See You at the Pole planned for September 22

Next Wednesday, September 22nd, is the Global Day of Student Prayer, or See You at the Pole (SYATP), as it is more commonly known. Students throughout Mitchell County will gather at their respective flagpoles to pray before school begins.
This year’s theme is “Just Pray”, and the theme scripture is James 4:10, which says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Since 1990, middle and high school students have gathered around flagpoles on school campuses in Texas, across the nation and around the world on the 4th Wednesday of September.

A group of Christian teenagers in Burleson came up with the idea of praying for their school at the flagpole, and the annual prayer event began. Student-organized and student-led, SYATP is simply a prayer gathering. More information about the observance can be found at www.SYATP.com.

SYATP will be observed locally again this year. The prayer-event will begin at Colorado Middle School at 7 a.m. and at Colorado High School at 7:30 a.m. Students will gather for prayer at Loraine ISD at 7:20 a.m. and at Westbrook ISD at 7:30 a.m. Since SYATP is student-led, parents and other interested adults are encouraged to pray across the street from these campuses or in the parking lots.

To celebrate the morning’s events, local churches are hosting the annual county-wide Saw You at the Pole Rally at the 3M Palace Theater in downtown Colorado City from 6 to 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday evening. All 7th – 12th grade students across the county are invited to this free event. Younger students will not be permitted to attend, as this is an event geared toward teenagers and space is limited. The rally will begin outside block-party style, with music, giveaways and a hamburger supper out in front of the theater.

At 6:50 p.m., the doors will open and the event will move inside the theater where the local SYATP video footage from all campuses will be shown on the movie screen at 7 p.m. Following the video, a praise band lead by Sterling Burleson of Colorado City, will provide the music for the kids. Special guest speaker for the event will be Tyler Dipprey of Lubbock, Tx.

The rally will conclude at 8:15 p.m., and parents will need to pick up teens at that time. To ensure the safety of the event and all its participants, the entire 100 block of Walnut, between 1st and 2nd Streets, will be blocked off to vehicle traffic. Parents may drop-off and pick-up on 1st and Walnut. Drivers may park in the lots south of 1st Street behind the Baker Hotel and Railhead Building. Parking may also be available along the street. If you have any questions about the events or if your church would like to be included, please contact Toby Maddox at First Baptist Church by calling 325-728-3442.