RALLIES SET AT 'POLE' DAY

Prayer rallies and Christian activities on school campuses can have a much greater impact for young people when entire communities work together, area youth ministers say.

Several area ministers have worked out details and promoted the 11th annual "See You at the Pole" rally for Wednesday morning.

Before any school bells ring, students plan to gather around their campus flagpoles for prayer. Most area student groups will gather about 30 minutes before classes begin Wednesday morning.

Area youth ministers and parents also plan to attend in support of the students. However, the students will lead the event, not the adults.

Across the nation, organizers expect more than 3 million young people to gather in prayer; about 56,000 schools will have prayer rallies.

Despite recent court rulings banning school-sponsored prayers at sporting events, student-led prayers are legal. Three Southern Baptist Convention entities are encouraging students to participate in the event.

The challenge is for students not to "leave their faith at the school doors" but "to be proactive in living that faith in front of their peers," said Dr. Robert Record, president of the SBC's North American Mission Board.

That message is similar to what area ministers hope students learn.

"We want to get them excited," said Philip Davidson, youth pastor at Lynwood Baptist Church. A rally was held last week during events at the SEMO District Fair.

See You at the Pole offers a chance for students to become focused and have an impact on their classmates, he said.

Prayer shows "we all have the same purpose and become stronger" when working together, Davidson said.

Once students choose to "stay on purpose they will make a difference in their life and that makes a difference in the lives of the next generation," Davidson said.

See You at the Pole is an event that began with a single youth group in Texas in 1990 and has grown each year. More information is available at the Web site: www.syatp.org