september 26, 2006
Annual "See You at the Pole" Nationwide Tomorrow
Intent on making their lives count, millions of teenagers will pause tomorrow at the annual See You at the Pole. “Be STILL and KNOW that I am GOD” is the theme for See You at the Pole this year, taken from Psalm 46:10. Many are familiar with this Old Testament verse. But fewer would be aware that in context, the admonition was God’s recommended response to the chaos of natural disaster and wartime conflict, two conditions that are as familiar to modern man as to the ancients.
See You at the Pole is a student-initiated, student organized, and student-led event. That means this is all about students meeting at their school flagpole to pray—for their school, friends teachers, government, and their nation. See You at the Pole is not a demonstration, political rally, nor a stand for or against anything.
The annual See You at the Pole movement started in the Ft. Worth suburb of Burleson, Texas, in 1990. It originated with just one youth group who met at night at several schools around Burleson during a weekend retreat. SYATP brings students to their school flagpoles to intercede for their leaders, schools and families, asking God to bring moral and spiritual awakening to their campuses and countries.
In 2005, more than 2 million teenagers met for See You at the Pole in all 50 states. Internationally, reports came in from countries on six continents, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Germany, Ghana, Guam, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Malaysia, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Scotland and South Africa.
Some countries have launched SYATP movements with their own promotional efforts, including Australia (where it was observed this year on May 11; see stories at www.syatpaustralia.com) and Canada (on the same date as U.S.; www.syatpcanada.com).
Participants don’t have to pay anything to participate in See You at the Pole. “And we want to make sure that anyone running a program in the summer has something to hand out, if they need it,” noted Billy Beacham, president of Student Discipleship Ministries in Burleson, Texas, which creates all the promotional material for SYATP. “The resources are available for those who want them.”
Everything necessary for students to plan and promote a successful SYATP is available free at www.syatp.com. Additional promotional resources can be ordered online or by calling (817) HIS-PLAN (447-7526) between 9-5 (Central Time), Monday-Friday. Brochures, a promotional video/DVD, and posters are some of the materials available for 2006.
See You at the Pole is now held each year on the fourth Wednesday of September. This change from its earlier years was in response to the needs of students to have more time to organize See You at the Pole after the school year begins.
For more information about See You at the Pole and local event leaders, or to set up an interview, contact David Overstreet or Doug Clark of the National Network of Youth Ministries at (858) 451-1111 Monday-Friday from 9-5, Pacific Time; or e-mail syatp@syatp.com. There is also media information on the See You at the Pole web site, www.syatp.com.
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