The Nexus

Early in the morning Sept. 24, about 40 students held hands in a circle. People spoke, but every person closed their eyes, concentrating, in prayer.

The students had gathered for an annual prayer service called See You at the Pole. Based in Texas where it began 20 years ago, See You at the Pole organizes Christians into groups at high schools around the nation for one day a year.

The Westview group faced the center of their circle, backs to the school entrance as students entered between 8 and 9 a.m. After standing in his spot listening to his peers pray, Richard Mu (12) began to speak.

Two weeks before, Mu’s pastor at the Chinese Bible Church, Dalon Chin, suggested that he and friend John Wang (12) lead See You at the Pole on Westview’s campus.

Mu and Wang have had experience with events like this.

The two are the leaders of a similar weekly meeting called Prayer Revolution, and Mu said their involvement with that group is why Chin asked him to lead.

“My pastor told me that I’m the one who has to introduce the people [at the event], maybe read them a passage to try and get [the event] started,” he said. “He selected a student who was prominent in such an activity.

But while Mu and Wang are the sole organizers of Prayer Revolution, Mu said that See You at the Pole’s preset date meant that his main responsibility was to get the word out. On campus, he handed out flyers. In other congregations, Westview students were encouraged by their pastors to attend.

And although this is the first time Mu has presided over the event, he said that See You at the Pole’s structure is familiar to him. The service has occurred yearly since Westview’s opening, and Mu attended it in his freshman and junior years. He said that he hopes people will maintain the event in years ahead.

“We want kids to be aware that this is happening,” Mu said. “I want to do this to pray, but also to inspire kids to be bold about their faith and to continue [this] tradition.”

David Goodwin (12), co-president of Christian Club, said See You at the Pole helped, and still helps, him find people like himself on campus.

“It’s like my church youth group,” he said. “We all come together and know each other [at church], and this is a way for [students] to come together.”

However, both Goodwin and Mu said that the event means more than just a chance to socialize.

“See You at the Pole is about unity and purpose,” Mu said. “We’re unified as Christians. Usually at school we get mixed in with everybody else. But there’s also a sense of purpose. When you’re holding hands and you’re focusing on what God is doing for the school, you’re very single-minded in your purpose.”

Mu began to conclude the service, breaking the silence after the last speaker to say, “I want to ask for God’s help.” The group’s unity was apparent, and it had been since Mu and Wang gathered the group together initially for introductions.

The group of students had sung worship songs as Sean Heavey (12) played guitar. They had prayed together, individuals telling their diverse intentions as the group listened silently.

Now, Mu finished the service, hands linked with two others, by quoting the Bible and praying for everyone in attendance to feel the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Forget everything and allow the Holy Spirit to consume your mind,” he said. Some students mouthed prayers; others moved their chins closer to their chests. Mu and the group said the Lord’s Prayer. Then, after an hour of standing and nearly 30 minutes of intense prayer, the group dropped hands and moved to their backpacks. Goodwin said that he was happy with the possibility of getting interest in Christian Club from the big group.

“We definitely had a bigger turnout than other years,” he said. “There were a lot of new faces. It’s been hard to get freshmen to come because they don’t know about the event. But I saw a lot of freshmen.”

For Mu, however, the event was not just about turnout.

“See You at the Pole is an experience,” he said. “I told them about [Prayer Revolution]. But it’s not recruiting. I wanted people to make it a powerful experience for themselves.”