Saw You at the Pole?
by Ted Slater on 09/27/2007 at 1:47 PM
In a tradition that began in 1990, millions of students gathered together yesterday to pray for those both near and far from them. What started in a small town in Texas by some teenagers has grown into an event observed by students in every state in the United States and in more than 20 countries around the world.
Prayer, needless to say, is a good thing. Time spent communicating with an invisible Being, while in a sense intangible, is not wasted time. It inspires me to think that a handful of "mere" teens initiated something that has such significant and eternal consequences.
I'd be interested to hear if any of you have ever participated in See You at the Pole™. Do you know anyone who went "to the pole" yesterday?
1. Carrie said the following at 2:16 PM on Sep 27:
Wow. I haven't heard about that in a VERY long time!! I participated during my high school years. I don't think it had a universalist bent, everyone I remember being there was a bible-believing Christian.
It was student led, that much I remember. Maybe a few youth group directors/leaders/pastors were there. I remember that this was a very tangible way to live out your faith in a public school setting.
Before I drove a car, I rode the bus. The flagpole was right out in front of the school where the buses dropped students off in the morning. So, everyone saw us. It was a test and we all knew it. I remember feeling uncomfortable, but knowing I was doing the right thing.
I don't rememeber specific prayers, but I just remember knowing that everyone was staring at us.
2. Aria said the following at 3:09 PM on Sep 27:
I thought about it the other day because I was trying to remember how old my faded old See You at the Pole t-shirt was (actually I did figure it out - it had a copyright notice on it of 1995 which makes sense cause I know I won it at youth group in middle school).
Anyway, we always did it but it always seemd odd to be doing it at a Christian school where we didn't NEED See You at the Pole - the teachers and principals often ended up planning some of it, and most of the school would show up, and it just always struck me as odd considering its supposed to be student led and whatever...
I always thought we should have just left it to the public school folks - not that we didn't need to pray (not by a long shot) but it sort of forced a lot of people who weren't sincere about it into participating...
3. erin said the following at 4:13 PM on Sep 27:
I went to a big public school, and I was at the Pole every year (our flag pole was also right out front where the buses load and unload). I'm not sure how much of an impact we had on unbelievers, but I know that I was encouraged every year by the other Christians who came out to pray for the school and the nation.
4. Stephanie said the following at 4:44 PM on Sep 27:
I participated only one year out of four in high school - my senior year. This was because I didn't find it important enough to remember to get up early and come to school until that year. I remember being surprised to see who was there. That marked the start of desiring to live visibly for Christ, more than just wearing "go against the flow" t-shirts. It made me feel like I wasn't alone in my Christian faith in high school. I now look back and wish I had been more interested in my spiritual walk than in what guys i had a crush on each year. hind sight is 20/20. Thank GOD for his mercy to me, a sinner, and His grace as His daughter. :)
5. Hannah C said the following at 5:26 PM on Sep 27:
I did See You At The Pole my senior year in high school only, if I remember correctly. Now I'm in my freshman year at a Catholic college, and I don't think anyone did it. I don't think there is really a need for it here, seeing as the vast majority of students are Christian of some denomination. At my extremely large not-very-Christian public high school, however, it was definitely valuable.
6. Samuel PG said the following at 9:27 PM on Sep 27:
Oh wow, I haven't thought of it in years. I did it through junior high and high school. I went to a Catholic high school and was always the only one until my junior year when they found out about the event.
7. Samuel PG said the following at 9:29 PM on Sep 27:
Stephanie,
You actually made me laugh out loud with the "Go against the flow" t-shirt reference. Are you talking about the one with the Christian fish going the opposite direction of all the colorful ugly fish?
8. Glenise said the following at 10:19 PM on Sep 27:
Where I am, I guess the flag pole isn't readily accessible, so we had "See you on the lawn". The grass was wet, our numbers were few, but it was great to go out there and pray for our campus, our state and our world.
