Cherry preached his first sermon at the Trinity AME Zion Church in 1981 and over the next 18 years, he would build a dynamic ministry, opening schools medical clinics and credit unions in addition to a broadcast ministry in which he appeared on television every Sunday morning. Cherry came into the national spotlight in 1995 during President Clinton’s State of the Union address when Clinton recognized the work of Cherry and his wife, Diana, to strengthen the institution of marriage through a number of programs and ministries.