RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A Raleigh church got a surprise visit Sunday from one of the most powerful members of congress. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies (D-NY) attended Watts Chapel Missionary Baptist Church alongside Representative Wiley Nickel (D-NC).

Rep. Nickel said the Minority Leader was already in town for personal reasons. As Rep. Nickel told CBS 17, Rep. Jefferies took time to talk to folks after the church service.

“He said ‘Hey Wiley, I’ve got some time’ and I said ‘great come out and meet my constituents,'” Nickel told CBS 17. “People hear from politicians when we’re running for office towards November but I think it’s so important to get out there 24/7 everyday to talk about the issues.”

Nickel said Jefferies got to hear from people about the high costs of housing in the district as well as the high cost of healthcare.

Nickel said, “Democrats have 213, you know we are 213 strong in the House, it takes 218 to pass a bill so it’s a very, very narrow minority. You know Democrats control the Senate and the White House so if we want to get anything done, it needs to be done in a bi-partisan way and it means we have to bring everyone to the table.”

“One thing I think was worth noting here too, and this got lost in the chaos and confusion in my first week of congress, but for the first time in our nation’s history, we’ve elected an African American to be the leader of a major political party,” Nickel added. “That’s never happened before and just on that level, it was incredibly powerful to bring Hakeem Jeffries to Watts Chapel and talk about what we’re doing to help people.”