Hundreds Gather For Prayer Rally At Georgia Mall

Hundreds of religious freedom supporters showed up at the local mall in Dublin, Georgia last Friday to pray in support of a women's walking group.

Over 300 people from central Georgia attended the prayer rally on Friday, which was organized after a women's walking group, Dublin Girls Run, was told by a security guard that they were not allowed to form a circle and prayer at the Dublin Mall, owned by McKnight [MCK] Properties.

"I'm just really just in awe, just amazed. I'm just thankful. It's just unbelievable really to me," Tammy Brantly, leader of the Dublin Girls Run group, told 13WMAZ of Friday's turnout.

"And I just know that God is just so pleased with us and for that I am touched," she added.

John Engler, vice president for MCK properties, previously sought to defend the mall's actions, saying that there had been a miscommunication about the incident and that the security guard probably stopped the prayer circle for safety concerns regarding group congregation.

"The mall first and foremost has no issues or objection whatsoever with anyone of any religion denomination privately and quietly praying over there food before they eat or showing devotion towards their religion of choice provided it does not impose itself on others or take away from the overall shopping experience," Engler said in his statement.

"The information might have been not communicated properly and we've certainly handled that internally with our management and we apologize for that," he added.

Lynn Robertson, one of the participants of Friday's prayer rally on the front lawn of the mall, told WMAZ that she attended the event to continue the right to religious freedom in the U.S. "I just can't imagine telling my child that I've raised for 13 years that he couldn't pray in public anymore," she told the local media outlet.