First Priority of Alabama

The Hope of Christ in Every Student

Will you prepare them for life after high school?

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As a student ministry leader, you know all too well the struggle students often face as they transition out of high school and into the next stage of their lives. If you are like most student pastors, you struggle yourself to know how to best prepare them for those challenges.
 
Join Tommy McGregor for a one-day, live training workshop to help you Bridge the Gap that your students will face after leaving high school. This event will give you insight, encouragement and a plan for how to structure your ministry so that you are sending out students who are prepared for the next chapter of life.
 

See You at the Pole Pictures and Recap 2017

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Students Gather for the 27th Annual 
See You at the Pole 
 
On Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, more than 25,000 local students participated in this year’s See You at the Pole (SYATP). Millions of students were involved globally. Before school, students joined together at their school’s flagpole in prayer for their friends, school, city, state, nation and the world. Many lives were touched, changed and challenged by one of the nation’s largest prayer movements. This year’s SYATP theme was “Fix our eyes“ and the scripture verse was Hebrews 12:2 – “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” This year’s theme message encouraged us to fix our eyes on Jesus and seek him. With the current state of our country, we believe this year’s theme was perfect. We encouraged students, school faculty, families, businessmen and women, everyone, to seek God in prayer for our nation.
 
“In the midst of what is happening all around the world and the devastation from all the storms and earthquakes, what a great reminder to keep our eyes on the One who is the solution,” said First Priority Greater Birmingham Ministry Director Debi DeBoer. “Jesus is the One and only Almighty God. We can’t let distractions around us consume our thoughts, we need to focus on Jesus.”
 
Thousands of students also participated in SYATP rallies held across the state on the evening of September 27. There were countless decisions made for Christ on this momentous day. During this important prayer event, students were encouraged to seek God and be in consistent prayer for their community, state, nation and the world.
 

10 Students profess Christ at First Priority’s Leader’s Summit!

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10 Students profess Christ at First Priority’s Leader’s Summit! 
 
On Tuesday, September 19, 2017, First Priority Greater Birmingham held its 13th Annual Leader’s Summit at Valleydale Church. The Summit is a high-impact, one-day conference that features live music and inspirational messages geared toward highly motivated student leaders and teacher sponsors involved in First Priority campus clubs. This year’s conference focus was “Fight the Good Fight” based from 1 Timothy 6:11-14.
 
Nearly 600 students, teachers, youth leaders, parents and volunteers from 50 intermediate, middle, junior high and high schools across Central Alabama attended this year’s event. Local school boards of education continue to endorse the program, allowing a group of students to attend during the school day and count the event as a field trip. Superintendents continue to excuse First Priority students and teacher sponsors to attend because they see the value in this type of leadership training event. They also witness the positive impact it makes on students’ lives. Superintendent of St. Clair County Schools Jenny Seals told us she continues to approve for students to attend because, “I know that our students will walk away with valuable leadership information that will help to prepare them for whatever paths they may choose.”
 
Praise and Worship Band More Than This kicked-off the morning with upbeat and interactive music that led students into the presence of God. To correspond with the “Fight the Good Fight” theme, students were trained in rounds. Executive Director of Lift Tour and YPS Jeff Wallace led Rounds One and Two – “Entering the Fight” and “The Role of a Fighter.” Jeff encouraged students to flee worldliness and pursue Godliness. Jeff gave students three goals of a fighter: 1) Upwardly develop and know God yourself; 2) Inwardly develop and own your faith; 3) Make your faith known. Jeff concluded his training rounds with a Gospel presentation. We are very excited to announce that 10 students responded and professed Christ as their Lord and Savior!
 
Founder of Stained Glass Ministries and Living Deeper Ministries Jena Forehand led Round Three “Arming for the Fight” and encouraged students from Numbers 14:24 – Caleb had a different spirit and followed God wholeheartedly. Jena provided students with four ways to have a “Caleb” spirit: 1) Be positive – stop whining; 2) Be passionate – believe God, He can do it; 3) Be patient – we are winning when we out wait the enemy…Caleb waited 40 years to possess the land; 4) Be persistent – never give up.
 
During Rounds Four and Five, led by First Priority Greater Birmingham’s Debi DeBoer and James Cato, students received intense training on our HOPE strategy.  They were also trained on the 3 Crowns Gospel presentation, which is a new evangelism technique that includes a video and guide on our Web site to help students share the Gospel daily with their sphere of influence.
 
Following the HOPE training, students enjoyed lunch from Chick-fil-A and cookies from Bud’s Best Cookies. Also at this time, we held a separate lunch for teachers to encourage them and show our appreciation for all their time and help with First Priority clubs.
 
To close out the day with Round 6 “It’s Worth the Fight,” students heard an inspiring testimony from First Baptist Church Moody Youth Pastor Joel Davis. Joel shared the traumatic birth story of his son, Noah, and the fight that he and his family have fought over the past few years. Joel encouraged students saying, “It’s worth the fight because the victory is eternal. Don’t be surprised when you find joy in the fight and blessings throughout the battles.” Students left enthusiastic and ready to “Fight the Good Fight.”
 
“I had so much fun learning about God and how to use Him in my school today. What a great way to start off the year.”
– First Priority Student Leader
 
“The Leader’s Summit was very informative, inspirational and gave me a great opportunity to spend quality time with the students outside of their school setting.”
– Angie, Teacher Sponsor
 
“What I loved most about Leader’s Summit was the emphasis of the Gospel all day leading up to how to present the Gospel with the 3 Crowns witness tool. It was great to open with a powerful speaker who gave a presentation of the Gospel, another speaker to hit home that it is Christian students’ responsibility to saturate their campus with the Gospel, then another speaker who trained students with a witness tool, and finally, Joel and his family to drive the point home! I loved the flow of the day with the emphasis all on the Gospel of Christ!
– Christal, Teacher Sponsor
 
Special thanks to our wonderful sponsors: Chick-fil-A and Bud’s Best Cookies!
 

