice.

Recipients represent diversity in terms of ethnicity, gender, and faith. The Community of Christ International Peace Award honor roll includes Craig Kielburger, Rev. James Lawson, Jean Vanier, Ela Gandhi, Swanee Hunt, John Paul Lederach, Jane Goodall, Marie Fortune, Juan M. Flavier, Marian Wright Edelman, M. Scott Peck and Lily Peck, and Jehan Sadat.

2005 recipient Craig Kielburger, founder of Free the Children, stated in his acceptance address that: "It is an honour to receive this commendation from an organization with such a long and acclaimed history as champions for international peace and justice. The Community of Christ has been a social-justice advocate since its early beginnings among the poor on the USA frontier in the 1830s. Your movement began with young people; Joseph Smith Jr. was only fourteen when he had his first vision, only twenty-four when he began your church. Today an international movement in over fifty nations, Community of Christ carries the torch forward through child advocacy, campaigns to support conscientious objection to war, and in their fight to bring recognition to the crisis in Darfur, Sudan."

Accepting the award in 2004, Rev. James Lawson said: "You can resolve the war in your own life. You can resolve the war in your community, your congregation. You can heal the war in our nation. We can make war a relic of a dead past that need never again threaten the well-being and the security of the human race."

Honorees

Notes

1. "Community of Christ International Peace Award," "Community of Christ". Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2007-08-03. (Visited: 14 October 2006).

References

• Peter van den Dungen, "Peace Prizes," Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, and Conflict, Volume 2, 1999, pages 795–808.

External links

• Official web page
• International Peace Award Additional information about the recipients' work, including video excerpts from their acceptance addresses
• Peace Award nominations

v t e Community of Christ
Major people	Joseph Smith Emma Smith David Whitmer Alpheus Cutler William Smith Lyman Wight Joseph Smith III Frederick M. Smith Israel A. Smith Charles D. Neff W. Wallace Smith Wallace B. Smith W. Grant McMurray Stephen M. Veazey Sidney Rigdon
History	First Vision Amboy Conference Lineal succession Supreme Directional Control
Major beliefs	All are Called Concept of Zion God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit Peace Priesthood Prophetic leadership Salvation Worth of all persons
Sacred texts	Bible King James Version Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible Book of Mormon Doctrine and covenants
Worship	Auditorium Community of Christ Sings Daily Prayer for Peace Sacraments Temples (Independence, Kirtland)
Organization	Children's Peace Pavilion Seminary World Conference Field organization
Leadership	Prophet-President List First Presidency Council of Twelve Apostles Presiding Bishop World Church Leadership Council Standing High Council Presiding Evangelist
Other	Comparison with Latter-day Saints Graceland University Harmony (organization) Herald Herald House Harvest Hills International Peace Award
Historic Sites	Joseph Smith Mansion House Liberty Hall Nauvoo House Plano Stone Church Red Brick Store Stone Church

• Peace awards
• Community of Christ
• Awards established in 1993
• 1993 establishments in Missouri