Millions of Students Pray at School Flagpoles
Millions of students took part in the 19th annual See You at the Pole prayer events held on Wednesday throughout the U.S. and in several other nations.
The theme for students praying at this year’s event centered on 1 Sam. 3:10—“Speak, for your servant is listening” (NIV). Organizers said students earnestly prayed early Wednesday morning for God to bring a moral and spiritual awakening to their campuses and nations.
Paul Fleischmann, president of San Diego-based National Network of Youth Ministries, which helps to coordinate the annual event, said each See You at the Pole gathering serves as a springboard for unity among teens. “Young people have taken unprecedented leadership through this to have a positive impact at their schools,” he said.
See You at the Pole in Canada also was observed Wednesday morning. Its official Web site points out that the prayer event is not a demonstration, a political rally, “nor a stand for or against anything.”
“This is all about students,” the site states, “meeting at their school flagpole, or somewhere else if you don’t have one, to pray for their school, friends, teachers, government and their country.”
Though pastors, parents and spiritual leaders seek to emphasize the apolitical and solely spiritual ambitions of See You at the Pole’s student-led prayer movement, activists concerned with a clear separation of church and state often pay close attention to adult involvement at the flagpoles—especially area pastors.
Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based Christian legal advocacy group, offers free legal services to students whose schools attempt to block them from participating in See You at the Pole events.
In addition to Canada, more than 20 nations take part in See You at the Pole rallies, including Guam, South Korea, Japan, Turkey, Ivory Coast and Australia.
