Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is exploring a presidential bid, invited the nation's governors to a prayer conference with a declaration that hope for America lies in heaven, and we will find it on our knees.

The Christian prayer meeting event is named The Response, and its website speaks of a nation beset by accumulating debt, terrorism and natural disasters turning to God.

As a nation, we must come together, call upon Jesus to guide us through unprecedented struggles, he said.

This isn't Perry's first foray into Christian leadership -- when wildfires were raging across Texas in April, he declared a statewide, 72 hour Days of Prayer for Rain. The Response is backed by the conservative American Family Association, and the event has fueled speculation that Perry is shoring up his evangelical base in anticipation of a potential campaign.

Disasters Religion