GAINESVILLE - As the governor prays for rain Tuesday in Atlanta, Gainesville Mayor Bob Hamrick will be doing the same in downtown Gainesville.
Hamrick is asking the community to come together at 11:45 Tuesday morning at Roosevelt Square to support Gov. Sonny Perdue's request to pray for rain and relief from the drought. The governor's prayer vigil will be held at the state Capitol at the same time.
Perdue's office announced Wednesday that it had sent invitations to leaders from several faiths for the service.
A secular group said over the weekend it will protest the planned prayer service.
The Atlanta Freethought Society says the rally violates the principle of separation of church and state.
A spokesman for the secular group says Perdue wasn't elected as a preacher and "has no right to make a religious statement in behalf of Georgians."
The Southeast has been suffering from an intense drought in recent months that has threatened supplies of drinking water.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Monday
October 14th, 2024
2:27PM
