First Priority of Alabama

The Hope of Christ in Every Student

Will you pray for our students as they return to school?

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Students are starting back to school this month and they need our prayers. Please join us in praying for students, teachers, faculty and administration. Praying for the students in our area is not just a privilege…it’s a necessity. Students live in a tough world! Each day, students are subjected to literally thousands of offensive images and words. They also face an enormous amount of peer pressure to become part of what is considered normal by the world’s standards. Without prayer, these students will not be able to stand against the insurmountable odds they will face from childhood until they leave this world. Please pray for the safety of each school campus. Please be in constant prayer for students who don’t know Christ. Pray that Christian students will be bold in sharing their faith and that God will take away any fears they may have. When you pass by a school, pray for that school. Make a school zone your prayer zone. Plan a community-wide prayer walk around the schools in your area. The prayers for our students and schools are endless. We have put together prayer resources to help you. The resources below include 24 Biblical virtues that you can pray over students as well as prayer guides to assist with areas of prayer for students, their families, teachers and school administration. Will you join this prayer movement? Commit today to pray!

 

Prayer Resources:

Alabama Baptist Article

24 Biblical Virtues to Pray Over Students

First Priority Prayer Guide

Prayer Walk for Students

School Prayer Walk Guide

Prayer Walk Scripture References

Join our Race to 100 Challenge!

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What if I told you that for just $25 per month a student’s life could be changed forever? Yes, you read that right! That’s a large pizza and an order of bread sticks once a month. We would like to inform you about our Race to 100 campaign. We’re racing to find 100 people to give $25 per month for the next 12 months. That’s $300 a year. Your monthly gift will be used immediately to develop campus ministry for students on their local school campuses. Our goal is to reach every school in 22 school systems across central Alabama; that’s nearly 170,000 students. But, we can’t do this alone, we need your help. Will you prayerfully consider joining our race and giving $25 per month for the next 12 months?

The following are 12 important reasons to join the Race to 100:
  1. The largest mission field in the state of Alabama is the public school.
  2. More students will be equipped to share the Gospel with their peers.
  3. New resources will be developed to train students with evangelistic tools to share the Gospel.
  4. New First Priority clubs in middle and high schools will be started across our area.
  5. We will be able to reach a younger generation by starting new FPKids clubs in elementary schools.
  6. We will hear more student testimonies of “I came to know Christ through my First Priority club.” For some students, First Priority is the only youth group they are exposed to.
  7. First Priority’s HOPE Strategy works! Students come to know Christ every month.
  8. First Priority connects local churches as the body of Christ to build the Kingdom of God.
  9. A First Priority volunteer will make a difference in the lives of hopeless students.
  10. You will help students promote See You at the Pole on their local school campuses.
  11. You will help provide doughnuts, biscuits, pizza, drinks and other incentives for more students to attend club meetings and hear the Gospel.
  12. Students who respond to the Gospel will continue to be followed-up with by the local church.

For more than 25 years, First Priority has worked with local churches to raise up a generation of students who will choose to make Jesus Christ their First Priority. For years, church leaders have heard the claim that nearly nine out of 10 Christians accept Jesus as their Savior before the age of 18. If that statistic was accurate in the past, it no longer depicts U.S. society. Now Barna says that, “If Jesus is not already part of their lives by the time they leave junior high school, the chance of them accepting Him as their Lord and Savior is very slim (6% to be exact).” That is why we unite the body of Christ with a plan of action to influence the school with the Gospel.

 
Please prayerfully consider continuing your important partnership with the ministry of First Priority by joining our Race to 100. Thank you for your continuous support!
 

Thursday, May 4, is National Day of Prayer

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24 Virtues to pray over students in 24 hours

The first Thursday in May has been proclaimed a National Day of Prayer by the president of the United States. As you pray for our nation tomorrow, we would like to encourage you to pray for students, teachers, faculty and administration. Praying for students is not just a privilege…it’s a necessity. Students live in a tough world! Each day, students are subjected to literally thousands of offensive images and words. They face an enormous amount of peer pressure to become part of what is considered normal by the world’s standards. Without prayer, these students will not be able to stand against the insurmountable odds they will face from childhood until they leave this world. Please pray for the safety of each school campus. Please be in constant prayer for students who don’t know Christ. Pray that Christian students will be bold in sharing their faith and that God will take away any fears they may have. When you pass by a school, pray for that school. Make a school zone your prayer zone. The prayers for our students are endless. We have put together a prayer guide to help you as you pray on the National Day of Prayer. Below are 24 Biblical virtues that you can pray over students. Will you join this prayer movement? Commit today to pray!

  1. Salvation—”Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” (Isa. 45:8; 2 Tim. 2:10)

 

  1. Growth in Grace—”I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. 3:18)

 

  1. Love—”Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them.” (Gal. 5:25; Eph. 5:2)

 

  1. Honesty and Integrity—”May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection.” (Ps. 25:21)

 

  1. Self-Control—”Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do.” (1 Thess. 5:6)

 

  1. Love for God’s Word—”May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb.” (Ps. 19:10)

 

  1. Mercy—”May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)

 

  1. Respect (for self, others, and authority)—”Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word commands.” (1 Pet. 2:17)

 

  1. Biblical Self-Esteem—”Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:10)

 

  1. Faithfulness—”Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts.” (Prov. 3:3)

 

  1. Courage—”May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions.” (Deut. 31:6)

 

  1. Purity—”Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions.” (Ps. 51:10)

 

  1. Kindness—”Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” (1 Thess. 5:15)

 

  1. Generosity—”Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age.” (1 Tim. 6:18-19)

 

  1. Peace-Loving—”Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace.” (Rom. 14:19)

 

  1. Joy—”May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Thess. 1:6)

 

  1. Perseverance—”Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them.” (Heb. 12:1)

 

  1. Humility—”God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all.” (Titus 3:2)

 

  1. Compassion—”Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion.” (Col. 3:12)

 

  1. Faith—”I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them.” (Luke 17:5-6; Heb. 11:1-40)

 

  1. A Servant’s Heart—”God, please help my children develop servant’s hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men.” (Eph. 6:7)

 

  1. Self-Discipline—”Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair.” (Prov. 1:3)

 

  1. Gratitude—”Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 5:20; Col. 2:7)

 

  1. A Heart for Missions—”Lord, please help my children to develop a desire to see Your glory declared among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among the peoples.” (Ps. 96:3)

What amazing things has God done in your school this year?

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What amazing things has God done in your school this year? We want to hear from you!  

It’s that time of year again when we are getting ready to do our First Priority “School Year in Review.” We need your help to complete this year’s Review. Please e-mail us the following for your First Priority and/or FPKids club to ashlee@firstpriorityal.com:
 
– Average weekly attendance and number of salvations/decisions for the 2016-2017 school year
– Pictures of your club, students speaking, praying and living out the HOPE and/or FPKids strategy
– Anything else you’d like to share such as testimonies, student quotes, videos, etc.

Please help us out! We would love to include your pictures and updates in our “School Year in Review.” It will be a great recap of the 2016-2017 school year and you don’t want to miss out! We will be sure to send out the Review once it’s complete.
 
Please submit all of the above information by Friday, May 5, 2017, to ashlee@firstpriorityal.com. Also, if there will be teacher sponsor or campus coach changes next year, please send that information as well. You may also upload your pictures and videos to our Facebook Page. Thanks for your help!

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

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

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.

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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