CRESTVIEW — More than 30 residents, religious and community leaders paused for a 15-minute observance of the National Day of Prayer at noon Thursday in front of City Hall.
"If there was ever a time in our country that public officials need prayer, it's now," Mayor David Cadle said during opening remarks.
Congress established the National Day of Prayer during the Abraham Lincoln administration; a presidential proclamation has observes it annually, Cadle said.
"Prayer brings communities together," Cadle said, quoting President Barack Obama's 2013 proclamation.
"There's never been a time in our country when Christians have been more under attack," Cadle said.
However, when Christianity comes under attack, it binds the community closer together, he said.
The Rev. Dale Walters of Joy Fellowship church offered a hopeful message, saying, "I believe my God is bigger than any decline in America. My God is a God of hope."
After Walters' remarks, the Rev. Patrick Pfrimmer of Woodlawn Baptist Church closed the observance with a prayer.
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview mayor: Christians under attack more than ever