Oklahoma ‘wholeheartedly’ observes See You at the Pole

“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” (Jer. 29:13 NLT).

“Wholehearted” was the theme for See You at the Pole (SYATP) this year. The annual worldwide prayer rally for students met on Wednesday, Sept. 27, and schools across Oklahoma “wholeheartedly” prayed for God to impact their communities and families.

“It’s really encouraging,” said Brian Baldwin, Oklahoma Baptists student missions and evangelism ministry partner, about the turnout for SYATP across the state. “You’re getting a lot of different backgrounds (of people participating). You’re not just getting Baptist people. You’re getting people who are interested and want to seek God. It may be one of the most unified events we do annually with students.”

Baldwin said Oklahoma has close to 1,850 schools, elementary through high school, throughout the state. Every school may not have participated in SYATP, but reports have come from all regions of Oklahoma where prayer rallies were observed at school flagpoles.

“I don’t know how many people were involved in See You at the Pole,” Baldwin said, “but it possibly could be measured into tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands.”

Baldwin offered three points of why SYATP is an important event for Oklahoma Baptists.

“It’s a rally point for all Christians to be united,” he said. “This is for the cause of Christ and not about secondary issues.

“It’s also a staging point for revival. They are praying for revival,” Baldwin continued. “I also think it’s a launching point for evangelism. People are asking, ‘Why are you doing that? Is this a protest?’ Obviously, it’s not a protest, but when you get people asking why we are meeting around a flagpole, it’s an opportunity for evangelism.

“With these ingredients, it’s a pretty cool recipe for a movement.” A movement for God to make a powerful impact among students.

The current generation of students, known as “Gen Z,” gives Baldwin much encouragement when it comes to reaching people for Christ.

“Gen Z is a cause-generated generation,” he said. “They want to live for a cause. I think God is doing a work with Gen Z. Actually, they share the Gospel more than any other generation.”

Baldwin referenced a recent poll that found 58 percent of Gen Z participants said they have shared the Gospel at least three times this year. “They are more likely to share the Gospel more than any other generation because they are cause-focused,” he said.

Oklahoma Baptists supported 16 different rallies on the evening of Sept. 27 that related to SYATP events. These rallies are supported through the Edna McMillan State Missions Offering (SMO).

In order to receive SMO funding, these rallies must have public invitations for participants to make spiritual decisions. In recent reports, more than 133 rally attendees made professions of faith in Christ.

See You at the Pole continues to make an impact at schools across Oklahoma, and rallies that follow experience people making life-changing decisions.

This is the result of seeking God wholeheartedly.  

Editor’s Note: The preceding photos were sent to the Baptist Messenger or downloaded from Facebook. To discover even more SYATP photos, visit facebook.com and search for an event near you.