First Priority of Alabama

The Hope of Christ in Every Student

Students UNITE together to share their faith stories

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Thursday evening, April 13, was a special night for First Priority student ministries. Not only was it Maundy Thursday, but students from Thompson and Helena High Schools participated in the 4th Annual UNITE event.

“Unite is an event where Christians and non-believers alike can come together to worship the One True God all under one roof,” said Luke Nichols, president of Thompson High School’s First Priority club. “Through worship and messages from qualified speakers, God can reach the ones who have not been saved and give believers a deeper understanding of the Word. Students from different First Priority leadership groups can give/share their testimonies and lead worship, encouraging other students to be brave and either share the Gospel with others or come to know Jesus for themselves. Ultimately, it allows students from schools in the area to come together and worship God while developing relationships with each other.”

 

At the UNITE event, students worshipped together led by the First Priority leadership teams of both schools. Several students also shared their faith story. Thompson High School First Priority Teacher Sponsor Libby Sevilla shared how God does not waste pain and times of hardships but can use anyone and any situation for His glory. Mya, a local First Priority student, shared her personal story of abandonment having a mom who suffered from Bipolar Disorder and how Jesus rescued her. A local college student shared his story of living through the April 27th tornados and losing everything and how he suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He explained how someone spent time with him just to listen and share about the personal relationship that Jesus desperately wanted to have with him. So many great stories were shared that night that touched the hearts of all those in attendance.
 
Ric Callahan, pastor of families from Westwood Baptist Church, shared a message and challenged students to be the salt and light sharing the Gospel by mouth not just witness by our lives and actions based from Matthew 5:13-16. He provided students a way to engage people with the Gospel by sharing the FIRE:
Family – Ask them about their family and where they grew up.
Interests – Ask them what their interests, hobbies, etc. are.
Religion – Ask them where they go to church or do they?
Evangelism – Ask them if you can ask a personal question? Have you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and come into your life?
 
This year’s UNITE event was a huge success and many were blessed by the worship, testimonies and message of encouragement. The students enjoyed the event so much that they want to expand with other schools next year.

Do we have childlike faith that God will answer our prayers?

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When you consider the power of prayer according to God’s Word, it should stir in us willingness to call out to Him whenever possible without doubt He will answer our prayers. This is exactly what we’re seeing in many of our schools in the Birmingham area – students calling out.
 
Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Witnessing a young generation seek God in prayer is always encouraging! First Priority’s FPKids program gives young students a platform to pray whatever is on their heart. Kids “believe without doubt, trust without reservation, live without reluctance, sleep without worry, and laugh without restraint.” This kind of faith can move the largest of mountains! Childlike faith in prayer is exactly what God is looking for. Faith can move a mountain but childlike faith and prayer can move God.
 
Matthew 18:3 says, “And he [Jesus] said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” When it comes to faith, adults tend to doubt. We’re skeptical. We’re tired. We try to intellectualize everything. We’re not sure God hears our prayers; or that even if He hears, He might have more important things to do than answer us. We complicate faith. On the other hand, many of the young students in our FPKids clubs have an unwavering faith. When asked to pray, there is no doubt they trust that God is with them and hears what they say. Is prayer active and alive in our schools? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” This confidence is contagious on many campuses. According to 1 John 5:14-15, we need to have this same confidence: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.”
 
Students don’t doubt. They ask and seek God with confidence in knowing that He will answer their prayers. They may be young, but their prayers and faith in God are powerful.
 
1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” So the question is, as adults, do we have this confidence and is this confidence contagious? Are we willing to cry out and believe? If you asked local students this question the answer would be “YES” every time!
 
James Cato

Area Director

Join us for our next City-wide with Special Guest Rick Burgess

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Join us for our next City-wide Luncheon!  
We would like to invite you to our next City-wide Campus Ministry Network Luncheon that will be held on Thursday, May 11, 2017, at 11:30 a.m. at The Church at Brook Hills in the Youth Facility, 3145 Brook Highland Parkway, Birmingham, AL 35242. Come join us for FREE lunch and a great time of networking and fellowship.
We’re excited to announce that Rick Burgess will be our special guest speaker! Rick is the co-host of the nationally syndicated Rick and Bubba Show. The Rick and Bubba Show is heard and seen across the country from the show’s home base of Birmingham, Ala. Rick is a New York Times bestselling author. He is a highly sought after speaker for all types of events but feels called to challenge men to become who they are called to be through the power of submitting to the authority of Jesus Christ. Rick is the husband of the former Sherri Bodine, the father of five children Brandi, Blake, Brooks, Brody and Bronner. Rick’s eulogy of his youngest son became the number one viewed YouTube video in the world for one week. Don’t miss Rick and his words of encouragement!
 

We will have many great give-a-ways and free youth ministry resources at this City-wide Luncheon. You don’t want to miss it! Please join us for a time of equipping, encouragement and fellowship. Save the date and make plans now to attend!

Are your students prepared to defend their faith?

