CCME : A Center for Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice at LSTC
The fruit of the righteous will be peace. Isaiah 32:17
Pursue justice, to do so is to be conscious of God. Surah 5:8
Congregational and Community Events
We often have the opportunity to lead adult forums or other educational programs on Islam and Christian-Muslim relations, particularly in churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and in other faith communities as well. A cadre of professors and graduate students are available to be guest speakers or to lead a multi-week series on a variety of Christian-Muslim topics.
With the help of CCME, congregations have hosted interfaith musical programs, dialogue presentations, and other community meals or events. CCME arranges visits to mosques, temples, and churches for special events, prayer, or worship experiences. In addition, programs sponsored by CCME and/or our partners are often free and open to the public, whether they be hosted at LSTC or a local congregation.
Chaplaincy Workshop: Spiritual Care of Muslim Patients
CCME has recently partnered with local chaplains and health care facilities to provide a two-day workshop for non-Muslim chaplains to learn about and gain confidence in working with Muslim patients and families facing illness or death. Muslim theologians, community leaders, a mortician, nurse and bioethicist share about Islamic teachings and cultural practices through presentations, discussions, practical demonstrations and tips. After four of these workshops hosted at Midwest CareCenter, Augustana Lutheran Church, and Rush Medical Center, we have received extremely positive feedback from participants and hope to expand the program to a wider audience in the future.
Annual Sacred Texts Conference
For many years, CCME has sponsored a Sunday afternoon dialogue and discussion with presenters from the three Abrahamic traditions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) on a selected topic found in each of their sacred texts. Our office will continue to host such events at the request of surrounding communities. Attendees then share in a time of questions and answers with the presenters and other participants. Hosting congregations or institutions join in the planning and promoting of the event. In recent years, the topics and hosts have been:
- 2010 "Justice in the Scriptures" - held at Islamic Foundation North in Libertyville, Illinois
- 2011 "Sharing Jerusalem as a Pathway towards Peace" – held at Grace Lutheran Church in La Grange, IL
- 2012: "Love of God, Love of Neighbor" – held in Orland Park together with Southwest Interfaith Team (SWIFT)
- 2013 “Human Diversity: Blessing or Curse?” - held at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Arlington Heights
- 2014 “Care for the Suffering” – held at American Islamic College, Chicago
Please contact our office if you want our assistance in developing Christian-Muslim interaction and/or education in your congregation. See our Resources section for more information.
