Obama Won't Pick New Church for Now

Sen. Barack Obama is taking a break from church until after the presidential election.

Campaign staffers told the New York Post that Obama will visit different houses of worship while he campaigns, ending 20 years of attending regular Sunday services. After the election, he will decide on a more permanent church for himself and his family.

Sources told the Post that by doing so, Obama will be able to avoid a scandal similar to the controversy that erupted over his relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, whose racially charged sermons triggered a firestorm of criticism.

Obama is a member of the Protestant United Church of Christ, and there are five such churches near the White House. The UCC's national leadership is trying to keep Obama in in the fold, said Doug Clark, pastor of the First Congregational UCC church in Washington, D.C.