Living in Hope, Working for Peace

In the heart of Independence, Missouri, a stunning building spirals over 300 feet into the sky. If its architecture seems defiantly out of place, surely its mission is also an unusual statement for a modest town in the heart of America. This Temple, the international headquarters of the Community of Christ, is dedicated to the pursuit of peace. And so are we. At Walnut Gardens it is up to us to figure out what that means in the small slice of geography we claim as a spiritual home.

What we have discovered is that awakening each day feels different when we have pledged to ourselves that we will walk into the day as a peacemaker. It is no small thing. And by the same token, we have learned that peace can only come in bits and pieces – healing a broken relationship; learning skills that empower us to go where we would never have gone; talking to our kids about how being a peacemaker begins when you stop hitting your brother.

We claim no huge breakthroughs in the arena of world peace. The genocide continues in Darfur. The famine in the horn of Africa assaults our senses. In the face of such horror does it matter that some ordinary folks over here in Independence care about such things?

We think so. If we fail to do at least that, we will be saying that we don't give a rip about the future. And the truth is we do care. A lot.

Walnut Gardens Congregation – some really nice folks, imperfect, striving to learn, shaping our faith, loving our kids, playing together, singing and worshiping, daring to live in hope for a peaceful world in the making.

Maybe you're like us?