At A Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice, Sara Trumm Bridges Interfaith Connection
Sara Trumm believes transformation is a constant process. As Director of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago’s A Center of Christan-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice (CCME), founded in 2006 to build bridges of respect and cooperation among people of all faiths, her work fosters interfaith understanding between Christians and Muslims through encounter, mutual understanding and social justice.
The efforts and initiatives of the Center mirror LSTC’s values, including honoring the perspectives of all religions and building communities of hospitality and reconciliation.
“I’ve discovered how important it is to know what loving one’s neighbor really looks like when you think about your neighbor being very different from you,” says Trumm.
Trumm spearheads comprehensive education and opportunities for interfaith engagement in the heart of diverse Chicago. In 2024, through a long-standing partnership with American Islamic College, LSTC has helped 20 members of an Indonesian Muslim Delegation receiving certificates in interfaith peace building during a two month program. Together, AIC, LSTC and the Indonesian leaders have visited various religious sites in the area, celebrated and feasted together, tended to and supported one another in difficult challenges of interfaith work, and built deep friendships.
CCME’s work takes a Christ-centered approach to embracing all identities and religions through avenues that nurture learning and shape individual faith traditions.
Before joining LSTC, Trumm’s distinguished background spanned time across the United States and India—geographies that, on the surface, couldn’t be more different. Formative learning began when Trumm taught ESL to Somali women in Minneapolis. As a Master’s student in Cross-Cultural Studies at Luther Seminary, Trumm visited and later worked at the Henry Martyn Institute in Hyderabad, India, which developed praxis programs between Hindus and Muslims in the country, and provided educational opportunities for Western Christians to learn more about the nation’s many religious groups, particularly Muslims.
Trumm connected the dots between these experiences to find that collaboration and celebration of diversity are at the heart of interfaith work. These powerful experiences led Trumm to LSTC.
“I’ve learned so much from my experiences with different ethnic cultures, then focused on and emphasized the interfaith aspect,” Trumm shares. “I challenge myself and others on how to benefit from our different perspectives, instead of adding to fear and division. There’s always more to learn.”
Trumm’s enduring values have taught her to pray with her hands and her feet—especially in the context of the rise of Christian nationalism and right-wing ideologies that stoke the fires of divisiveness and hate. Current events in the Middle East have led to a turbulent year for Muslim-Jewish relations and a steep rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
In the end, Trumm’s work expands the idea of WE, similar to Beloved Community. Working together to serve the greater good keeps her and the work of CCME on the path of God’s love.
“I push against folks saying religion is the cause of all this division. It can certainly be divisive, but I have fortunately been witness to how it brings people together in beautiful ways,” Trumm states.
Moving forward, Trumm would like to skillfully balance online opportunities with in-person events, building additional partnerships with local and national interfaith organizations. Bringing international delegations to campus is only the start of her hopes for future initiatives—and she’d like to engage the broader LSTC community, including students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters, to help CCME deepen relations between Christians and Muslims.