c. 1996 Religion News Service

(RNS)-Ever since the 1984 Equal Access Law allowed student-led religious clubs to meet in public schools, prayer meetings have been as legal an extra-curricular activity as pep rallies.

And a variety of Christian ministries and evangelical programs have sprung up, each designed to encourage kids to take their faith to school.

Here’s a list of some of the major Christian ministries and evangelical programs currently active in public schools:

True Love Waits, a campaign promoting teen chastity, was established in 1993 by the Southern Baptist Sunday School Board of Nashville, Tenn., and embraced by a variety of Christian denominations and evangelical ministries. In 1996, organizers say, an estimated 350,000 teens have signed cards pledging sexual abstinence until their wedding day.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes, based in Kansas City, Mo., was founded in 1954 as a bridge between church and school. The fellowship sponsors 5,600 weekly”huddles,”in public schools and private homes around the nation. In 1995, the fellowship began a separate program called”One Way 2 Play-Drug Free!”that encourages students to sign commitment cards promising to keep away from drugs and alcohol. More than 24,000 cards have been received at the group’s headquarters, many from students who are not members of the huddles.

See You at the Pole has been an annual event on public school campuses since 1990. Held each September and promoted by about 80 denominations, ministries and legal groups, it has drawn increasing numbers of student participants from elementary to college age. Last September, organizers say 2.5 million students prayed at the annual event.

48 Hours, a new effort supported by Campus Crusade for Christ, the Southern Baptist Convention, Focus on the Family and other denominations and groups, is a two-day evangelization blitz planned for students from grade school to college on April 12-14.

MJP END RNS