Raleigh, N.C. — On the day before Thanksgiving, members of five Raleigh churches took on the drought. They said it was simply not enough to pray for rain, so they preached action, and gave thanks.

"We really liked the idea, and then it started to rain. So it was a pretty good signal maybe we were onto the right subject,” said pastor Steve Hickle.

Falls Lake, the city's primary reservoir, sank to an all-time low level Tuesday. The water level has continued to drop despite recent rains and declining water consumption by area residents.

“We got something just over 100 days of water. We've got to get serious about conservation,” church member Beth McAllister said.

Turning to the heavens for relief is nothing new. Last week, Georgia's governor led a public prayer for rain.

At West Raleigh Presbyterian Church, members were given a small container of water to take home as a reminder of its importance. Five churches collaborate annually on a Thanksgiving service, which this year was held at West Raleigh.

“It is important to remember that there are powers greater than just us on this planet. I think it's important to respect that and ask them to help us out every once in a while,” church member John Fawcett said.

The pastors involved felt it was also important to look at the bigger picture during the drought. So all of the money collected during the offerings will go toward building a water system for the people living in drought strickened Ethiopia.