9. Collin said the following at 10:56 PM on Sep 27:
About 200 cadets at the Air Force Academy showed up for see you at the pole on Wednesday. Praise God, it's not all bad news coming out of our school, haha!
10. Joseph said the following at 6:30 AM on Sep 28:
I got to be a part of 8 SYATP's, couple in college. I heard the announcement last week at chapel but was already at work when it was going.
11. Stacey said the following at 11:21 PM on Sep 28:
In 1990 I was 9 and in 4th grade, but I still wanted to participate. My Mom, always the great encourager of my faith, took me and two of my fourth grade friends to the pole. We were the only ones there, beings as it was elementary school. I don't remember what we prayed for, but in my 9 year old mind I remember thinking I just did something wonderful for Jesus. I'm pretty sure He smiled down on us three little girls as we stood around that pole.
12. Bethany said the following at 7:28 AM on Sep 29:
I was homeschooled through high school and went to a Christian college, but this year at graduate school I went to See You At the Pole for the first time - or rather, See You In the General Vicinity of the Pole. It was a great time of praying for revival on our campus.
13. John said the following at 5:20 PM on Sep 29:
I participate in SYATP every year. But I wish that the government mandated "school" system didn't even exist in the first place.
In fact, it shouldn't.
No Christian students should ever be in a government "school" and Christians should be fighting to eliminate these "schools".
The system goes against our God given nature and indoctrinates countless millions in secular humanism, atheism, naturalism, etc.
Students go whole days, whole school years from K-12, without even so much a mention of God or if He is mentioned it's in a mocking way. It's in a way that makes Him look bad or His people look bad.
I encourage you to read:
http://www.mises.org/store/Education-Free-and-Compulsory-P94C18.aspx?AFID=1
http://www.reformed.org/master/index.html?mainframe=/christian_education/children_trap.html
14. Christine said the following at 12:46 PM on Sep 30:
I teach at a public middle school. This is my third year of teaching and my second year at SYATP. At our school, we had a little more than 20 people turn out last Wednesday. I was encouraged to find 4 other teachers there praying for our students, school and nation. (There are approximately 25 teachers at our building.) It was also neat to see students in my class who I now knew were Christians.
In response to John, although I can't speak for public schools across the nation, I know that in my classroom God is never mentioned in a mocking way. I also believe the Lord is using me in this public school as a light to the lost.
15. John said the following at 6:27 PM on Oct 1:
Christine,
You are one of the few. Thank God that there are actual true Christians in at least a small percentage of the classrooms. Where they are not, there are atheistic, agnostic, secular progressive teachers indoctrinating the impressionable youth in the state religion.
And you're right, you are a light to the lost. Quite a few lost. And that's sad. How sad that millions of kids every year have not a clue about the gospel. The majority never even have a chance to reject the gospel, much less hear it, for 13 years or more.
Government "schools" are a big reason why the USA is the 3rd largest unreached people group in the world!
The government indoctrination system is perhaps the greatest accomplishment of communists the world has ever seen.
I don't think communist Russia ever produced so many America hating atheists in all its 70 some years.
I would love to do more than rant about it on a blog. I'm in the system (mission field) doing what I can to be salt and light to so many lost souls.
But, with Jesus, maybe one day Christians will wake up, rise up and dissolve the "education" system and erect institutions that are biblical and constitutional.
16. Jeannie said the following at 10:29 PM on Sep 23:
I teach at a rural high school with a very large population of Christian students on fire for Christ. Our See You At The Pole was great! Several area pastors were there to show their support, and the students led music and prayer. Typically, there may be a few teachers who come, but we don't lead. We do join in the prayer circle and take our turn praying, though!
My 8 yr. old daughter went to her 1st SYATP at her elementary school yesterday, and my two sons had theirs at the middle school. That night, the youth in the entire county got together for a 'SAW you at the pole rally'. It made a big impact on them, too.