Mennonite Church USA is seeking award nominations for its 2026 Bring the Peace awards, which honor individuals who embody Christ-centered peacemaking in their communities and beyond. Nominations are due by March 27, 2026, and may be submitted via this online form.
The annual awards recognize two individuals: a Legacy Peacemaker, who has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to peace and justice, and a Young Peacemaker, who is beginning to make a meaningful impact through courageous witness and compassionate action. Each recipient receives a $300 grant.
The Bring the Peace awards reflect MC USA’s Renewed Commitments to follow Jesus, witness to God’s peace and experience the transformation of the Holy Spirit. Rooted in Anabaptist faith values, the initiative calls individuals and congregations to nurture empathy, compassion and love while actively seeking to dismantle oppression and violence.
“Peacemaking is not optional for followers of Jesus — it is at the heart of our calling,” Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, MC USA denominational minister of Peace and Justice. “The Bring the Peace awards lift up individuals who remind us that reconciliation, justice and compassion are lived practices, not abstract ideals.”
The MC USA Peace and Justice department welcomes Bring the Peace award nominations from across the denomination. A selection committee comprised of previous Bring the Peace award recipients will review submissions and select honorees.
The awards are sponsored by MC USA’s Church Peace Tax Fund, an USA initiative that reinforces the denomination’s role as a historic peace church by invigorating the collective voice against the destructive powers of militarism in our congregations, communities and beyond. The fund supports educational programs that address militarism and promote ways of living peacefully:
- The Bring the Peace recognition program, honoring a Legacy Peacemaker and a Young Peacemaker each year.
- Grants for war tax resisters.
- Peaceful Options for Training and Careers (POTC), an independent initiative formed by MC USA and Mennonite Central Committee that helps young adults find non-military career, service and training opportunities.
Support MC USA’s peace building work here. Gifts may be designated to the Church Peace Tax Fund or POTC. Checks can also be mailed to Mennonite Church USA, 718 N. Main Street, Newton, KS 67114, noting “Executive Board Peace & Justice” in the memo line.
Mennonite Church USA is an Anabaptist Christian denomination, founded in 2002 by the merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church. Members of this historic peace church seek to follow Jesus by rejecting violence and resisting injustice. MC USA’s Renewed Commitments state the following shared commitments among its diverse body of believers: to follow Jesus, witness to God’s peace and experience the transformation of the Holy Spirit. Mennoniteusa.org
Written by Camille Dager