Local schools participate in See You at the Pole

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Florrie Evans’ exclamation more than a century ago is still impacting teenagers today.

At a youth prayer meeting, she rose to her feet and said, “I love Jesus with all my heart!” Then the spirit of God fell in that place, and the brokenness spread to students and into the community.

That sparked a revival that eventually spread around the world, according to syatp.com.

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In 1990, See You at the Pole, a global day of student prayer, started as a grassroots movement with a handful of students praying at their school. Now, millions gather for prayer on the fourth Wednesday in September.

The student-led event is an opportunity to lift up friends, families, teachers, schools and the nation to God.

Before school started Wednesday morning, students, staff members and community members met around flagpoles at Brownstown Central High School, Seymour Middle School and Medora Community Schools.

The theme this year was “Broken” based on Ephesians 3:14: “For this reason, I fall on my knees before the Father.”

While there is cultural chaos, political unrest, division and a downward spiral of morality, darkness is just the absence of light, and this generation needs the spirit of Christ to fall down on them and shine bright, according to syatp.com.

Brownstown

Members of the Christian Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes facilitated the event at Brownstown Central High School. It drew around 60 students and staff.

Junior Kaylee Branaman offered a word of prayer before seniors KaCee Collins and D.J. Caseñas sang “I Surrender” by Hillsong.

Attendees then joined hands in a circle and shared prayers, broke into groups to pray and reformed a circle so everyone could join Collins and Caseñas in singing.

Branaman then shared some thoughts.

“I know how we are frustrated within our school and ask for it to change, but a lot of times, we are not doing a lot about it or we try and we try and we try, and we feel like we’re getting nowhere,” she said. “I really want to overemphasize to you the power of prayer. If you take five minutes once a week to pray for your school, just think about the change we could make within our school.”

She closed with a prayer to God.

“I ask you to help us to be your hands and feet, to guide our actions, our words, just being a smile to somebody in the hallway or asking someone how their day is and meaning it,” she said. “I ask that you help us guide our school, our community, our leaders to be leaders and help us step out and be like you.

“I ask that you protect us as we go and finish out this school year and to help us to just be those hands and feet and that image that you want to show to be more like you, God,” she said.

Branaman and sophomore Joshua Rogers, both members of the Christian Club, said they were happy to see the number of people attend See You at the Pole more than double this year.

“It was extremely encouraging to see people actually take the time out of their day and come,” Rogers said.

The Christian Club meets once a month, and one of its annual activities is organizing See You at the Pole. Members also help organize events at local churches and reach out in times of need.

“I think it’s really important because you have a place that you belong,” Branaman said of the club. “You have a place that you can go and you just know that those people are going to accept you for who you are and they are like-minded believers and you can just feel comfortable in that area.”

Rogers agreed that the club is important for the school.

“Because there, you don’t need to be afraid to take up the leadership that we’ve been called to by Christ, so we can be the hands and feet and have a face for it, as well,” he said.

For those attending See You at the Pole, Branaman and Rogers both said there were takeaways.

“That (God) can heal what we can’t. We can’t fix everything, but he can,” Rogers said.

“To be encouraged that you’re not alone,” Branaman said. “We have this community and to take advantage of that and to help show other people that, as well.”

Seymour

It was dark, cloudy and wet at Seymour Middle School, but it didn’t stop about 60 students from gathering to pray, sing praise music and read Bible verses.

Ryan Furr, a musician from Columbus, led the group in several praise songs and led prayer with the students during and in between songs.

“It’s wonderful to see so many of you here,” he said in the middle of a song.

Students gathered and read the lyrics to songs, which were projected on the wall on the entrance of the school.

Carly Kaiser, 13, is an eighth-grader who serves as a leader for Seymour Middle School’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter. The leadership is made up of six students who plan weekly activities and more.

Kaiser said See You at the Pole is a powerful event for youth because of the opportunity to praise God among peers.

“I think it is a great event that every student should be a part of,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity to show your love of God in your everyday life.”

Kaiser and other leaders read verses during the event. At the end, Kaiser prayed for students around the world who do not have the opportunity to worship publicly like Americans.

“Showing that there is a God and someone is going to be behind and you’ll never be alone is important to show,” she said.

FCA meets before school once a week for activities with about 50 participating, said adviser Ellen Gentry. Students don’t have to be athletes to join, she said.

“We do a Bible verse and then we do an activity that relates to the verse and then another activity,” Kaiser said.

Sometimes, they have guest speakers, play games or do devotionals.

“They try to rotate to give it a little variety,” Gentry said.

She said the group is a good example for other students throughout the school because they can show their beliefs.

“It shows them that they’re all right with sharing their faith and that they don’t have to hide it,” she said.

Wednesday’s event gave a major opportunity to do just that.

“It’s great that they can get together in this setting and pray together for things they feel need to be prayed for,” Gentry said.

Medora

Gracey Cobb returned to Medora High School for her senior year and decided See You at the Pole needed to be honored Wednesday morning.

Forty-two people showed up.

“We had not only people from our school, but we had people from our community come,” she said. “We had people that have graduated 50-plus years back but still know that they need to continue to have prayer for our school, and just to even keep the doors open, we need prayer.”

Cobb said that speaks a lot about the school and community.

“I feel like it says that we all are a strong-knit community,” she said. “We value our school very much, and it shows that everyone plays a part in what makes this school Medora school.”

Cobb started the program with a prayer for the day and shared why See You at the Pole is important.

She then had three people offer prayer — one for the nation, one for the community and one for the school. Speaking were Tim Gill and Labanon Bingham of Medora Pentecostal Church and Rob Johnson of Medora Christian Church.

After everyone recited the Pledge of Allegiance, teacher Carrie Brewer sang a song.

Cobb said she hopes attendees saw there is still a hunger for God in schools and that he is needed more than ever.

“If we continue to pray daily and see what we need, then miracles will happen in our schools and we don’t even know it,” she said. “We really need to continue to have God in our schools.”

Since she won’t be at the school for next year’s See You at the Pole, Cobb said she hopes someone else takes the reins.

“I’m really hoping that they will step up,” she said. “It’s out of your comfort zone. You’ve got to talk a little more than you would originally wish, but people need to voice out that we do need God in our schools and to keep that continuing.”

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For information about See You at the Pole, visit syatp.com.

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