Gov. Rod Blagojevich prayed with several ministers in his home before heading to his office Friday, telling them he is innocent and will be vindicated "when you hear each chapter completely written," according to one of the pastors.

The governor has been alternately holed up in his home or his downtown office since his arrest Tuesday on federal corruption charges, accused of scheming to sell President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder.

The Rev. Ira Acree of the Greater St. John Bible Church, who said he initiated the contact, said Blagojevich would not discuss details of the allegations against him, including that he tried to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacant senate seat.

He said the governor discussed trying to get a legal and political consultation team in place, but feels as if everything is closing in on him and that he's not getting "any space or chance to sort anything out."

Acree and two other pastors _ The Rev. Steve Jones, president of the Baptist Pastor's Conference, and the Rev. Marshall Hatch of the New Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church _ arrived at the governor's home shortly after 8 a.m. and met with him for about 20 minutes.

Jones said they prayed with Blagojevich and his family.

"I look at it like this: Everybody that's hurting needs hope and the family needs hope and that's what our jobs are as pastors," Jones said. "Nobody should be left hopeless. Nobody, no matter what the circumstances."

Shortly after they left, a fourth minister, the Rev. Leonard Barr of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, arrived at the governor's house with his wife, Rita.

He said they were invited by the governor and that the two "prayed that he would continue to be a great governor for the state of Illinois."

Meanwhile, calls for the governor to step down are intensifying. The lieutenant governor has joined a bevy of lawmakers in demanding that Blagojevich be impeached, saying he has become an embarrassment to the state and can no longer lead. His approval rating plummeted to a shockingly low 8 percent.

"When you have no confidence from the people, in a democracy there's nowhere else to go but to resign," Lt. Pat Quinn said Thursday.

The impeachment push was part of a riveting political drama that extended from Illinois to Washington.

The Chicago Tribune reported on Friday that businessmen with ties to both Blagojevich and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson discussed raising $1 million for the governor to help persuade him to appoint Jackson to Obama's Senate seat.

Jackson flatly denied that he and his brother were involved in a scheme to get him the Senate seat.

"It is unfortunate that every appearance the governor makes and meeting he has taints everyone in attendance," Jackson told the AP Friday.

Citing unidentified sources, the Tribune reported that businessman Raghuveer Nayak and Blagojevich aide Rajinder Bedi told attendees at an Oct. 31 meeting that they needed to raise the money for the governor to ensure Jackson's appointment.

"Raghu said he needed to raise a million for Rod to make sure Jesse got the seat," an unidentified source who attended the meeting told the Tribune. Blagojevich also attended the meeting, which was sponsored by Nayak, an Oak Brook businessman.

A message left at a listing for Raghuveer Nayak in Oak Brook was not immediately returned early Friday. No published listing for Bedi could be found.

According to the FBI complaint, the Oct. 31 meeting took place the same day federal prosecutors intercepted a conversation in which Blagojevich claims he'd been approached by a representative for an unnamed "Senate Candidate 5" who offered cash in exchange for the Senate seat.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that Jackson was the candidate.

The scandal also has drawn Obama into the fold. He made his first public comments about it Thursday, calling charges that Blagojevich put Obama's U.S. Senate seat up for sale appalling and saying neither he nor his aides had any involvement in the governor's alleged scheming.

Blagojevich seems to be in no hurry to leave office.

Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero described the governor's mood as "upbeat" and "positive" and said "there's a sense of trying to return to normalcy." He said he knew of no decision about Blagojevich's political future or what the governor might do with Obama's seat.

His refusal to step down has struck some as odd given that wiretaps portrayed him as bored with his job, saying he was "struggling financially" and did "not want to be governor for the next two years."

But staying in office provides a financial benefit amid the turmoil: He continues to draw a $177,000-a-year salary. Some observers also wondered whether he might be seeking a deal with prosecutors to use the governor's office as a bargaining chip, possibly agreeing to step down in exchange for leniency.

There was also worry that the governor might still pick a senator, although it doesn't appear that anyone would accept his nomination.

The decision to launch impeachment proceedings largely rests with House Speaker Michael Madigan, who faces a strong desire among his members for quick action. They said voters are demanding it, and lawmakers are transmitting that message to Madigan.

Four House Democrats sent a letter to their colleagues Thursday seeking support for a motion to impeach Blagojevich. The letter asks members to indicate whether they oppose the idea or support it, or even whether they want to co-sponsor the motion.

Madigan, a Chicago Democrat who has often clashed with Blagojevich, said he will meet Monday with House Republican Leader Tom Cross to discuss impeachment. Cross said when they talk, he will urge Madigan to act immediately.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the daughter of the House speaker, threatened again to file a lawsuit asking the state Supreme Court to have Blagojevich declared unfit to hold office if he doesn't resign soon or get impeached.

Legislative leaders planned a special session Monday to strip Blagojevich of his power to pick a new U.S. senator, putting the decision in the hands of Illinois voters instead.

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Associated Press Writers Deanna Bellandi and Adam Goldman in Chicago, Christopher Wills in Springfield, Ill., and Associated Press photographer Charles Rex Arbogast and videographer Mark Carlson in Chicago contributed to this report.