Students across the state gathered for prayer at their schools’ flagpoles on Wednesday, Sept. 25, for See You at the Pole (SYATP).
The event is a national student-initiated, student organized, and student-led movement that encourages students to gather at their school flagpoles for prayer in the morning on the fourth Wednesday of September each year.
“I always love seeing different groups of students from different youth groups come together to pray unitedly for their peers, teachers, school, and community,” First Baptist Church in Pea Ridge Student Minister Cory Bennett said. Several students gathered around the flagpole at Pea Ridge High School for prayer.
Taylor Cain, associate pastor at Sylvan Hills First Baptist Church and upper school Bible teacher at Abundant Life Christian Academy (ALCA), which is a ministry of their church they established in 1977, said they had 150 students gather to pray.
During the event, the ALCA worship band led the group in two songs. Additionally, community faith leaders from Central Baptist NLR, North Pulaski Baptist Association, and That.Church came to pray. Three students led the student body to pray as they gathered around the flagpole. Those students were Brandon Walker (Central Baptist NLR), Skyla Cope (The Ridge Assembly), and Clark Campbell (Sylvan Hills FBC).
“See You at the Pole is an amazing opportunity for our students to demonstrate the priority and necessity of seeking God in all things, including the public sphere. The hope is that the symbolism of the students encircling our nation’s flag translates into a real and tangible movement of young people undergirding the nation in prayer and discipleship,” said Joshua Townsend, ALCA head of school.
Students in Flippin also participated in the annual prayer event.
“Lifting up our school, nation, family, faculty, and community. Thank you Lord that we live in a country that allows us to come together in prayer at school. This year’s ‘SEE YOU AT THE POLE’ was a blessed event!” First Baptist Church in Flippin shared in a Facebook post.
During See You at the Pole at Greene County Tech Elementary School in Paragould, Holly and Charlton Cupp of Harvest Baptist Church helped lead in a couple worship songs and Harvest Baptist Church Kids Ministry provided donuts for the students. Holly said it was a great turnout of students, teachers, and several parents.
“It was a blessing to see so many coming together, unified in prayer in the name of Jesus Christ for our students, schools and nation,” she said.
These are just a few instances of students participating in See You at the Pole across the state.
