After the election, joy, hope, prayer in community of faith

On the Sunday following the election of the nation’s first African-American president, the mood in Atlanta’s faith community was thankful and reflective.

Churches held services infused with patriotic hymns as attendees celebrated Barack Obama’s victory or prayed for his leadership. It is a time to be joyful, said several church leaders, but also to remember that there’s still work to do.

“We often find ourselves celebrating one day, but when it is time to roll up our sleeves, we find ourselves falling off,” said the Rev. Marvin Anthony Moss at Cascade United Methodist Church in Atlanta. “Now is the time to go to work.”

Moss encouraged church members, in their own lives and in the church community, to reach for the same unity Obama says he seeks for the country.

“The faith community has a responsibility now to take part in real tangible tasks that will better everyone’s life,” said church member Boris Kodjoe, an actor who attended the service with his wife, actress Nicole Ari Parker.

Even the faithful who weren’t among Obama’s supporters said they would pray for the success of the country.

At First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Pastor Johnny Hunt, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, said he went to bed on election night with a troubled heart, but the next day found peace remembering God is in control.

“I have a Bible,” said Hunt, “and my Bible says pray for those in authority.” Churchgoer Karen Toholsky, 48, shared that sentiment.

“There is no authority but that God appoints it, so now that [Obama] is president, I will pray for him fervently, for his protection and that God will change his heart on issues where his opinion is in direct opposition to God’s word,” said the mother of three.

At Trinity Chapel in Powder Springs, about 1,000 parishioners applauded when worship leader Jason Bolin thanked God for the “social” and “personal walls” that came down with Obama’s victory.

Church members at Ebenezer Baptist Church were both thankful and hopeful. Yolanda Seals, 39, who was displaced from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, said she hopes the new president will focus on education and children. “To be able to sit and tell my kids, ‘You can become president,’ is a beautiful thing,” she said.

The Rev. Raphael G. Warnock encouraged worshippers at Ebenezer to remain involved in the political process and to remember that Obama’s story is the quintessential story of faith.

“This moment transcends partisan politics,” Warnock said. “Rejoice because God is up to something special in the world.”

At the Perimeter Church in Duluth, veterans and the ailing economy dominated much of the Saturday evening service. Except in prayer, there was barely any mention of Tuesday’s presidential election.

In an interview after the service, Pastor Randy Pope said the church would pray for Obama’s administration, saying it is the church’s duty to be good citizens.

“We’re committed to that, ” he said. “We pray for the old administration and the new.”

Staff writer Angela Tuck contributed to this report.