Obama, daughters head to church

President Obama attended church Sunday morning with his two daughters, with a visit to a federal disaster relief agency scheduled for later in the day.

According to pool reports, Obama was joined at St. John’s Episcopal Church, a short walk from the White House, by his daughters, Malia and Sasha, and their godmother, Kaye Wilson. 

The first lady, Michelle Obama, was unable to join her family at church because she was preparing for campaign travel, according to a White House official. 

She is scheduled to hold two separate events in the swing state of Iowa on Monday. With Hurricane Sandy set to make landfall, Michelle Obama is now departing Washington on Sunday afternoon, the White House announced.

Later on Sunday, the president is expected to stop by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), where the National Response Coordination Center is managing the federal response to Sandy.

On Saturday night, Obama cancelled campaign events in Virginia and Colorado scheduled for early this week, and will instead monitor the storm's path from the White House.

St. John’s was not filled to capacity on Sunday, but the pool report estimated that about 150 parishioners were in attendance. 

During the service, Hilary West, a member of the church’s vestry, asked churchgoers to pray for the president and a host of other Washington officials. The church is also planning a “post-election” event, according to the pool.

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