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Photo Courtesy: See You At the Pole Facebook page

'It's So Unifying': Students Gather for 'See You At the Pole' Asking God to 'Pour Out His Spirit'

Talia Wise
09-25-2024

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Thousands of students showed up early on their school campuses this morning with a singular focus – to pray for their friends, schools, communities, and the unsaved.

See You at the Pole (SYATP) is a global movement of prayer that is student-initiated, student-organized, and student-led. It takes place on the fourth Wednesday in September.

For the last 34 years, young people have gathered at their school's flag pole or other community location to "intercede for their leaders, schools, and families, asking God to bring moral and spiritual awakening to their campuses and countries," reads a statement on the SYATP website. 

The gatherings are constitutionally permissible at public schools because they're student-led and take place outside of class time, usually before school starts. Adults are encouraged to pray in support of the students on campus by gathering nearby, at their places of work or worship.

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"Schools are more than buildings. God wants to be present in them and bring transformation," said SYATP. "This is the importance of prayer and the importance of See You at the Pole."

The movement, which began in Burleson, Texas, has spread across the globe, and on this day students "all around the world in every time zone, for 24 hours...will be praying for their school, friends, families, churches, and communities."
 

"See You at the Pole is a 'moment,'" said Doug Clark, National Field Director of SYATP. "We hope adults and students will consider turning that moment into a movement by praying every day. ...we need to ask God to pour out His Spirit on us more than ever. The heart of SYATP is extraordinary prayer."

This year's theme, "First, Pray," comes from First Timothy 2:1 which says, "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them." 

That theme encourages students to be bold and pray. 
 

Cassandra Posey, a parent of a Texas high school student, told Texas Scorecard, "Our students need to know it's okay to be a Christian in the public arena, and we know that when we come together in prayer, anything is possible."

This year, Christian music artists like Toby Mac, For KING & COUNTRY, and Lauren Daigle are throwing their support behind the 1-million student movement.  

These artists and others uploaded hit songs about prayer and evangelism to Interlinc Media with the goal of encouraging students to join See You At The Pole.

"When I was about 13, 14 years old as a homeschooler I actually got the opportunity to go to the local school to gather with some of my friends, some of my peers for See You At the Poles, " said Luke Smallbone. "This has always been something that has kind of been real close to me in my heart because I've been able to see the power in prayer and to be able to see when schools and students get together and surround that flag and be able to pray together something real significant takes place."

The Grammy Award-winning artists encouraged students to ask their fellow classmates to join them.

"It's so unifying," Joel Smallbone added. "There's so much division so often in life, in school, in relationships, and prayer really unites us...not only with God but with each other. That's why having that incredible turnout where you're all aligning your heart at one point and one moment is incredible."

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About The Author

Talia
Wise

Talia Wise has served as a multi-media producer for CBNNews.com, CBN Newswatch, The Prayer Link, and CBN News social media outlets. Prior to joining CBN News she worked for Fox Sports Florida producing and reporting. Talia earned a master’s degree in journalism from Regent University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia.
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