Experience the Community of Christ Peace Forum in Canada

By John Hamer, Director of Outreach and Innovative Mission 

In the final sessions of the 2025 World Conference, Community of Christ President Stassi Cramm made an exciting announcement: the church would resume hosting International Peace Forums triennially, beginning October 16–19, 2026. The Community of Christ Temple is dedicated to the promotion of world peace, and the Peace Forum has been at the heart of embodying that mission. The Peace Forum is a three-day event that includes addresses, panels, discussion sessions, workshops, hands-on activities, and the presentation of the church’s International Peace Award.

The world is in critical need of peace—perhaps this year more than ever. Unfortunately, policies of the United States government have made travel to Independence, Missouri, impossible for some international visitors and have left others questioning whether this is a good time to cross international borders. For this reason, the Council of Twelve Apostles asked Community of Christ in Canada to host two remote locations for the Peace Forum: one in the greater Toronto area and one in Vancouver.

The Canadian remote locations will participate with activities in Independence in much the same way that Canada hosted a remote location for the 2025 World Conference. For this year’s Peace Forum, the opening address, awards ceremony, plenary, and keynote speakers will all be livestreamed, and workshops will connect Toronto and Vancouver to Independence via videoconferencing.

However, the Canadian sites will not just be places where we are watching something remotely. The Toronto and Vancouver sites will each include local speakers, workshops, and hands-on events in their own right. This will be a chance to meet visionaries and activists from around the world who are unable to travel to the United States to share. It will also give Canadians who are passionate about making the world a better place the opportunity to connect, get updated on current issues, and share strategies to effectively pursue peace.

In addition, we want the Peace Forum to serve as an entry point for younger people in our extended church network. Community of Christ in Canada will be inviting youth and young adults participating in the conference to form focus groups to discuss what a peace church should look like. How can we be relevant to people who care about our planet and our place in it? We will also invite seekers who are not members of the church to share in the events.

Although we will not be coming together in person this year for our annual Mission Centre Conference (the business meeting will be held online so that everyone across Canada can attend), the Peace Forum will provide a similar venue for sharing fellowship. We hope you’ll choose to find that fellowship by being part of the Peace Forum right here in Canada from Friday, October 16—Sunday, October 18. Save the date and stay tuned for more details as they become available.

World Church Peace Forum