The First Family has kicked off this year 's Easter celebrations . President Barack Obama arrived at the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria , Virginia , on Sunday morning with his wife and daughters for the festive service . Rev Howard-John Wesley opened the service by welcoming the president , before urging the congregation not to take selfies with him . SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Festive : The First Family pictured outside Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria , Virginia , after the service . President in the house : Obama can be seen to the right of the picture above worshiping on Sunday . Singalong : The family ( pictured in the second row of the congregation ) joined in with upbeat hymns . 'How fitting that on the day we celebrate the rising of our Lord and savior , we also welcome our sitting president , ' Wesley said , as the congregation rose to their feet in applause . 'This is not selfie time , ' Wesley said jokingly . 'Let the brother worship in the house of God . ' It acted as the warm up for the annual Easter Roll , during which Barack and Michelle will perform their highly-anticipated dance to Uptown Funk . Churchgoers traditionally walk around to shake hands and give hugs during the greetings and announcements portion of service , but the pastor encouraged the crowd to stay in their seats and greet only their closest neighbors , as the sanctuary was tightly secured with Secret Service agents . The choir- including women in purple dresses and men sporting purple ties- sang a lively rendition of the hymn 'He Lives , ' stirring most of the church , filled to capacity , to clap , sing and sway in praise alongside the upbeat organ keys while ushers collected the tithes and offering . The lively pastor based his sermon around a scripture from 1 Corinthians 15 on the life and resurrection of Christ . People queued around the block for the service in Alexandria , monitored by federal security officers . Gathered in their Sunday best , the crowds prepared to worship in the 1803 church where Bill Clinton once sang . 'Where do you stand in the resurrection of Christ , ' he asked . 'You either believe it or reject it . ' Wesley said the sacrifices of Christ allowed the congregation to be forgiven for their own sins . 'He took the pain for me . I owe him my life . I owe him my praise . I owe him my hallelujah , ' he said . On Monday , children will flock from every state to decorate eggs on the South Lawn of the White House . Guests , around 35,000 of them , will enjoy a yoga garden and outdoor food stalls . The 'roll ' is a race , with children pushing an egg down a grass track using a long spoon . And this year 's performance will come from the president himself , it has emerged . Appearing on Jimmy Fallon 's talk show this week , the First Lady revealed that she will be performing a routine with So You Think You Can Dance contestants on the front lawn of the White House during the annual Easter Egg Roll . Well wishes : Michelle Obama tweeted this message to her thousands of followers on Sunday morning . Getting ready : This cardboard cut out of the presidential dogs Bo and Sunny is out for tomorrow 's Easter Roll . Not dressed up yet : The pups are expected to make an appearance at the event ... but not in bunny ears . It will be to the tune of Uptown Funk . Michelle said she has been practicing the dance , called Gim me Five ! , for over a year in the hope that it will inspire children to exercise . Alfred Street Baptist Church dates back to the time when Thomas Jefferson was in the White House . According to the church 's website , the Alexandria Baptist Society was formed in 1803 when members split from another church in the Northern Virginia city , and a slave was baptized that year as its first black member . Three years later , black members established the Colored Baptist Society as a 'conjoined ' church . In 2000 , President Bill Clinton visited Alfred Street a few days before the November election as he sang with the gospel choir and appealed for a large turnout of black voters for Vice President Al Gore in his race against Republican George W. Bush .
Barack , Michelle , Malia and Sasha Obama attended Alfred St Baptist Church . They sat at the front during service in Virginia on Sunday morning . The church is a historic structure built in 1910 by African American architect John Calvin Stevens for his congregation of about 200 people.