Gaffney High JROTC cadets had a moment of silence Friday morning before school as a memorial tribute on the eighth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in Washington and New York City. Following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, a motto of many Americans was 'United We Stand,' drumming up a sense of patriotism bringing the nation together.

Eight years have passed since that fateful day, and in that time the list of issues this country faces has only grown longer.

It has always been said that "prayer changes things." For dozens locally and thousands of others across the U.S., it's the only option at this critical time in our nation's history.

"The sobering reminder of what happened Sept. 11, 2001, should help us remember in this critical year that we are a nation in need of God," said Billy Wilson, executive chairman of the Christian-based Awakening America Alliance.

Though only for a few minutes out of their day, prayers were spoken aloud at county courthouses across the country as part of the annual Cry Out America gathering.

Local residents converged upon the Cherokee County Courthouse to place the nation's many issues in God's hands as part of the nationwide Cry Out America prayer gathering. "This is our country, and we are commanded to pray for our nation and its leaders," said Northside Baptist Church pastor Dr. Edward McAbee, a chief organizer in the local "Cry Out America" event. "This is something we do every year on Sept. 11, lifting this nation up to God as we believe He is the answer to this country's problems."

According to the Awakening America Alliance, only 17 percent of Americans attend church on any given Sunday and the percentage of today's youths who are committed to Christ remains relatively low.

"America has become the 3rd largest mission field in the world," the organization said in a prepared statement in the weeks leading up to this year's Cry Out America event. "The present spiritual condition of our nation demands united decisive action. We need more than one positive election, more than one court decision, more than one good series of sermons, and more than one significant local church revival.

"We must experience a new national awakening in our generation."

In his well-known study, 'The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire,' late English historian and member of Parliament Edward Gibbons gave a number of reasons for why Rome collapsed, including government spending, failure to see moral erosion and the decay of religion without guidance.

Wanting to ensure America does not follow the same path as that of the Roman Empire, Wilson said the hundreds of people gathering across the country will ignite the next "great awakening" in U.S. history.

"Our stated goal for Cry Out America is to claim this day of prayer to fully awaken America to return to the Lord and mark this significant day in its history with powerful prayer for every state, every county and every heart," Wilson said, "… we believe a fresh season of deep transforming revival is on the way."