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Life
Students gather to pray By Matt Shaw | Daily Times Staff Writer Yawning teenagers, meeting once a year outside their schools for less than an hour -- how could that impact their lives, their communities, their nation? Yet, Wilson County students are eagerly anticipating Wednesday's See You at the Pole event, held at many area schools, and an all-school rally that night at Raleigh Road Baptist Church. "Any time you can get a large group of people praying together for our country and our school, it definitely makes a difference," said Sally Evans, a senior at Hunt High School and heading to her fourth See You at the Pole. "You can feel it. There are people there you may not see much or even know, but you feel connected through prayer," she said. Jonathan Dail, also a Hunt senior, agreed, saying "It unites us as Christians." During See You at the Pole, students think about the nation, our troops at war and their school, he said. They may wish for other students to develop closer relationships with God. "I have prayed for things, dealing with personal issues, and I have see God answer those prayers in tangible ways," he said. "The more I pray, the more I feel connected to God." Hunt senior Megan Davis said, "It's a great way to get all the Christians together on campus and express our faith." See You at the Pole is a movement that was begun by high school students in Burleson, Texas, in 1990. That group met at their flagpole to "intercede for their leaders, schools and families, asking God to bring moral and spiritual awakening to their campuses and countries," according to the Web site, www.syatp.com. In 2007, more than 3 million teenagers met for See You at the Pole in all 50 states, according to the Web site. The movement has spread to students in more than 20 countries, including Canada, Guam, Korea, Japan, Turkey, the Ivory Coast and, last spring, Australia. This year, participating students include groups at Hunt, Fike and Beddingfield high schools; Elm City, Forest Hills, Speight, Springfield and Toisnot middle schools; Greenfield School, Community Christian School and Wilson Christian Academy. Wilson Area Youth Network will be providing juice, milk and doughnuts to the students in the morning rallies. Nancy Boykin, a guidance counselor at Hunt, serves as liaison to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which plans SYATP activities at the high school. Typically, the morning rally attracts around 80-100 people, she said, although the crowd has been as large as 125. Events are supposed to begin at 7 a.m., although they typically run 10 minutes late or so. "These are teenagers we're talking about," she said with a laugh. Usually, the school's ROTC unit raises the flag. Then there is a short performance by a guitar player or chorus. The group breaks into smaller groups to discuss the year's theme, then they meet back at the flagpole for a group prayer. This year students are focusing on "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening!" It refers to the Bible story of how God first spoke to the prophet Samuel when Samuel was only a young boy. The rally must end by 7:50 a.m. when the first bell rings., Boykin said. In 11 years of overseeing FCA, Boykin has never heard any opposition to the rally or any concerns about the separation of schools and religion. "It is before school, completely voluntary and the students organize it," she said. "We have never had a problem." Wednesday evening, all students and their families are invited to the See You After the Pole rally at Raleigh Road Baptist Church. WAYNet will be serving pizza, beginning at 6 p.m., said the church's youth minister, Joe Strange. The program begins at 6:30, including a band performance and pictures from the morning's events. "This will be one of the biggest events; we're expecting 300-500 kids and adults," Strange said. Even though See You at the Pole is a student event, it has promise for people of all ages, he said. "I challenge all of our adults here to gather around the flagpoles with their children and pray," he said. "It's really neat." mshaw@wilsontimes.com | 265-7878
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