Students Nationwide Exercise Religious Freedom at Annual Prayer Rally
Continuing on the prayer tradition that began seventeen years ago with a small student-led group in Texas, students around the nation gathered at the flagpoles of their local schools Wednesday morning to pray for a spiritual awakening across campuses and countries.
The theme for this year's See You At the Pole (SYATP), a national prayer rally organized by students, was "Gather. Unite. Pray. Come Together" drawn from John 17:20-23.
"It's a great chance for students to step out and lead on their own, not to mention it's just great to be able to pray for your school and country," the Rev. Jim Taber, youth and college pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church told the Montana-based Billings Gazette.
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"It also gives them a chance to be together with students who may not be in their church, to find a commonality in their faith," Taber continued. "I think there's a great unity in it."
Around 2 million students in all 50 states participate in the prayer rally each year. They are also joined by students in more 20 nations, including Canada, Korea, Japan, and Turkey.
Students in the U.S. began the event Wednesday at 7 a.m., praying for the country's leaders, schools, teachers, administrators, and country.
"It's a great opportunity for people to come and pray for Christ and have Christ in their school," said Manda Ward, a freshman who attended the SYATP rally at West Lauderdale High School, according to WTOK TV News in Mississippi.
While it has been decades since the Supreme Court ruled that school-administrated prayer not be allowed in public schools, the legality of students expressing their faith through prayer is still valid, according to many supporters behind SYATP.
"It is certainly a constitutionally protected activity," wrote Dr. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, in a column that appeared in The Christian Post.
"Students do not leave their rights of religious expression at home," wrote Land, citing guidelines released by the U.S. Department of Education in 1998 that state students' rights to engage in prayer and also talk to their peers about religious topics.
In Mississippi, the prayer event even found support from Gov. Haley Barbour, who earlier this week proclaimed the fourth Wednesday in September as "See You at the Pole" Day in the state.
On Wednesday, Barbour joined about 100 students at Madison Central High School to observe the prayer rally.
"It's emotional to see young people pour out their faith," he said, according to The Clarion Ledger of Jackson, Miss.
"When I was your age, we were allowed to have prayer in the classroom," he told students. "Be sure we don't let God and religion be driven out of the public square."
National Network of Youth Ministries, the group which coordinates the event, has encouraged participating students to submit their reports and photos to the official See You at the Pole website. Reports on the event will be released on September 28, October 5, and October 12.
On the Web: More information on See You at the Pole at www.syatp.com.
