Rick Perry prayer rally draws 30,000

Texas Gov. Rick Perry's "The Response" prayer rally was a hit Saturday, drawing some 30,000 people despite protests from civil liberties groups and others.

"This is a day that people are going to discuss for years to come," the governor--a potential 2012 candidate and evangelical--stated in his closing address.

Many questioned whether the day of fasting and prayer at Houston's Reliant stadium would draw enough of a crowd to prove significant. But stadium officials and event organizers said more than 30,000 people participated in the event, which aimed to ask God to intervene on behalf of "a nation in crisis." Another 1,000 churches and groups, and 80,000 individual online uses joined via a live stream telecast of the gathering, according to The Response's website.

Many groups protested the gathering, contending that by casting a state executive as the host, The Response illegally trespassed the separation of church and state. Meanwhile, some religious leaders accused Perry of improperly using religion to advance his political agenda. Still others said the Christian-themed event--which did invite other religious groups to participate--was exclusionary. And still others protested some of the event's more controversial connections including participation by Texas pastor John Hagee and the American Family Association's backing.

[You can read more about protests against the event here.]

Perry and his team disputed that politics played a part in Saturday's event, but the event is certain to have helped boost Perry's standing among evangelicals and religious voters, while also permitting him to connect with voters about their concerns for our country.

"Father, our heart breaks for America. We see discord at home. We see fear in the marketplace. We see anger in the halls of government, and as a nation we have forgotten who made us, who protects us, who blesses us, and for that we cry out for your forgiveness," Perry stated during his on-stage prayer to the crowd.

Perry has yet to disclose his official 2012 plans, but news of Perry taking an active hand in campaign-style activities continues to surface. The governor heads to the early voting state of South Carolina this week, where he will speak with GOP activists. Perry has also been reaching out to potential Iowa donors. He won't be participating in the Aug. 13 Ames Straw Poll, but an outside group has been running ads in the first-in-the-nation caucus state encouraging participants to write Perry in.