Two evangelical Christian groups are calling for a national day of prayer for the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Association of Evangelicals and the Evangelical Environmental Network are organizing the effort.

"Evangelicals have always responded to moments of national importance and urgency with prayer," Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, said.

The two groups are calling on churches to set aside time in their services on July 18 to pray for the people of the Gulf, God's intervention and deliverance, and the impact of the oil spill on God's creation.

"Now, is the time for the church to intercede together for the people of the Gulf. Having just returned from a prayer walk in the Gulf, I saw the tremendous human impact of the spill," Mitch Hescox, president of the Evangelical Environmental Network, said.

Learn more about participating in the day of prayer for the Gulf here.