Members of the First Presbyterian Church in Pontiac are excited about their new pastor.

The Rev. Rami Almaqdasi will be the first person from Iraq to serve the church. He’s been a U.S. citizen for a decade. He arrives in Pontiac with far more experience than five years at an Ohio church and six years in New York.

He was born in Basra, Iraq, just before war erupted with Iran. By the time he was 9 years old, his family fled to safety in Babylon but eventually returned to Basra, largely destroyed by war.

He still carries memories of bombs and rockets exploding around where his family was sheltered.

“It was a scary time,” he said, recalling a blockade that led to economic struggles, on top of persecution experienced by Christian families in a country run by President Saddam Hussein. His family didn’t shirk from their faith.

“My uncle was an evangelist and my dad used to read the Bible to us,” he said. “My dad was so happy when we returned to Basra and he found a (Presbyterian) church with a new minister.”

Almaqdasi, by then a teen, volunteered at the church as a librarian, youth pastor and preacher.“The minister was a wonderful person and a great example to guide and support me,” he said.

He left home at 20 to study at a Cairo, Egypt seminary and watched from a distance as more conflict erupted in Iraq. After seminary, he moved to Syria and reunited with his fiancée, Raya. They married and he continued his pastoral duties with the Presbyterian Church of Damascus and a Missionary Alliance church. He worked with a growing number of Iraqi Christian refugees.

When Syria’s civil war escalated, his family fled to northern Iraq. He worked with Samaritan’s Purse and the Alliance Church, devoted to the care and spiritual lives of war refugees.

He’s endured three wars and multiple moves, he said, but never doubted God’s goodness.

“Bad things happen through human beings, but God will use these things to try to help us … it’s like parents with babies. Parents have to clean their babies until the children can do it themselves — but the parents will keep helping in different ways,” he said. “We mess up. God cleans up.”

In 2014 he and Raya, along with their daughter Mimi, were approved to resettle in the U.S. Their first home and his pastoral assistant job was Williamsville, N.Y., near Buffalo at North Presbyterian Church. He joined the Presbyterian Church Peacemaking Program in 2015 and visited churches across the country to speak about Christians’ challenges in the Middle East.

He had been praying for an assignment in southeast Michigan because his in-laws live in Windsor. Raya and their daughters, Mimi, now 15, and Lisa, 9, moved to Michigan last year. His parents have died and one of his two brothers remains in Jordan, after applying for U.S. citizenship. His other brother recently moved from Minnesota to Macomb County. Rev. Almaqdasi is happy to be reunited with his family and living just minutes away from his brother-in-law in Macomb Township and some of his former congregants from Basra.

“Every time we moved, we lost friends and neighbors. We left a lot of things behind. Even when we came to the U.S., we had just four bags and one daughter — we left family, friends and culture behind,” he said.

What kept him going was a line from the Apostle Paul: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Ron Sweedyk, a member of the committee that hired Rev. Almaqdasi, said he is excited for his 200-year-old church.

“I think this is a big step for the church to be more inclusive and maybe start to grow,” he said. On paper the congregation has about 115 members, but only about 30 people attend services regularly.

Sweedyk and his wife, Robin, joined the church in 1975 but left for many years. When Robin died in 2021, a First Presbyterian friend called, then kept in touch, letting him know about the church’s 200th anniversary plans. Sweedyk returned for a few services and found he liked the Rev. Laura Kelsey, who left the church last year for a Detroit church.

“She had good intentions and she did a lot of community outreach,” he said. “I was so impressed with her.”

He joined the choir and is as active as he can be. He knows the old church may struggle to stay relevant as downtown Pontiac is redeveloped, but he believes it has a bigger role in the community. He believes Rev. Almaqdasi — who he calls Pastor Rami — will help.

“It’s an exciting time for me … I haven’t been this excited in a long time,” he said. “If you’re a Christian, you’re always hopeful.”

Sweedyk already hopes Rev. Almaqdasi will stay longer than the one-year contract he signed.

“When he prays with us, it feels really like we’re talking to God. I get a deep sense he’s not just saying words,” said Sweedyk.

For his part, Rev. Almaqdasi said he is grateful to work in Pontiac. He’s impressed that the church hosts a Saturday dinner open to all — they’ve served as many as 300 — and a clothing closet for people who need donations. During the week, the church is used by lawyers who run an immigration clinic for those who need help.

“First Presbyterian has good people. They’re kind and supportive. I’m looking forward to serving the church and the community,” he said, adding that he will continue working and praying for peace.

“I learned not to give up,” he said with a soft laugh. “I’m so excited to be here.”

The Rev. Almaqdasi delivers two sermons each weekend: 5 p.m. Saturday, which includes a meal for any and all with contemporary music, and 10 a.m. Sunday at First Presbyterian Church, 99 Wayne St. in Pontiac. Learn more at fpcpontiac.com