A Brooklyn church recognized the work of the NYPD Sunday, and its members prayed for the protection of officers on the force.

Wesleyan Methodist Church in Crown Heights invited officers and police chiefs from the 71st, 73rd and 75 precincts to the house of worship.

Congregants prayed for their protection as they patrol Brooklyn, and asked God to give all police officers wisdom in every situation.

The pastor of the church says there is a lot of tension and mistrust in the atmosphere, so bringing the officers to the church to pray for them was a way to bring the community together and to show that respect is needed on both sides.

The idea for the invitation came from church member Angela Morgan Vanness and her husband Robert Vanness, who is a police officer.