WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and his family marked the Easter holiday by attending a music-filled service at a historically black church in southeast Washington.

A boisterous crowd of more than 1,000 people welcomed the Obamas on Sunday at the Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Joining him at the service were his wife, Michelle, daughters Sasha and Malia, and his mother-in-law, Marian Robinson. Also attending were the mayor of Washington, Adrian Fenty, and his wife.

“Mr. President, you have no idea how much your presence has meant to us today,” Allen Chapel’s senior pastor, the Rev. Michael Bell, said after his sermon.

Southeast Washington was rocked last week by a drive-by shooting that left four dead and five others wounded. The area is also beset by high unemployment and poverty.

Bell said it was providence that the president would attend service at Allen Chapel so shortly after the shootings. It was heartening to know that southeast Washington has not been forgotten, he said, adding that Obama’s presence at the church was “bringing healing and hope into this community right now.”

Obama took communion at the end of the nearly two-hour service. He and his family have attended several churches since his inauguration but have not settled on joining a specific congregation.

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