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'Prayer Is Always the Answer': Nearly 1M Students Gather Worldwide for 'See You the Pole' Event

Talia Wise
09-27-2023

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Students on school campuses around the world are gathering today to pray for their friends, schools, communities, and the unsaved as part of the annual See You At The Pole (SYATP) prayer event.

For the last 33 years, students have gathered at school flagpoles on the fourth Wednesday in September to pray for their friends, teachers, government, and nation.
 

Today, an estimated one million students in the U.S. and around the globe are expected to participate.

They'll sing, read scripture, and – above all – ask God for his blessing on their communities. 

"We are praying that students encounter the love and presence of their Father and experience His joy and comfort," reads a notice posted by the track coach of Nixa High School in Missouri. "We want more people to come to know Jesus and seek after Him with their whole heart. The mindset of the young Jesus is the mindset we want to see within the students of our generation."
 

See You At the Pole has led to the creation of Bible clubs, weekly prayer meetings, and other ministries on campuses where students took part in the past.

 

This year's theme, "Wholehearted," comes from Jeremiah 29:13 and encourages students to seek God wholeheartedly.

"Prayer is always the answer because prayer equals change," reads a statement on their Facebook page. "We pray that Gen Z will be a generation that wholeheartedly seeks after the Lord!"
 

Doug Clark, National Field Director of SYATP, spoke to CBN News last year and said the student-initiated, student-organized, and student-led event helps young believers see they play a vital role in the Church. 

"Historically, in the times where there have been a moral and spiritual awakening in our country it has almost always been led by young people," he shared. "We don't want to lose our vanguard."

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Clark said many students are still feeling the effects of the isolation, depression, and anxiety they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Our youth are just being devastated by the enemy and it is so important for us to focus on that and pray for them," Clark said. 

"We want to pour into them," he added. "They are the very best missionaries to reach their high school and junior high campuses makes it really important to pray for them."
 

Hundreds of participants posted photos online.

"You should never feel ashamed of what you believe. Continue to pray. Continue to shine the light. DO NOT BE ASHAMED," shared one parent on X.

 

Clark told CBN News he is always encouraged by the students' enthusiasm and hopes this event will turn into a movement of prayer.

"When students come together and they are looking across the circle they will see people they didn't know were Christians," he explained. "What we hope will happen, and what has happened in a lot of cases, is that students see others that are believers, and from the moment of 'See You At The Pole' then they start talking about a movement of prayer on their campus."

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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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