NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Students across the nation will gather to pray at the flagpole in front of their schools Wednesday as part of See You at the Pole, the annual student-led, student-initiated prayer event begun in 1990.

See You at the Pole -- which typically takes place at 7 a.m. local time -- gives students an opportunity to pray for one another, for their school and their nation, and it also allows Christians within each school to get to know one another.

The event started with a group of youth in Burleson, Texas, in 1990. This year's theme is "Connect" -- as in, connecting with God -- and is based on the story of 1 Samuel 3. Samuel, organizers note, began his relationship with the Lord as a young person.

"It all started for Samuel when he made a connection with God at an early age," a letter to students on the See You at the Pole website states. "And he chose to continue to connect with Him daily throughout his life. It's tough being a Christian student today, isn't it? You have to make a lot of choices about who you are -- and who you're not. You have to try and follow God in a world that misunderstands Christianity and tolerates its principles less and less all the time."

The prayer-focused event is held at the beginning of the year intentionally, officials say, so that Christians who meet at the flagpole can then encourage one another throughout the school year.

Last year more than 2 million teenagers across the nation participated in See You at the Pole. Teens in Australia and Canada also hold their own events.

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