Obama attends church service before oath-taking ceremony

Taking final steps to his journey towards presidency, Barack Obama attended a traditional pre-inauguration church service on Tuesday ahead of a symbolic goodbye coffee with the departing first family at the White House, before being sworn in as the 44th US president.

Attired in a black suit and red tie, Obama along with his wife Michelle, who was dressed in a pale gold designer outfit, emerged from their temporary residence at Blair House at 8:47 am local time.

The couple stepped into a black armoured limousine for the two-minute drive to St John's Episcopal Church near the White House, making their first public appearance of the day.

Awaiting them at the church were vice president-elect Joseph R Biden Jr and his wife Jill.

After the church service, Obama and his wife and the Bidens headed to the White House in their separate vehicles to meet departing president George W Bush, vice president Dick Cheney and congressional leaders over coffee.

Bush and his wife Laura received Obama and Michelle after the new first family arrived at the Presidential mansion.

In his much-anticipated inaugural address, Obama will stress the need for "a new era of responsibility" as he lays out the challenges ahead, aides were quoted as saying by The Washington Post.
    
The report said he plans to sketch out a broad vision for the coming years in domestic policy, while urging rejection of the "false choice" between security and American ideals when it comes to foreign policy.