CUMMING — The official observance of the Day of Prayer was held at 10 a.m. Thursday outside the old Forsyth County Courthouse in downtown Cumming.

Residents joined civic and government officials for the ceremony, which was led by Craig Richard, pastor of Oak Grove Baptist Church.

The group prayed for the community and its leaders, as well as for the state and nation.

A National Day of Prayer was first established by the Continental Congress in 1775.

The U.S. Congress approved a joint resolution in 1952 setting aside a day each year to recognize the tradition of prayer.