Young members of the choir attend a morning Mass in memory of Nelson Mandela at the Regina Mundi church, which became one of the focal points of the anti-apartheid struggle, in the Soweto district of Johannesburg on Sunday, December 8. South Africans flocked to houses of worship Sunday for a national day of prayer and reflection to honor Mandela. The revered statesman, who emerged from prison to lead South Africa out of its dark days of apartheid, died on Thursday, December 5. He was 95. 
Members of the Morians Episcopal Apostolic Church gather to hold a service in honor of former South African President Nelson Mandela in Qunu, South Africa, on December 8. Prayer services were held nationwide as the country mourned the loss of Mandela. 
A woman stands next to flowers near the statue of former South African President Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg on Saturday, December 7. 
A woman and her son sit in front of a pile of flowers outside Mandela's residence in Johannesburg on December 7. 
Delegates from countries all over the world stand for a moment of silence for Mandela during the drawing ceremony for the 2014 World Cup in Costa do Sauipe, Brazil, on Friday, December 6. 
A child looks up at a bronze statue of Mandela in Johannesburg on December 6. 
European Union flags fly at half-staff at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on December 6. 
A woman prays at the Central Methodist Church as people remember Mandela on December 6 in Cape Town, South Africa. 
British Prime Minister David Cameron signs the book of condolence at the South African Embassy in central London following the announcement of Mandela's death. 
A woman cleans up outside the South African Embassy in Beijing where portraits of Mandela and flowers offered by people are placed on December 6. 
Members of the public lay tributes to Mandela in London outside South Africa House near Trafalgar Square on December 6. 
A man looks at a wreath of flowers and a picture of Mandela displayed inside the embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, on December 6. 
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden pays a silent tribute to Mandela before his speech at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, on December 6. 
A man wearing a T-shirt with a portrait of Mandela leads a group of mourners as they sing and dance outside Mandela's Johannesburg home on December 6. 
The South African flag is flown at half-staff at the Union Buildings on December 6 in Pretoria, South Africa. 
A news channel display in Sydney on December 6 shows a message following Mandela's death. 
A small crowd gathers in front of a statue of Nelson Mandela at Parliament Square in London, on December 6. 
A man lights a candle for Nelson Mandela outside the South African High Commission in London, on December 6. 
A bunch of yellow roses is left as tribute to Mandela outside the South African embassy in Berlin, Germany, on December 6. 
Australian and English cricket fans in Adelaide, Australia, observe a minute of silence December 6, to mark the passing of Nelson Mandela. 
A woman cries outside Mandela's house in Johannesburg after Mandela's death on Thursday, December 5. 
South Africans sing as they pay tribute to Mandela in Johannesburg on December 5. 
U.S. President Barack Obama pauses as he speaks about Mandela in the briefing room of the White House on Thursday, December 5. Obama said he was one of the "countless millions" who drew inspirations from Mandela's life. 
The marquee at New York's Apollo Theater honors Mandela on December 5. 
An artist who goes by the name Franco the Great stands beneath a Mandela mural that he painted in New York's Harlem neighborhood more than 15 years ago. He later added Obama to the mural. 
Keaton Anderson, 10, poses for a photograph while he and his father visit Mandela's statue at the South African Embassy in Washington on December 5. The statue is under renovation. 
South Africans pay tribute to Mandela in Johannesburg following his death December 5. 
A candlelight vigil is held December 5 outside Mandela's Johannesburg home. 
People light a candle for Mandela outside his home in Johannesburg on December 5. 
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- NEW: Official: 70 heads of state are coming to South Africa to honor Nelson Mandela
- Churchgoers in Soweto celebrate Nelson Mandela's legacy
- Services are held nationwide on a day of remembrance for Mandela
- A state funeral will be held December 15
Soweto, South Africa (CNN) -- There are still bullet holes in the stained-glass windows of this church.
They're a reminder, Tommy Zwane says, of the dark days before Nelson Mandela became his country's first democratically elected president.
The Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Soweto was at the heart of the uprising against apartheid -- most famously on June 16, 1976, when young students rebelled against the education system and were fired upon by police.
"Things were difficult for everybody, for black people in this country. We used to run and come to this church to pray to God so that he could come and assist us, because we were in trouble at that time," Zwane said. "There was no understanding between us and the government of South Africa."
Nelson Mandela, the prisoner-turned-president who reconciled South Africa after the end of apartheid, died on Thursday, December 5, according to the country's president, Jacob Zuma. Mandela was 95. 
Mandela became president of the African National Congress Youth League in 1951. 
Mandela poses for a photo, circa 1950. 
Mandela poses in boxing gloves in 1952. 
Mandela in the office of Mandela & Tambo, a law practice set up in Johannesburg by Mandela and Oliver Tambo to provide free or affordable legal representation to black South Africans. 
From left: Patrick Molaoa, Robert Resha and Mandela walk to the courtroom for their treason trial in Johannesburg. 
Mandela married his second wife, social worker Winnie Madikizela, in 1958. At the time, he was an active member of the African National Congress and had begun his lifelong commitment to ending segregation in South Africa. 
Nelson and Winnie Mandela raise their fists to salute a cheering crowd upon his 1990 release from Victor Verster Prison. He was still as upright and proud, he would say, as the day he walked into prison 27 years before. 
