When Pastor Abdi takes over the congregation, he mimics a scene from Captain Phillips when he says: "Look at me. Look at me! I am the pastor now!" In Captain Phillips, the lead pirate says, "Look at me. Look at me. I am the captain now!"
Father Abdi's name is based on Barkhad Abdi the Somali-American actor who played the leader of the pirates in the Tom Hanks film "Captain Phillips" (2013).