The Elliot Park Neighbors: Case Analysis
Simon says: Love and serve your neighbors
As an attorney who had barely hung his shingle in the Elliot Park Neighborhood in 2008, Simon Trautmann ’03 received an unexpected invitation: to be the lawyer for a community activist organization. Trautmann was a Christian; the organization served the Muslim community.
“The ink was still wet on my law degree,” Trautmann recalled. “It was a big step to determine if I could be a zealous advocate for a Muslim youth organization. I worried that maybe I was playing for the other team. But I decided, I’m going to love my neighbors, and as a lawyer, this is how I can love my neighbors.”
At his first meeting with the group’s leadership, he felt he needed to be clear about who he was. He said to the group, “As a Christian, …show more content…
But God showed up.
“You’re probably wondering what a Christian lawyer is doing talking to you tonight,” Trautmann began, recalling that the looks on their faces said they agreed. He boldly continued, “I haven’t read the Koran, but I’ve heard there is a text that you are compelled to love your neighbors. Well, our Scriptures have a similar obligation and I’m here to tell you, on behalf of my faith and our church, and the God we serve, I love you. And I’m so glad and so honored to have Muslim neighbors from around the world. We’re glad you’re here.”
What happened next still amazes Trautmann. “Something broke loose in the room,” he remembered. “Such an earnest reception of that word—it was transformative to my heart. When I had the opportunity to tell 100 Muslim leaders, ‘I love you,’ it changed my life. It’s not something I have to manufacture—not a burden—it’s real.”
Since that time, as the Lord opens doors, Trautmann meets with Somali Muslims in the Twin Cities, repeating whenever he can the message, “I love you. I’m glad you’re my neighbor. I’m glad you’re here. And I tell them I’m a
As an attorney who had barely hung his shingle in the Elliot Park Neighborhood in 2008, Simon Trautmann ’03 received an unexpected invitation: to be the lawyer for a community activist organization. Trautmann was a Christian; the organization served the Muslim community.
“The ink was still wet on my law degree,” Trautmann recalled. “It was a big step to determine if I could be a zealous advocate for a Muslim youth organization. I worried that maybe I was playing for the other team. But I decided, I’m going to love my neighbors, and as a lawyer, this is how I can love my neighbors.”
At his first meeting with the group’s leadership, he felt he needed to be clear about who he was. He said to the group, “As a Christian, …show more content…
But God showed up.
“You’re probably wondering what a Christian lawyer is doing talking to you tonight,” Trautmann began, recalling that the looks on their faces said they agreed. He boldly continued, “I haven’t read the Koran, but I’ve heard there is a text that you are compelled to love your neighbors. Well, our Scriptures have a similar obligation and I’m here to tell you, on behalf of my faith and our church, and the God we serve, I love you. And I’m so glad and so honored to have Muslim neighbors from around the world. We’re glad you’re here.”
What happened next still amazes Trautmann. “Something broke loose in the room,” he remembered. “Such an earnest reception of that word—it was transformative to my heart. When I had the opportunity to tell 100 Muslim leaders, ‘I love you,’ it changed my life. It’s not something I have to manufacture—not a burden—it’s real.”
Since that time, as the Lord opens doors, Trautmann meets with Somali Muslims in the Twin Cities, repeating whenever he can the message, “I love you. I’m glad you’re my neighbor. I’m glad you’re here. And I tell them I’m a