September 23rd was a Wednesday full of school prayer. Millions of students from all over the country came together in the morning and participated in See You at the Pole, a program based on praying at school.
The event goes back to 1991. A group of students were at a DiscipleNow weekend in the town of Burleson, Texas. After the weekend was over, they decided to gather together and pray around the flagpole at their school for their friends, their teachers, and their generation. The idea spread like wildfire, and within a couple of days, thousands of kids from all over the country did the same thing at their school.
Mt. Vernon High School’s See You at the Pole event was full of prayer and music. Members of FCA, or Fellowship of Christian Athletes, planned the event. The members read scriptures aloud, led everyone in prayer, and live music was even performed by Courtney Swillum (12), Tyler Barnes (10), and Austin McCannless (9).
Andrea Perry, ninth grade, was one of the estimated 75 students to attended. She stated, “All the people that came made it awesome; I didn’t expect that many people to be there.”
Everyone was very excited about the great participation. Sarah Elliott (11) said, “I liked how a lot of people showed up.”
The event wasn’t just about attendance, though. Students from all different backgrounds got to come together and acknowledge the same thing. Katie Baeza stated, “I liked it because it brought us all together, unified, all thinking about God and knowing that He’s there.”
Next year’s See You at the Pole event is already scheduled nationally, coming up on September 22nd, 2010. More information on what the program stands for, stories from other schools, and upcoming events can be found on the organization’s website, www.syatp.com. If you’d like to participate in FCA, they meet every Thursday morning in the high school gym.