Worshippers at Howard, Nationwide Give Praise for Obama’s Victory

With the gospel single “Never Would’ve Made It” by Marvin Sapp blaring through the speakers during Sunday morning service, political prayers have been answered for the church family of Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel at Howard University.

It has been a long 21 months of campaigning for the president-elect, but chapel-goer Andrew Brinks says, “God has a plan for Barack Obama, and he will succeed in all that he will do.”

Like many churches across the country, Chapel was packed with grateful people ready for Obama to take office, declaring that his presidency was ordained and lifting him up in prayer. Some churches, like Reid Temple A.M.E. Church in Glenn Dale, Md., even planned evening rallies to cap off a day of emotional services.

Along with Bernard L. Richardson, dean of Chapel at Howard, leading worship today was keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Suzan D. Johnson Cook, senior pastor of Believers’ Christian Fellowship in New York.

Cook preached on the present generation becoming the students for Obama’s future. She said the 4.0 GPAs, all-night studying and extra credit are a must for a time like this.

“We need Howard students with educated minds in technology and being Internet savvy.”

Cook’s sermon was based on the blessing Obama supporters received Tuesday night from the “gracious one above,” she said.

“Now is our time,” she said. “Everything we do comes from God.” Cook linked the story with Moses crossing the Red Sea in Exodus with Barack Obama’s journey to the White House. She says that with all the obstacles, road blocks and situations that Obama has been through, the end result was worth it.

“Look where he [God] has brought us from,” Cook declared. Through slavery and segregation, African Americans have now overcome. Cook also joked that with the first black president in office, everyone will now be barbequing in the Rose Garden while Obama’s daughters, Malia and Sasha, will be double-dutching on the White House lawn.

Cook is the former president of the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference. A woman of diligence and passion, she now leads the Women in Ministry International Summit, is the first woman Baptist minister to receive a White House Fellowship and served as one of President Bill Clinton’s domestic policy advisors. She is also the author of several books, including “Moving Up,” “Live Like You’re Blessed” and “Too Blessed to Be Stressed.”

Worshippers at Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel Church say that God has stepped in and shown America victory, hope and blessings. Barack Obama, they add, has God behind him in these next four years as America’s 44th president of the United States.