Thirteen-year-old Nikki Jarrow sat at a South Park bench, bowed her head and spoke softly.

“Dear Lord, I pray for the youth in our community — that you will be closer to them and you will be in their lives,” she said.

Jarrow was among more than 60 people who congregated at the park Thursday to observe a National Day of Prayer. For some it was simply a spiritual moment. But others also viewed the event as a way to proclaim their beliefs in a town that sometimes stands out in opposition to conservative Christian issues.

Douglas County, after all, was the only county in the Kansas to vote against the gay marriage amendment in April.

“There are people here who still want marriage to be preserved,” said 16-year old Chelsea Rebman.

Most of the gatherers were Veritas Christian School students led by administrator Jeff Barclay.

“We’re not protesting anything except the tragedies going on on our planet and the tragedies in our nation,” Barclay said. “It’s the duty of God’s people to pray.”

More than 2 million participate in the event nationally, according to www.nationaldayofprayer.org. National Day of Prayer was enacted by Congress in 1952 intended for all peoples of faith to pray to the God of their understanding.

Participants in the National Day of Prayer, which included students from Veritas Christian School, gather in prayer in South Park on Thursday.

Veritas students have participated in similar events. Last September, some gathered outside Lawrence High School for “See You at the Pole — National Day of Student Prayer.”

They prayed Thursday over issues such as abortion, euthanasia, cloning and evolution, the military, mothers of unborn babies, schools and teachers.

6News video: Students celebrate National Day of Prayer (05-05-05) NationalDayofPrayer.org

“Everybody’s been taking God out of everything,” 15-year-old Melissa Mayhew said, explaining why she participated. “We obviously don’t want that. … We just want to share our love.”