Creating Peace and Justice

Written by Vonda DenBoer
Canada East Mission Centre Co-President

The restoring of persons to healthy or righteous relationships with God, others, themselves and the earth is at the heart of the purpose of your journey as a people of faith” Doctrine and Covenants 163:b

How each congregation achieves that is as unique as the individuals being discipled in that community. How do we bring hope where there is none? How do we address poverty and needless suffering? How do we confront prejudice and greed? How do we share Christ’s gospel of love and peace and justice? How do we find the kernels of wisdom in our common human heritage with one another?

Recent services on World Religion Day in London and Barrie, brought together persons from differing faiths who agreed that we need to love and serve one another. It is not an “us” or “them” situation. That if we stop fighting our differences, but instead embrace our common goal, together we can work toward peace and justice.

Let’s celebrate some initiatives that individuals within Community of Christ are doing toward that:

Teresa Fryer of North Bay recently traveled to El Salvador to teach women how to sew. Her friend Dulcie Shepherdson is there teaching English. Pat MacGregor opened the Sarnia church for donations of clothing and personal care items for the 120 seniors who were abruptly evacuated from their home late one Friday evening in January due to a fire. The community responded abundantly. The St Thomas congregation held a $2 dinner reaching out to community groups with the greatest need. The Woodfield congregation reaches out to bring care packages to individuals who are reintegrating into society after incarceration.

“God’s grace, revealed in Jesus Christ, freely moves throughout creation, often beyond human perception, to achieve divine purposes in people’s lives … As revealed in Christ Jesus, God, the creator of all, ultimately is concerned about behaviours and relationships that uphold the worth and giftedness of all people and that protect the most vulnerable. Such relationships are to be rooted in the principles of Christ-like love, mutual respect, responsibility, justice, covenant and faithfulness, against which there is no law (D&C 164:2b,6a)

May we all seek to alleviate needless suffering and bring hope where there is none. May we all strive toward relationships that respect and uphold the worth of others. And may we embody peace and justice individually and collectively.