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SYATP 2008

Wednesday September 24, 2008

This is all about students meeting at their school flagpole (or somewhere else if you don't have one) to pray - for their school, friends, teachers, government, and their country. See You At The Pole^TM is not a demonstration, political rally, nor a stand for or against anything. All your promotional material can found here DOWNLOADABLE for FREE.

See You At The Pole^TM is always scheduled for the fourth Wednesday in September, which lands on September 24 this year. The suggested starting time is 7 a.m. but if that doesn't work for your school, choose a time that does.

The next step is to Sign up your school. You can use your school's web page to let other students in your school know where you are meeting to pray and connect.

You can also order the See You At The Pole Handbook through our online store for more practical, hands-on suggestions of how to run your SYATP event.

SYATP Canada Article

See You At The Pole Canada, better known as SYATP Canada, is returning to its roots! What originally started as a student-led gathering in the United States has now grown into a worldwide movement. Though the expansion of this commitment to prayer has been both been encouraged and welcomed, the idea of students praying for other students once a year was not the intention of the earliest founders of this flag-pole prayer experience. Rick Eubank, one of the originals, writes, "This was not meant to be a movement, but was simply a time when students took seriously the call to prayer and to make an impact... We'd been praying the entire year for our school, not just that one time."

SYATP is less about a one-day event and more about starting an everyday prayer commitment that brings people together and becomes a springboard for continued unity and caring in the schools across Canada. One man writes, "[Students] must engage their culture and live among the people as Jesus did (note: Matt. 9 is a good place to see where and how Jesus walked among the people). He loved them, touched them, and modeled what He wanted before them. Each student today needs to let God fill them up, and they need to live a life worthy of imitation. The next generation depends on their faithfulness to the calling."

The impact of this sort of daily living is life changing. One B.C. student explains how her whole school environment seemed to change. "Students and teachers alike began to notice the increased commitment to our school and peers. The teachers began discussing among themselves about the positive affects of the students who were praying - they even began vocalizing their desire for more of those students in their classes. The students that I went to high school with even talked of how they were being forced to re-think their stereotypes [about Christians]."

This year, See You At The Pole enthusiasts are inviting students, on Wednesday September 24, to join with one another to pray for their school - for their peers and teachers. With that being said, those advocating this day are clear in making it known that their intent is not to make this a one day event, but rather that it should be a reflection of what Christian students are committed to throughout the rest of the school year.

"Whether you meet at your flagpole, a friend's house, or your local Starbucks, may what is sparked continue throughout the rest of your life" writes a local SYATP supporter.