Standing near the courtroom where DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis is fighting charges of shaking down contractors for political donations, a powerful group of local pastors laments the seeming collapse of morals among the county’s political leaders.

“My heart is broken today,” said Pastor Collette Gunby of Green Pastures Christian Ministries. This group was formed to help kids in trouble with the law, she said. Now, they’re reaching out to officials tainted by the stench of corruption.

“First of all, we want to get out of the news,” said Bishop Quincy Carswell of The Covenant Church in Decatur. He hopes to meet with county leaders in the next few weeks to help guide them back to the path of righteousness. The group is also calling for 30 days of prayer for those same government officials.