A jubilant South African holds up a newspaper announcing Mandela's release from prison at an ANC rally in Soweto on February 11, 1990. Two days later, more than 100,000 people attended a rally celebrating his release from jail. 
Mandela and Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda arrive at an ANC rally on March 3, 1990, in Lusaka, Zambia. Mandela was elected president of the ANC the next year. 
After his release in 1990, Mandela embarked on a world tour, meeting U.S. President George H.W. Bush at the White House in June. 
At his Soweto home on July 18, 1990, Mandela blows out the candles on his 72nd birthday cake. It was the first birthday he celebrated as a free man since the 1960s. 
Mandela and his wife react to supporters during a visit to Brazil at the governor's palace in Rio De Janeiro, on August 1, 1991. 
South African President Frederik de Klerk, right, and Mandela shared a Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for their work to secure a peaceful transition from apartheid rule. 
Mandela votes for the first time in his life on March 26, 1994. 
On April 27, 1994, a long line of people snake toward a polling station in the black township of Soweto outside of Johannesburg in the nation's first all-race elections. 
Mandela in Mmabatho for an election rally on March 15, 1994. 
Mandela was elected president in the first open election in South African history on April 29, 1994. He's pictured here taking the oath at his inauguration in May, becoming the nation's first black president. 
Mandela, left, cheers as Springbok Rugby captain Francois Pienaar holds the Webb Ellis trophy high after winning the World Cup Rugby Championship in Johannesburg on June 24, 1995. 
After one term as president, Mandela stepped down. Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki, at right, was sworn in as his replacement in June 1999. 
Mandela sits outside his former prison cell on Robben Island on November 28, 2003, ahead of his AIDS benefit concert at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town. He was sent to the infamous prison five miles off the coast of South Africa, where he spent 18 of his 27 years behind bars. 
Mandela shows something to a group of international journalists visiting the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg in May 2004. 
Mandela sits with his wife, Graca Machel, and his grandchildren at his son's funeral on January 15, 2005. He disclosed that his son, Makgatho Lewanika Mandela, had died of AIDS and said the disease should be given publicity so people would stop viewing it as extraordinary. 
The "46664 Arctic" benefit concert was held in Tromso, Norway, on June 11, 2005. 46664 was Mandela's identification number in prison. Here, artists who performed at the event surround him. 
Mandela attends an HIV/AIDs concert in Johannesburg on February 17, 2005. 
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton leans down to whisper to former South African President Nelson Mandela during a visit to the Nelson Mandela Foundation on July 19, 2007, in Johannesburg. 
A bronze statue of Mandela was unveiled in Parliament Square in London on August 29, 2007. The 9-foot statue faces the Houses of Parliament. 
Mandela leaves the InterContinental Hotel after a photoshoot with celebrity photographer Terry O'Neil on June 26, 2008, in London. 
Mandela meets in 2009 with international children as part of his 46664 Foundation. 
Nelson Mandela and his third wife, Graca Machel, arrive at the 2010 World Cup before the final match between Netherlands and Spain on July 11, 2010, at Soccer City Stadium in Soweto. 
Then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Mandela at his home in Qunu, South Africa, on August 6, 2012. 
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The evolution of Nelson Mandela 
Pres. Obama reflects on Mandela's impact 
Ex-wife: We interacted through prison bars 
The five lives of Nelson Mandela On Sunday, people filled the church's pews for a very different reason -- to sing, pray and honor Mandela's legacy days after his death in a home nearby.
Services at churches, synagogues and mosques throughout South Africa honored Mandela.
The national day of remembrance is one of a string of events planned to say farewell to the iconic figure who helped South Africa break the practice of racial segregation and end white minority rule.
A massive memorial service is scheduled for Tuesday in Johannesburg's FNB Stadium, which can hold 94,000 people.
A state funeral will be held December 15 in Mandela's ancestral hometown of Qunu in the Eastern Cape province.
At least 70 heads of state and 10 former heads of state have said they're coming to South Africa this week, government international relations spokesman Clayson Monyela said.
From the United States, officials said, U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will be accompanied by President Jimmy Carter, President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton and their wives. More than two dozen U.S. lawmakers are also scheduled to attend.
South African President Jacob Zuma, who announced Mandela's death Thursday, used the revered leader's well-known clan name Sunday as he asked churchgoers to remember the former president's values.
"When I say we pray for the nation, (it) is that we should pray for us not to forget some of the values that Madiba stood for, that he fought for, that he sacrificed his life for," he said. "He stood for freedom. He fought against those who oppressed others. He wanted everyone to be free."
In a suburb of Pretoria, parishioners said they were grateful for the man who saved them from revenge.
"His presence in our lives meant so much for the Afrikaaner people, allowed them to get rid of their guilt feelings and to participate in the journey that he invited us to join," Wilhelm Jordaan said.
In Soweto, Kathy and Stewart Allen said they don't normally attend the Regina Mundi church. But they wanted to be there on Sunday.
"We believe that this church embodies all the history, and everything that he stood for," Kathy Allen said.
Once again, Stewart Allen said, Mandela has brought the country together.
READ: Nelson Mandela: Man of many handshakes
READ: Mandela's words and deeds inspire
CNN's Kim Norgaard and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report from Atlanta.
