While he was in the neighborhood, President Obama met with evangelist Billy Graham Sunday, marking the first time a sitting president has met in Graham’s North Carolina home, said A. Larry Ross, spokesman for the evangelist.

“I am pleased to have had President Obama in my home this afternoon,” Graham said in a statement issued Sunday. “He requested a meeting since he was spending the weekend nearby in Asheville. My son Franklin and I enjoyed a brief visit with the president, followed by a time of prayer together.”

The evangelist added that he encourages “Christians everywhere to pray for our president.”

The White House issued a brief statement about the meeting in the mountains of western North Carolina.

“The president had a private prayer meeting and conversation with Rev. Graham. He is extraordinarily gratified that he took the time to meet with him.”

(Photo credit: http://www.billygraham.org)