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We hope you and your students will join us for the reTHINK Student Conference!     
Who’s waiting for your students? When they leave the relative safety of their homes, youth ministry or church, who is waiting for them at school, or the university? What contrary ideas will the culture throw their way? What challenges will confront their faith in Christ? How will they answer questions about the LGBT movement, Islam, the reliability of the Bible, evolution, etc.? Are they ready?
 
In Colossians 2:8, the apostle Paul warns us not to be taken captive by the false views of this world. Sadly, many of our Christian youth have been captured by the culture. Their ideas reflect the ideas of society. Their worldview is no different than that of their unbelieving friends. It’s time to help our students reTHINK.
 
The reTHINK Apologetics Student Conference exists to provoke a new generation to rethink their worldview, recapture the truth, and then reengage the world for the cause of Christ. This conference is designed for junior high, high school and college-aged students. It will be held Friday, April 21 – Saturday, April 22, 2017, at Briarwood Presbyterian Church, 2200 Briarwood Way, Birmingham, AL 35243. This is a great conference for families, youth groups, anyone! Register by April 20, and get the $35 rate! Price is $45 at the door. For more info, schedule, list of speakers and to register, click here. This is going to be such an incredible conference for your students, you don’t want to miss it!
 

7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens

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On Feb. 13, 2017, a group of seven churches in our Shelby County Network partnered with First Priority to organize school assemblies at Oak Mountain Middle School. The assemblies were held throughout the day during Physical Education classes and taught students about the 7 habits of highly effective teens by Sean Covey. Our goal was to come alongside the school and provide content to help make our teenagers more successful. Students learned about the following 7 habits of highly effective teens: 
 
1.  Be Proactive – Take responsibility for your life and actions – don’t blame others. (Ben Birdsong, Meadow Brook Baptist Church)
2.  Begin with the End in Mind – Define your dreams and goals and strive for them. (Jody Hooven, Christ Church United Methodist)
3. Put First Things First – Schedule your priorities, not prioritize your schedule. Think about what is important and plan for it. (Jason Richardson, Inverness Vineyard Church)
4.  Think Win Win – Have an “everyone can win” attitude. (Josh Knierim, Valleydale Church)
5.  Seek First to Understand Then Be Understood – Listen to people sincerely. (Debi DeBoer, First Priority Greater Birmingham and New Hope Cumberland Presbyterian Church)
6.  Synergize – Work together as a team to achieve more. (Robbie Crawford, Shades Mountain Baptist Church)
7.  Sharpen the Saw – Renew yourself regularly. (Alex Lovorn, North Shelby Baptist Church)
 
We strive to do whatever it takes to reach students and train them to be successful in life. We have also started mentoring 8th graders by doing 5-minute interviews with each of them on their report card. We do this in order to speak life over them and help them set goals to be more successful in the classroom. Students have truly enjoyed the encouragement they have received from this new program.
 
We would like to thank our local churches for partnering with us to inspire teens across our area. We would also like to thank school administration and teachers for allowing us to walk alongside you and your students to help encourage and mentor them.
 
Inverness Vineyard Church’s Jason Richardson talking with students about the importance of scheduling priorities

Win FREE tickets to Winter Jam 2017!

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CLICK HERE to register your youth group or First Priority campus club to win FREE TICKETS to Winter Jam 2017!

Winner will receive 25 free admission passes to Winter Jam 2017 at Legacy Arena at the BJCC on March 17, 2017. These passes do not guarantee entrance to Winter Jam in the event that the venue reaches full capacity. For more information on Winter Jam visit JamTour.com.

God is using students’ testimonies to change lives!

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This school year, we have seen exciting things happen in Thompson Sixth Grade Center’s First Priority club. This is a club that has struggled with student leadership in the past. At First Priority’s Leader’s Summit that was held in September, we focused on the “how to’s” of effective campus ministry and trained students on how to implement the First Priority HOPE Strategy. This strategy equips students with a plan of action to reach their school with the hope of Christ. There are now nine girls that serve on the leadership team at Thompson. The “P” week of the HOPE strategy is Prepare, which is designated for students to give their personal testimony of how Christ has impacted their life. Recently during Prepare Week, MaKayla, a 12-years-old student leader, got up and shared her story about how she was involved
in a tragic accident when she was in 2nd
grade. To summarize, she has a passion for horses and had been playing with a foal that she snuck up behind and it kicked her in the left side of her chest. She continued to share how she turned blue from lack of oxygen and then white as paramedics were called to the scene. Her mother began praying as she struggled to know what she could do for her daughter. CPR was dangerous because if the ribs were broken they could puncture the heart. The moment when all seems lost, Jesus is the answer… MaKayla’s only injury was a mark of the horse’s hoof imprinted on her chest. Her only reason for what happened is that God had a plan for sparing her life and she is now impacting her classmates by telling the story of how Christ has delivered her. Wow, to God be the glory! Speaking in front of a large group of students can be very scary, especially in middle school. We’re so proud of MaKayla for overcoming her fears, listening to God’s call and reaching her campus for Christ by sharing what God has done in her life.
 
