Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Prince of Peace!

We invite you and your congregation to observe Peace Sunday together with brothers and sisters in the global Anabaptist church family on 19 September 2021.

Accompanying this letter, we send worship resources you may use in celebrating Peace Sunday.

The theme for this year’s Peace Sunday is: “Finding hope and healing in crisis.”

In Matthew 14:22-23 and Mark 4:35-41, Jesus brings salvation in the midst of crisis. We desire and need this peace, especially after this year! And as followers of Jesus, we follow his example and work to bring peace in the midst of chaos.

May these resources help us in this pursuit.

Rationale for Peace Sunday

The International Day of Peace was established by the United Nations Resolution on 30 November 1981. The UN General Assembly set 21 September as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace.

The resolution states that observing the International Day of Peace “strengthen[s] the ideals of peace and alleviat[es] tensions and causes of conflict.” It declares “...a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Day.”

Following the recommendation of the 2003 Peace Council in Bulawayo, the 2006 Peace Commission in Pasadena chose the Sunday nearest to 21 September (International Day of Peace) as a Peace Sunday to be observed by Mennonite World Conference member churches.

Churches who already observe a different Sunday as Peace Sunday are encouraged to continue with their practice, and are invited to include the global church concerns in their prayers on the global Peace Sunday.

God’s blessings to you as you continue your work towards Christ’s peace!

Yours in Christ’s peace,