Pastor's Corner: 'See You at the Pole' taking place in Havre

Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, at 7:30 a.m., Havre middle school and high school students will be gathering at their schools' flagpoles to pray for their schools. Why? If there was ever a time our schools needed prayer, that time is now. And who better to pray than students who attend these schools?! How did this student prayer movement get started? Well, it's quite a story. I got it from the "See You at the Pole" website:

"A small group of teenagers in Burleson, Texas, came together for a DiscipleNow weekend in early 1990. Little did they know that God was about to move in power. On that Saturday night, the students were broken and burdened for their friends. Compelled to pray, yet not knowing exactly what to do, they went to the school flagpoles and prayed for their friends, schools, and leaders.

"Those students had no idea how God was using them to birth a movement. Those teenagers, like others who were holding similar prayer meetings at their schools, placed a vision in the hearts of youth leaders across Texas - for students to pray on the same day. The name 'See You at the Pole' (SYATP) came from an early brainstorming session and the vision was shared with 20,000 students in June 1990 at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas. At 7 a.m. on September 12, 1990, more than 45,000 teenagers met at school flagpoles in four different states to pray.

"A few months later, youth ministers from all over the country met at a national conference in Colorado. Many reported that their students had heard about SYATP and were equally burdened for their schools. It became clear that students across the country would be taking part. There was no stopping them!

"On September 11, 1991, at 7 a.m., an estimated one million students gathered at school flagpoles from Boston to Los Angeles. See You at the Pole has grown to God-sized proportions, spreading around the world. God used the obedience of a small group of teens to start an international movement of prayer among young people. In Australia, one youth group that went to several different schools met for SYATP in May, the start of their school year. Once again the word spread and now, students gather all over that nation.

"Today, more than two million students from all 50 states and more than 20 other countries participate in SYATP. Thousands of inspiring testimonies of how God has used students at See You at the Pole to impact lives affirm God's power to answer those who cry out to Him in humble dependence. Bible clubs, weekly prayer gatherings, and other on-campus ministries have been launched on campuses where students have stepped up and led out to pray.

Join millions around the world in asking God to bring revival. Whether you stand by yourself or among hundreds, know that you are part of a vast, united student-led movement of prayer. Be a part of what God wants to do on your campus, in your city, and our world through your prayers. Be a part of See You at the Pole."

The theme for See You at the Pole this year is "Just Pray." This theme originates from James 4:10, which reads: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." As mentioned at the beginning of this article, Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021, at 7:30 a.m., Havre middle school and high school students will be gathering at their schools' flagpoles to pray for their schools. The Greater Havre Area Ministerial Association is sending Havre Assembly's Pastor Edroy "Curt" Curtis to help with the SYATP at the Havre High School flagpole, and is sending Fifth Avenue Christian Church's Carrie Linie to help with the SYATP at the Havre Middle School flagpole. Curt and Carrie will be providing donuts and orange juice for the students praying AND for teenagers as they come to school and or as they get off the buses. If you would like to, please encourage your teenagers to show up at their flagpoles at 7:30 a.m. to spend a little bit of time praying for their schools. Thanks!

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Put together by the Rev. Edroy "Curt" Curtis, president of the Greater Havre Area Ministerial Association, Northern Montana Care Center chaplain and Lead Pastor of Havre Assembly of God Church; with the "See You at the Pole" story coming from the website syatp.com.