The Daily Prayer for Peace is a spiritual discipline unique to the Community of Christ

Community of Christ

The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , is an American-based international Christian church established in April 1830 that claims as its mission "to proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace"...

 and practiced at the Independence Temple

Independence Temple

The Temple in Independence, Missouri, is a house of worship and education "dedicated to the pursuit of peace". It dominates the skyline of Independence, Missouri, USA, and has become the focal point of the headquarters of the Community of Christ...

 in the church's headquarters campus in Independence, Missouri

Independence, Missouri

Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...

. It falls within the most common category of Christian prayer

Christian prayer

Prayer is an important activity in Christianity, and there are several different forms of Christian prayer.Christian prayers are diverse: they can be completely spontaneous, or read entirely from a text, like the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. The most common prayer among Christians is the Lord's...

 known as supplication

Supplication

Supplication is the most common form of prayer, wherein a person asks God to provide something, either for the person or who is doing the praying or for someone else on whose behalf a prayer. This because of a supplication is being made, also known as intercession.The concept of supplication is...

.

Each day of the year at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time/Central Daylight Time

Central Time zone

In North America, the Central Time Zone refers to national time zones which observe standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC , and daylight saving, or summer time by subtracting five hours...

 a Daily Prayer for Peace is held as part of a brief worship for that purpose held in the sanctuary of the Independence Temple. The sanctuary is open to the public as members lead a brief worship service that includes the Daily Prayer for Peace. The form of the prayer is a public spoken prayer, usually written by one of the members from somewhere in the world and read aloud either by that member or another person. Each day of the year, the Daily Prayer for Peace is focused on the needs of a different nation of the world. The supplicant prays aloud for peace under the 150-foot dome of the temple spire.

Those living in or visiting Independence, Mo. are encouraged to stop in to participate in this worship experience, and those elsewhere around the globe are encouraged to pause for a moment of silent prayer.

Background

At the 1984 World Conference

World Conference (Community of Christ)

World Conference is the highest legislative body in the Community of Christ and is empowered to act for the entire church. It operates according to a principle known as "common consent" and is presided over by the First Presidency...

 of the Community of Christ, its President, Wallace B. Smith

Wallace B. Smith

Wallace Bunnell Anthony Smith was Prophet-President of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , from April 5, 1978 through April 15, 1996. Son of President W. Wallace Smith, he was designated as his father's successor in 1976, and ordained church president in 1978 when his...

, called for the construction of the Independence Temple and its dedication "to the pursuit of peace."

A committee formed to consider the worship ministries to be held in the new temple, devised the idea of a Daily Prayer for Peace to act as a witness of Christ's peace and a "symbol of the Church's unrelenting pursuit of peace."

The Daily Prayer for Peace has been held daily in the Independence Temple since December 1993. It is one of many practices, including the Community of Christ International Peace Award

Community of Christ International Peace Award

The Community of Christ International Peace Award was established to honor and bring attention to the work of peacemaking and peacemakers in the world...

that distinguish the denomination and its members.

Prior to 9 April 2007 the Daily Prayer for Peace was held at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time/Central Daylight Time. With the change in time those working at Community of Christ International Headquarters are encouraged to pause and attend this service.

Since 26 October 2007 each Friday at Noon Eastern Time the Daily Prayer for Peace service is celebrated at the Kirtland Temple Complex as the Friday Prayer for Peace. Starting in May 2008 it started being celebrated daily in both Independence and Kirtland.

Order of service

The committee developed a standard order of service which is normally followed: Gathering in Silence, Call to Prayer, Lighting of Candle, Invitation, Scripture Reading, Prayer for Peace, Prayers of the People, Hymn, Benediction and Postlude.

Prayer topics

In order to ensure a truly global reach for the prayers, a different country is named each day as a focus of prayer. The schedule can be seen on the Community of Christ website http://www.cofchrist.org/prayerpeace/. This schedule reflects the ecumenical prayer cycle of the World Council of Churches, which lists a nation or series of nations for each week of the year.

External links

• Daily Prayer for Peace official website
• Community of Christ official website
• Holy-Prayer.com: Daily Prayer for Peace
• Prayer types in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Do You Pray Like Your Fathers?