About Us

Our Story قصتنا

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. – Psalm 5:11

In 1996, the Lord called Pastor Raed Awabdeh and his wife Manar to begin a bible study from their home in Sacramento. The group blossomed into a church plant dedicated to deeply loving the local Arabic and Muslim’s community. By 2000, the new Arabic Church of Sacramento had developed in to a loving Body of Christ made of beautiful, redeemed, and delivered families who loved each other (verse cite).

In 2004, the Lord placed an open door before our church to launch a coffee house ministry, Damascus Coffeehouse. The purpose of this ministry was to reach every Arabic and Muslim household in the greater Sacramento region. 

By October 2006, it was evident that the coffeehouse was ready to grow into a broader community outreach ministry, thus began the Arab American Learning Center. Soon after, waves of refugees became our neighbors from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.  

Through the next decade, our community truly flourished. New believers came to know God’s love for them. Volunteers from the entire Sacramento region dedicated to countless hours to caring for refugees seeking new life. In 2016, we had outgrown Damascus Coffeehouse and began to look for a property we could use for the sake of God’s Kingdom.

In the year 2018, the Lord blessed our ministry and entrusted us with a 7 building campus. It is through the faithful generosity of believers that our campus continues to transform into a place that serves His people, meeting the practical, social, and spiritual needs of all who visit us.

Today the Arab American Learning Center reaches out to the Arabic and Muslim community in Sacramento. In order to deliver the Gospel, we must build a bridge between the Church and the Refugees’ Community through practical love and sacrificial services.