Some 75 people, young and old, gathered in prayer before the Ten Commandments monument Tuesday in City Park to ask for God's guidance in settling the controversy surrounding the Decalogue.

The date of the "Ten Minutes for the Ten Commandments" prayer service coincided with a special meeting Tuesday night of the Casper City Council designed to settle the controversy that has divided the community (see related story, A1).

The event was organized by the Wyoming National Day of Prayer organization .

Rev. Thomas Cross of the Christ United Methodist Church said before the ceremony that he went to the park to pray for God's guidance to end the controversy and unite the community.

Cross expressed hope that the City Council would decide to keep the monument in the park, but if that proved to be legally impossible, he said the he would pray for God's wisdom to guide the council in whatever action it needed to take.

Cross, along with Rev. Milo Miller of the Highland Park Community Church and businessman Will White, led the gathering in its 10 minutes of prayer.

All three men asked for God to guide the city of Casper so that its residents can be brought together and be known for their love for one another.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, White led the gathering in a rendition of "God Bless America."

Many attending the event voiced opposition to removing the monument from the park.

"I hate to see America's values stripped from our land," event participant Louise Devalt said. "You see the decay in our country and this would be added to it."

Will removal of the monument "make a big difference in a lot of people's lives?" Devalt asked. "Probably not. It is just one thing that I can do in my community to preserve my country as it was founded."

The Rev. Carl Wilson of the Central Wyoming Rescue Mission agreed, saying he, too, wished to maintain the traditional Christian values America was founded upon - and keep the monument in the park.

The history of America as a Christian nation has set a clear precedent, Wilson said. This precedent should guide governments like the Casper City Council to keep the monuments dedicated to the Christian faith, like the Ten Commandments, on city property.

Before and after the prayer service, Wilson helped to circulate a petition to the City Council asking that they honor the precedent set by the Founding Fathers and keep religion in the public arena.