Former VP Pence speaks at Atlanta church

ATLANTA - Former Vice President Mike Pence made an appearance at The Church of The Apostles on Sunday.

Pence is friends with the church's pastor Dr. Michael Yousseff.

He spoke about his faith journey, his new book "So Help Me God", and accomplishments of the Trump administration 

"It is my great honor to be part of an administration that stood without apology for the freedom of religion of every American every day. And appointed three of the justices to the Supreme Court that made up the majority that sent Roe vs. Wade to the ash heap of history where it belongs," Pence told the congregation.

Pence has not yet made an announcement of running for president in 2024, but has ramped up appearances in recent weeks. Pence is widely expected to launch a campaign for the White House in the coming weeks that will put him in direct competition with his former boss, who is the frontrunner for the GOP nomination.

Pence, who was a loyal lieutenant to Trump in the White House, has spent the years since he left office distancing himself from the former president. That has included criticizing Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump’s supporters violently stormed the Capitol building as Pence was presiding over the certification of President Joe Biden’s win. Trump was furious with Pence for refusing to go along with his unconstitutional scheme to overturn the results, and the two have been at odds ever since.

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at The Church of the Apostles in Atlanta on April 23, 2023. (FOX 5)

In his recent speeches, Pence has continued to tacitly criticize Trump as well as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, another likely candidate, saying the party must "resist the politics of personality and the lure of populism unmoored to timeless conservative values."

The Associated Press contributed to this article