This is just one testimony of what occurs every week on nearly 200 campuses across the Greater-Birmingham Area. God is using the lives of students to reach their peers for Christ. Equipping the next generation of leaders to share what Christ has done in their life is vitally important and has become our First Priority. Do you want to get involved? We need your prayer and support to continue equipping students with a platform, strategy and provision for ongoing effective campus ministry outreach. Call us today at 205.871.8886 or visit firstpriorityal.com to learn about the different ways you can help us continue to reach students with the hope of Christ.

Are your students prepared to defend their faith?

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We hope you and your students will join us for the reTHINK Student Conference!     
Who’s waiting for your students? When they leave the relative safety of their homes, youth ministry or church, who is waiting for them at school, or the university? What contrary ideas will the culture throw their way? What challenges will confront their faith in Christ? How will they answer questions about the LGBT movement, Islam, the reliability of the Bible, evolution, etc.? Are they ready?
 
In Colossians 2:8, the apostle Paul warns us not to be taken captive by the false views of this world. Sadly, many of our Christian youth have been captured by the culture. Their ideas reflect the ideas of society. Their worldview is no different than that of their unbelieving friends. It’s time to help our students reTHINK.
 
The reTHINK Apologetics Student Conference exists to provoke a new generation to rethink their worldview, recapture the truth, and then reengage the world for the cause of Christ. This conference is designed for junior high, high school and college-aged students. It will be held Friday, April 21 – Saturday, April 22, 2017, at Briarwood Presbyterian Church, 2200 Briarwood Way, Birmingham, AL 35243. This is a great conference for families, youth groups, anyone! Register before February 21, and get the $25 early bird rate! For more info, schedule, list of speakers and to register, click here. This is going to be such an incredible conference for your students!
 

Join us for a FREE Youth Pastor Summit!

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Join us for Student Leadership University’s
Youth Pastor Summit!   
Student Leadership University (SLU) has been privileged to host the Youth Pastor Summit (YPS) as a FREE conference for youth pastors and their teams for the past 20 years. Youth Pastor Summit is a two-day conference that includes speakers, labs, worship, lunch and free resources for student ministries. SLU does this event to invest in and encourage those pastors, educators and ministry leaders who are making a lasting impact in the lives of students.

The First Priority Greater Birmingham office is planning to attend the conference in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, April 24 – Tuesday, April 25, and we would like to invite you to attend with us! We have reserved several spots for Birmingham youth pastors to attend. If you would like to attend with First Priority, the cost is $125, which includes transportation, lodging and two meals. Lunch is provided on Day 2 of the Summit. We have rooms reserved at Hampton Inn in Franklin, Tenn. Click here for the full line-up, schedule, FAQs, registration, etc. If you would like to attend with First Priority, when you register, please indicate that you will be attending with First Priority Greater Birmingham AND also, please send an e-mail to Ashlee Lambert in our office at: ashlee@firstpriorityal.com, to let her know that you registered and will be filling one of the spots we have reserved. Also, let Ashlee know if you plan to lodge with us and she will send you an invoice. We hope you will take advantage of this great opportunity!

Help give your students direction

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Help give your students direction    
First Priority held its first City-Wide Campus Ministry Network Luncheon of the year yesterday at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in the Youth Barn Facility. More than 50 youth leaders and children’s ministers across the Greater-Birmingham Area attended for a time of equipping, encouragement and fellowship. Everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch from Chick-fil-A.
Our special guest speaker Jena Forehand, founder of Stained Glass and Living Deeper Ministries, poured out her heart and shared her testimony about the death, burial and resurrection of her own marriage, and what God taught her and her husband during that two-year journey. After Jena and her husband Dale got married and had children, everything seemed to be going really well. Dale became a deacon in the church, and Jena was leading Bible studies. “We were doing church,” Jena said. “We were being religious, but we didn’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ.” After eight-and-a-half years of marriage, they found themselves in a 15-month custody battle that culminated in a divorce. Several months later they decided to attend Christian counseling together and changed by God’s grace, they remarried. After God put their family back together, their son professed Christ as his savior. God saved their marriage and their son.
“Direction – God has a path for your life,” Jena said. “For so long we were being religious, but we didn’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ. During this time, God showed us our purpose. You have the incredible opportunity to help students find their path. Spend time with them and show them tangible changes in their path and walk with Christ.”
Jena closed by encouraging ministry leaders to balance their time spent with their families and serving students. “You get to decide who gets cheated, your students or your family. Pray that God will provide you with discernment when to cheat which relationship.”
We would like to thank Jena again for sharing her testimony and for her encouragement to help students along the path that God has for them. We hope you’ll take a moment to check out Dale and Jena’s ministries: Living Deeper Ministries and Stained Glass Ministries.
We would also like to give a special thanks to our sponsor, Hope Missions, who helped make this City-wide a huge success. Shawn Doss with Hope Missions provided ministry leaders with educational material about upcoming mission trips he will be hosting. Please take a moment to check out the different mission trip opportunities listed on his Web site. Thank you again to Briarwood for hosting this event, and thank you to all those who attended and joined us for a great time of growth and fellowship.
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