Photo by brmurray

Photo by brmurray

The Obamas have finally ended the speculation about which D.C. church they would join – by picking none of them, Amy Sullivan reports in Time magazine. Instead, President Obama has reportedly decided to make the same choice as George W. Bush, and worship at Evergreen Chapel, the nondenominational church at Camp David.

Given that the Obamas have appeared comfortable and even eager to be out in the city and part of the D.C. community, there had been some expectation that they would join a local church. They had even visited a couple of D.C. churches already. But the decision, according to Time, came down to having some privacy:

Obama was reportedly taken aback by the circus stirred up by his visit to 19th Street Baptist in January. Lines started forming three hours before the morning service, and many longtime members were literally left out in the cold as the church filled with outsiders eager to see the new President. Even at St. John’s, which is so accustomed to presidential visitors that it is known as the “Church of the Presidents,” worshippers couldn’t help themselves from snapping photos of Obama on their camera phones as they walked down the aisle past him to take communion.

UPDATE: The White House disputes this story, saying the Obamas are still looking for a church.