Members of the Black Christian Leaders’ Forum in the UK have taken up the ‘Yes we can’ mantra of America’s first black president by declaring that there is an Obama in everyone.

“Very few of us believed Barack Obama would be elected president of the United States. America, we thought, is simply not ready for a black president. However, Obama's infectious hope and belief in reaching beyond the ordinary is a model for us all,” said Dr Joe Aldred, forum member and Secretary for Minority Ethnic Christian Affairs with Churches Together in England.

“There is an Obama in all of us, willing us to walk past every obstacle to our God-given destiny.”

Mr Obama made history when he was inaugurated as America’s first black president before a crowd of two million people on the steps of the US Capitol on Tuesday.

Fellow forum member Dr R David Muir, Director of Public Policy for the Evangelical Alliance, said: “There is a reservoir of good will for Barack Obama. His presidency marks a new era in American history and global leadership. His inauguration was a moving event; it brought together that diversity which is America.”

The Black Christian Leaders’ Forum is urging churches to continue to pray for President Obama and his new administration in the face of a deepening economic recession at home and military commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We call upon and encourage our churches, members and wider constituency to continue to add their prayer to the overwhelming good will around the world for President Obama and his new administration,” added Dr Muir.

President Obama’s first full day in office saw a whirlwind of change as he swiftly moved to propose the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility within a year and an end to military trials at the offshore centre.

In phone calls to Middle East leaders, Mr Obama communicated “his commitment to active engagement in pursuit of Arab-Israeli peace from the beginning of his term”, according to new White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.

Mr Obama also asked top US military commanders to draw up plans for a “responsible” withdrawal of forces in Iraq over the next 16 months and later stated his intention to review the situation in Afghanistan before developing a “comprehensive policy” for the entire region.