Pete Buttigieg speaks to Rev. Barber's congregation at Goldsboro church

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg visited Goldsboro on Sunday as he works to improve his standing in a Super Tuesday state and with black voters.

Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, attended Sunday morning services at Greenleaf Christian Church, which is led by civil rights leader the Rev. William Barber. He participated in communion and sat through the service and music before moving in front of the congregation to speak.

Buttigieg sat with Rev. Barber to discuss a variety of issues, especially poverty. He took a handful of questions from the congregation asking him how he would address poverty if elected president in November.

While Buttigieg has gained ground in Iowa and New Hampshire, he’s struggled to rally black voters. A recent poll found just 1% of African Americans in South Carolina support Buttigieg. He’s also faced criticism following the South Bend shooting death of an African American man by a white police officer.

Samantha Cotten, a spokesperson for President Donald Trump's campaign, released the following statement:

"Pete Buttigieg will need to do more than staged campaign stops to make amends with the African American community. Voters know his abysmal record as mayor on crime, housing, and the lack of diversity in his administration. Meanwhile, President Trump is delivering on his promises with record low unemployment for African Americans and major reforms to the criminal justice system.”

Barber is co-chairman of the national Poor People’s Campaign and a former North Carolina NAACP president.