The Message Bible states the Lord’s Prayer like this:

With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what’s best—as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You’re in charge! You can do anything you want! You’re ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes.

For twenty years now, See You at the Pole™ has been about students leading out in prayer, asking God to reveal Who He is on campuses all over the United States and the world.

On Wednesday, September 22, at 7 a.m., GATHER at your school flagpole, PRAY for your school, friends, families, and world. ASK God to REVEAL Who He is to your campus. Pray for AWAKENING.

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Someone needs to plan your school’s See You at the Pole™ event. Having a pre-pole planning meeting is a great way to get everyone together to talk about what you will do during See You at the Pole™. Many groups sing worship songs, read Scripture, and give testimonies while forming a large circle, then break into small groups of three to five students to pray. Remember—the focus of See You at the Pole™ is to pray! No matter what you plan, commit the most time to prayer.

A pre-pole rally is an excellent way to both promote and plan See You at the Pole™. Student groups, individual churches, or a group of local churches can host a rally. Some suggestions for a rally:

Use it as a final planning event before See You at the Pole™. A pre-pole rally is a great time for you to meet with other students from your campus to pray for the event and to go over the pre-pole checklist. This will help you make final preparations for See You at the Pole™.

Hold the rally sometime close to the event. Some groups have found the Sunday night before See You at the Pole™ to be a convenient and effective time to hold a rally. Things you may include: testimonies from previous See You at the Pole™ events, See You at the Pole™ promo DVD, speakers, worship band, etc.

If your rally represents two or more schools, then break up into groups per school. Have each group go over all the details of See You at the Pole™ and make sure all bases are covered and everyone knows what to do. Taking care of this important detail will insure you have a smooth and awesome time on the morning of See You at the Pole™.

Planning Checklist

• How will you handle distractions such as traffic noise, onlookers, etc.?
• How will you begin the event? Who will lead off?
• Will there be other elements, such as singing or reading Scripture?
• Will you hold hands, kneel, break into small groups, or remain in a large group, etc.?
• What will you pray for?
• Will students pray out loud or will there be silent prayer?
• How will you know when See You at the Pole™ is over?
• Will you stand up and pray, even if no one else will?

Students’ Rights

While there is no requirement to ask the administration or school board’s permission to meet, it is wise and courteous to inform the administration about See You at the Pole™.

According to your constitutional rights upheld by Supreme Court precedent, you already have permission to have See You at the Pole™ because it is student-led, before school hours, and outside of any school building. It does not cost the district anything financially for students to meet and pray, so you aren’t “establishing religion with tax money.” Read the United States Department of Education’s statement on Religious Expression in Public Schools.

If opposed by the school administration, you should:

1. Know your rights. Students who take leadership should be willing to back up their beliefs, if necessary, by studying the materials available. Visit the Alliance Defense Fund web site for more info regarding students’ legal rights.
2. Plan your response. If ordered by a school official to disperse during See You at the Pole™, you should respectfully leave the school grounds and pray off campus. The goal of See You at the Pole™ is to pray to God, not fight with man. You can make an appointment with the official later to discuss the situation.
3. Use your available resources. Expert legal counsel is available from several groups offering free assistance to individuals in religious-liberty cases. Timely intervention has resolved almost every situation with little difficulty!
4. Remember—above all, you are representing Christ.

For more legal help, contact:

Advocates for Faith and Freedom or call (888) 588-6888
Alliance Defense Fund or call (800) 835-5233
American Center for Law and Justice or call (757) 226-2489
Christian Legal Society or call (703) 642-1070
National Legal Foundation or call (757) 463-6133
Rutherford Institute or call (804) 978-3888
Pacific Justice Institute or call (916) 857-6900
United States Justice Foundation or call (760) 741-8086

The weekend isn’t only about having a GREAT time, though. Teens from all across Texas and beyond will be challenged to take steps toward becoming part of the greatest mission in the world. It’s the same mission the disciples, Paul and the New Testament Church purposed in their hearts to achieve with their lives. 1 Thessalonians says, “For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere..”  SEC is about students accepting God’s call to amplify the message of Christ from their lips and from their lives.

As such, the weekend will feature Fun, yes, but also dynamic worship and challenging messages from the skits guys and other various speakers.  Worship will be led by a popular group among the summer camp circuit, the Dutton Band.  They actually led out in Weeks 4 & 5 of Falls Creek this year… and we just missed them by one week.  Even still, they are featured in next year’s lineup at Falls Creek and may be the leaders during the week of camp we will be going to at Falls Creek in 2011.

It’s going to be one incredible weekend.  You don’t want to miss out!!!!

Some things to remember… Short devotional thoughts are a great starting point for any Christian, but there comes a time when the devotional must come to an end and you transition into just using the Bible. That is the thought behind the “Devotional to End All Devotionals.” It is a nine month journey of daily devotionals to help you learn how to read the Bible on your own and get the basics of spiritual doctrines and disciplines.

Weeks 1-4

Weeks 5-8

Weeks 9-12

Weeks 13-16

Weeks 17-23

Weeks 24-35

Find out more on Facebook.

The cost is $35 and deadline is July 28th!

Find out more on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=107078235986563#!/event.php?eid=136108036423518&ref=mf

The cost is $35 and deadline is July 28th!

Camp is almost here…  just a few days away!!!  This is going to be a huge week for everyone that is going!  We truly believe that God is going to do some extraordinary things in the youth ministry of Vansickle Baptist Church while we are away at camp next week.  But we are also praying toward that end!  We’ve tried to do things differently this year in how we prepare, and prayer has been a major part in it all.  It will continue to be: now, while we are away at camp, and even long after we return.  People are strategically praying for key youth and adults.

Because we want this experience to be so Different, we are having a special commissioning service for our youth during the morning service on Sunday, July 11th at 10:30 am.  We are asking EVERY youth and adult who is going to camp to be there during this special time.  We also need help from our parents and ministry friends to help get the word out.  If you have a student going to youth camp, or know of a student who is going to youth camp, would you please remind them about this special service?  We are all in this together… and are continually praying that God brings us closer and closer together as a family.

You are ALL loved.

In case you missed out on the Parents Meeting for Camp, we’ve put together a packet of information that details everything for this year’s camp.  There are even a few items included that were not in the original packet… i.e. Theme Nights, etc.  We’re gonna have a great time!  Don’t forget that you will need to have each of your forms turned in no later than July 11th.  Every student will need to register for at least two recreational activities (softball, volleyball, horseshoes, 3-point shoot out, disc golf, and the 5K run).

Parent Information Packet

Camp Registration Form

VBC Annual Release

Student Information Profile

Theme Nights