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Erica Techo
Chelsea Middle School students gather in a group at the end of See You at the Pole on Sept. 27, 2017. Matt Britt (center) encouraged all students to go forth in their day, bold in their faith and to encourage others to seek out the love of Jesus.
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Erica Techo
Chelsea Middle School students pray in a group as part of See You at the Pole on Sept. 27, 2017. The global student-led prayer event encourages students to start their day with prayers for their classmates, school, country and other levels of community.
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Erica Techo
Chelsea Middle School teacher James Marshall leads a prayer by the school's football field on Sept. 27, 2017. That morning, students gathered at 7:15 a.m. for See You at the Pole, a national event that encourages students to gather and pray before the school day.
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Erica Techo
A student leader says a prayer at Chelsea Middle School's See You at the Pole event on Sept. 27, 2017. See You at the Pole is a global, student-led morning of prayer, and students gathered at Chelsea Middle starting around 7 a.m.
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Erica Techo
Matt Britt talks to students about the order of prayers at the Chelsea Middle School See You at the Pole event on Sept. 27, 2017. See You at the Pole is a global student-led morning of prayer.
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Erica Techo
Chelsea Middle School students gather in a group at the end of See You at the Pole on Sept. 27, 2017. Matt Britt (center) encouraged all students to go forth in their day, bold in their faith and to encourage others to seek out the love of Jesus.
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Erica Techo
A student leader (right) says a prayer at Chelsea Middle School's See You at the Pole event on Sept. 27, 2017. See You at the Pole is a global, student-led morning of prayer, and students gathered at Chelsea Middle starting around 7 a.m.
A crowd of students got to Chelsea Middle School early today, prepared to start their day with worship.
The students gathered at the Chelsea Middle School football field starting around 7 a.m. for See You at the Pole, an event that encourages students to gather around their school's flagpole, or in another designated area, to worship and pray for those around them. The prayers and worship songs are oftentimes student-led at See You at the Pole events and are a way of outreach for some students.
At Chelsea Middle School, student leaders offered up prayers for the three grade levels at their school, and teacher James Marshall prayed for school faculty. Matt Britt, a youth and worship pastor from New Life Church and the contact person from First Priority of Alabama, helped lead the students throughout the morning.
See You at the Pole is an important event for students, Britt said, because it encourages them to be bold and outright in their faith. If other students ask why there was a large group gathered by the football field, Britt told students to be direct in their answers.
"I feel like it's important for them to take a stand in front of their friends," Britt said, adding that they should talk about how they have Jesus as their lord and savior, and to welcome other students to come to one of the school's Bible studies or First Priority groups.
"You'd also be surprised. These kids can also relate to their friends a lot more than they can relate to us [adults]," Britt said.
By having students lead prayers during See You at the Pole, it makes the conversations about religion more accessible, Britt said, and it shows students that they do not have to be perfect to join in the conversation or seek to be more actively involved in the school's Christian organizations.
See You at the Pole brings around many students who are not actively involved, Britt said, and he is glad that it helps students see the relationship others have with their faith and to connect with a few faces around school, if they have any questions.
"It gives them a face of Christianity to connect with," he said. "... It gives them an opportunity to see that relationship."
