STUDENTS VOW TO SEE YOU AT THE POLE

Hoping to get a better start to their day, hundreds of students gathered on school campuses throughout the country Wednesday for the annual See You at the Pole prayer rally.

The day is important because "you know you don't have to stand completely alone," said Andrew Rehbein, a student at Central High School in Cape Girardeau.

Praying for another person "allows you to see that people can build each other up," he added.

Dustin Nelson, whose voice echoed across the Central High school yard as he led the group in prayer, said "there is an amazing power when Christians pray for one another." He strongly encouraged the group to "pray for the eyes watching now that need to know what you guys know."

Students began arriving for the prayer rally at 7 a.m. and trickled in throughout the half-hour service to join the small circles spread out on the school grounds. Christian music played over a loudspeaker for students to hear as they walked into the building for classes.

A few onlookers gathered to watch and some others sat inside their vehicles in a nearby parking lot. About 20 parents and adults gathered on the corner of Themis and Caruthers across from the campus to pray for the students. The public was forbidden to come onto school grounds. Any religious-oriented activity at school must be student led, according to a school district secretary.

"That's like affirmation," said Billy Garner, a youth minister at Bethany Baptist Church who helped run sound for the students' rally.

"They're showing their support and what they are doing is leading by example," he said. The students want to also lead by example on their campuses, he added.

See You at the Pole isn't something that is considered a success by the number of students it draws. "If one person shows up then it's a success," Garner said.

Many students begin every day with prayer so Wednesday morning was no exception. "They are getting together to let the campus see that they are praying for them and that's a good thing."

Jon Lowrance was one of the students who came to See You at the Pole. He is also active in several other Christian events on the Central High campus, including First Priority, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and an informal prayer group that meets on Friday mornings. His black leather-bound Bible lay on the grass in the center of a circle as the teen-agers prayed.

The clubs offer encouragement for Christians and a comfortable atmosphere for students who might not otherwise attend a church service, Lowrance said.

The students prayed for school and community leaders, teachers and classmates, and each other before heading to class Wednesday morning. "There are tons of things you could pray about. Just keep it up," Nelson said as the group dismissed.