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See You at the Pole™, the annual student gathering at school flagpoles across the country, is happening next Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 7:00 a.m. (YES, that's a.m.)! This year's Bible verse for See You at the Pole is John 17:20-23:
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
Did you catch that? Jesus' prayer for his followers is that "they be brought to complete unity" so that the world will "know that you sent me and have loved them."
You know the drill...school is typically a place where teens hang with those who are similar. Brainiacs, skaters, jocks, preppies, goths, or whatever carve out their own comfortable circle of friends and pretty much stick with them. But what if the Christians from all these different groups got together for ONE morning of prayer and demonstrated the unity they have in Christ? When the goth and the jock stand side-by-side in prayer for all the school to see, it could speak volumes to those who have grown cynical about the differences that divide us. Seeing kids from all groups of the school gathered together to express their care and commitment for their school and their God, is an attention grabber!
It will also be encouraging to you as a Christian. You may have had no clue that the preppy that sits across from you in English is a believer or that the jock four lockers down is interested in spiritual things. And it will be encouraging all year long to meet people in the halls that you saw at the pole and know you share a common bond of love for your fellow students and for God.
So gather your friends together and show up! Here are some strategic ways you can make the most of this coming event and use it to share your faith with your friends.
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Invite others! Get the word out - a lot of kids don't show up because they didn't realize it was happening! Invite your friends personally, whether they are Christians or not. Amazingly, 89% of teens say that they pray at least weekly. That means there's a huge reservoir of interest in spiritual things among your peers.
Talk about God! When you invite friends to join you for See You at the Pole, you are throwing the door wide open for God-talk. Try asking some of these kinds of questions:
- Do you ever pray? Do you think prayer is important? Be prepared to explain why you are interested in See You at the Pole. Explain that you care about your school and the kids in it and that's why you want to be part of gathering to pray together with others. If you need help explaining why prayer is important to you, check out the Soul Fuel article on prayer called See You at the Throne.
- What do you believe about God? Be prepared to explain what you believe about God and why. For help with this, check out the GOSPEL Journey.
- If your friends aren't interested in getting to school at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning to pray, follow up with an alternate invitation to come to your youth group some evening!
Pray! Do your part to make the See You at the Pole prayer time filled with praise to God, with humility, and with prayer for your school and your fellow students. Don't turn it into a rant and rave time against the heathen! Lift your school up in love, expressing your care and concern.
After it's over, look for opportunities to talk about it and bring up spiritual conversations. And if you hear someone bad-mouthing it, step up and take the risk of encouraging diversity and tolerance (those favorite buzzwords of the day!) that should rightly include Christians expressing their care and concern for their school to their God.
See You at the Pole!
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Jane Dratz works for Dare 2 Share Ministries in Arvada, Colo., a ministry committed to energizing and equipping teens to know, live, share and own their faith in Jesus. For more information on Dare 2 Share Ministries, please visit www.dare2share.org. Send feedback to jane@dare2share.org.
