In 1965, a young minister named Ray Hord wrote a letter that was shared all over Canada.
Ray was very upset about a war happening far away in Vietnam. American soldiers were sent
to fight in this war, but Ray believed it was wrong and that God did not want this war.
Ray spoke at meetings where people asked for peace. He wrote in newspapers and talked on
TV. Some people liked what he said, but others did not. Ray worked for The United Church
of Canada, which shared God’s love through words and actions. While some people in the
church supported him, the top leaders did not always agree. Sometimes, they even said
sorry for his speeches before he gave them! But Ray kept speaking up.
Ray talked about peace and caring for others. Urged by Rae, his church committee gave
money to help Americans called draft dodgers who did not want to fight in the war and
ran away to Canada. He asked the church and the government to help both sides in the war
because he saw how much the people in Vietnam were suffering. He also helped the United
Church speak strongly to the Canadian government about peace.
Two years after Ray wrote his letter, the United Church said it did not support the war in
Vietnam. They believed God wanted peace for the world.
Ray and his friends changed how the United Church thought about itself. The church started
to see its role in speaking up for justice, not just helping with friendly service and charity
work.
Today, there are leaders in the United Church who follow Ray’s example. They speak up
for people who need homes, for the planet, and for peace everywhere. We are thankful for
people like Ray, who speak up even when it’s hard, and who believe that God wants us all to
work for peace.
Source: https://united-church.ca/sites/default/files/2024-11/centennial_children-activity-pages_jr-hord.pdf