September 19, 2003

The community is invited to a special Daily Prayer for Peace service on Sunday, September 21, in honor of the International Day of Peace. The service will be held from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. at the Community of Christ Temple, 201 South River, Independence, Missouri. Music and prayers will be offered by several individuals to commemorate this special day. Peter Judd of the Community of Christ First Presidency will preside.

In 2001 the United Nations General Assembly decided that, beginning in 2002, the International Day of Peace would be observed on September 21 each year.

It is a day that should be observed as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honor a cessation of hostilities. If we can create one day of peace, we will realize that we can work together to create a culture of peace, one day at a time. "Twenty-four hours: to give relief workers a safe interlude for the provision of vital services; to offer mediators a building block towards a wider truce; to allow all those engaged in conflict to reconsider the wisdom of further violence," said Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General. We join our prayers with all those being offered today for peace all across our world.

A Prayer for Peace service is held every day from 12:30 to 12:45 p.m. at the Community of Christ Temple, which is dedicated to the pursuit of peace. All are welcome to participate in these reflective moments, which include scripture reading, prayer (spoken and silent), hymns sung by the congregation and/or a soloist, and silent meditation. A significant element of the Daily Prayer for Peace is the selection of a specific country each day for which prayer is offered during the service. All countries and many tribes of the world are included on a rotating basis during each year.