Making the Most of See You at the Pole

Over a quarter of a century ago, a small band of just 10 high school students in Texas were called by God to pray for their schools. He broke their hearts for those that were lost and distressed and needed to hear the gospel.

They decided that the best place to pour out their hearts to God was around a flag pole, and soon after, the small prayer meeting multiplied exponentially into a movement that involves over 30 million people each year!

But in reality, this powerful movement of God started long before 1990 and a long, long way from Texas. Here is the inception of See You at the Pole™ (SYATP):

So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere — in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”

 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile. When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying.

 They all met together and were constantly united in prayer… (Acts 1:6-14).

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the entire expansion of the gospel was placed squarely into the hand and feet of a small band of 12 high school-age disciples! But rather than run right out with bullhorns and billboards, they decided that the best place to pour out their hearts to God was in a room where they were “constantly united in prayer.”

Soon after, that small prayer meeting multiplied exponentially into a movement that now involves over 2 billion people!

And so the question for you is this…how can you make the most of See You at the Pole this year? How can you be a part of God’s movement in your generation to reach the hearts and souls of the lost?

Well… besides the obvious way of attending the event itself, I would encourage you to go beyond just showing up passively and, like the disciples, take the initiative to be proactive in what God is doing on your campus.

How?

First, here are some very helpful and practical tips from the founders of SYATP, based on their website, www.syatp.com:

“Someone needs to plan your school’s See You at the Pole™ event. Having a pre-pole planning meeting is a great way to get everyone together to talk about what you will do during See You at the Pole™. Many groups sing worship songs, read Scripture, and give testimonies while forming a large circle, then break into small groups of three to five students to pray. Remember—the focus of See You at the Pole™ is to pray! No matter what you plan, commit the most time to prayer.

Cover questions like:

• Have you informed your principal about See You at the Pole™?
• What time will you begin on your campus — the publicized time of 7 a.m. or another time?
• Where will you gather on your campus? Flagpole or another place?
• Do you have an alternative meeting place in case of weather issues?
• Do you have more than one flagpole to choose from?
• Have you informed the FCA and/or other Christian organizations on your campus?
• How can you encourage other students to promote See You at the Pole™?”

Second, don’t forget that this awesome event opens the door for THE Cause and opportunities to share the gospel. SYATP naturally directs people towards spiritual conversations, so pray about how God may use you to share your faith before and after the event.

To help you with that, Dare 2 Share has a fantastic resource available for your youth leader, so take some time today to email or text him or her about requesting up to 100 free copies of the Life in 6 Words outreach book here: share6campaign.com. They can get these to your youth group to give away on SYATP day.

Let’s not let this awesome opportunity slip through our fingers — instead let us be led by the hand of God!

Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action

See You at the Pole day is on Wednesday, September 23, at 7:00 a.m. local time. All around the globe, in every time zone, students will be gathering at their flagpoles, praying for their school, friends, families, churches and communities. See You at the Pole is a day committed to global unity in Christ and prayer for your generation, so get involved and springboard it into an opportunity to share your faith with your friends!

Accelerant: Fuel for THE Cause

Pray:  Father, thank You that we live in a nation where we can openly pray to You. Give us the boldness of the disciples, and may we see revival in our schools and across the nation.

Read: James 4:3. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

Get:  Life in 6 Words. Use this graphically stunning little outreach book to initiate gospel conversations with your friends who don’t know Jesus personally. Drawing from the virally popular You Tube spoken word video of the same name, this faith-sharing book has already been used to launch into hundreds of thousands of gospel conversation. YOUTH LEADERS: Get 100 free copies of this book for your students by going to share6campaign.com.