See You at the Pole is in ONE WEEK

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See You at the Pole is NEXT Wednesday! 
 
See You at the Pole™ (SYATP) is NEXT Wednesday, September 27. We hope you will join the tens of thousands of students in our area and millions world-wide as they participate in the 27th annual SYATP. We want to make sure you have all the resources you may need to prepare for this special day. We hope you’ll visit our Web site for more information about this year’s SYATP theme and downloads that include graphics, news release and list of rallies that will be held on the night of SYATP. If there is a rally planned for your area and it’s not listed, please e-mail all details to info@firstpriorityal.com.
Please report your attendance numbers and post pictures to social media!
1. Call 205.871.8886 to report how many students attended SYATP at your school
2. Post your attendance numbers, pictures and videos on social media with the #FPAL – In your post, be sure to list the name of your school.
3. Tag First Priority in your posts @FIRSTPRIORITYAL
 
Also on Wednesday morning, First Priority Greater Birmingham President Greg Davis will be on 93.7 WDJC radio’s Call to Prayer show; be sure to tune in! Later that afternoon from 2-4 p.m., be sure to listen to Greg’s show, Priority Talk, on 92.5 FM or 850 AM WXJC and share the victories and struggles associated with this momentous day. Please call in to the radio show at 205.942.8585 to report the number of students that gathered around the flagpole at the school you attend.
 
On Wednesday, September 27, make sure your family and community CRY OUT together and take part in one of the LARGEST prayer movements in our nation. GATHER at your school flagpole, PRAY for friends, families, teachers, schools and our world. ASK God to reveal who He is to your campus. PRAY, SEEK AND TURN TO GOD.
 

Over 550 students made a decision for Christ during 2016-2017!

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Dear Friend,
 
For over 25 years, First Priority has worked to see the Hope of Christ in every student across the Greater-Birmingham Area. During this time, we have seen hundreds of thousands of lives transformed for the Kingdom. We thank God for His great power and we give Him all the praise and glory for these changed lives.
 
Wow, what another incredible year of First Priority and FPKids! First Priority has middle and high school clubs in 120 schools across Greater Birmingham. During the 2016-2017 school year, out of the schools that reported, approximately 13,000 students attended First Priority and FPKids every week when school was in session; and we are excited to announce that over 550 students made a decision for Christ on their school campus. There were countless more salvation decisions at First Priority sponsored events throughout this school year as well. These students were followed-up with to be discipled and become involved with a local church. Our God is good!
 
FPKids was a hit again this year with nearly 4,000 students in attendance each week. We have 44 FPKids clubs in elementary and intermediate schools across central Alabama. FPKids is a weekly curriculum that exposes children to the Biblical teachings of what “Jesus Said.” The FPKids curriculum consists of four parts that are repeated every month: Read It, See It, Live It, Tell It. Our mission is to reach students with Christ at a younger age.
 

The public school is the largest mission field in America. Students on our campuses work each week to ensure the Gospel is spread throughout their school. They are unashamed and eager to share their faith and help their friends mature in their relationship with Christ. The desire to see their friends accept the love and message of Jesus Christ is evident in the number of salvations reported for this school year. While students are reaching students, God is at work shaping lives.

 
In my 20 plus years of working with this great ministry, I can tell you that First Priority works and that lives are truly being changed. I am very blessed to have witnessed the incredible transformation of students first-hand. With this movement, all it takes is one student and an entire school and generation can be changed for Christ. God is truly amazing and we know He can do anything. We can’t wait to see how He is going to move in our schools and through our students in the years to come. We hope you will take a moment to check out our full ministry report by clicking on the link below to learn about all the incredible things God did during the 2016-2017 school year through First Priority.
 
Keeping Christ The First Priority,
 
Greg Davis
President
First Priority Greater Birmingham
 

2016-2017 School Ministry Report

 

Leader’s Summit Registration is Open

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We are excited to announce that registration is now open for First Priority’s 13th Annual Leader’s Summit that will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, at Valleydale Church (NEW LOCATION). This year, our focus will be “Fight the Good Fight” based from 1 Timothy 6:11-14. We hope you will go ahead and start registering your students now. Click here for more info and to register.
 
We will have T-shirts available for purchase at Leader’s Summit for $15 each. Please go ahead and share the T-shirt design with your students.
 
If you are not able to attend, but would still like to help, please sponsor a school to attend today. We need people like you who understand the dire need to train a generation of leaders for the cause of Christ to sponsor a school to attend this unique event. We need your help with sponsoring these schools because there are various expenses such as substitute teacher and transportation costs equaling $150 per school. To sponsor a school, please click here. Please keep the students, teachers, campus coaches and speakers in your prayers.

Mark your calendars for See You at the Pole

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See You at the Pole 2017
“Fix our eyes” 
 
We would like to invite you to mark your calendars now for this year’s See You at the Pole™ (SYATP). We hope you will join the tens of thousands of students in our area and millions world-wide on Wednesday, September 27, as they participate in the 27th annual SYATP. Before school, students will join together at their school’s flagpole to pray for their friends, families, teachers, school, city, state and nation to God. SYATP is a student-initiated, student-organized and student-led event.
 
SYATP Reveal
This year’s SYATP theme is “Fix our eyes” and the scripture verse is Hebrews 12:2 – “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” This year’s theme message encourages us to fix our eyes on Jesus and seek him. With the current state of our country, we believe this year’s theme is perfect. We are encouraging students, school faculty, families, businessmen and women, everyone, to cry out in prayer for our nation. Participate in local prayer gatherings and Saw You at the Pole rallies. Please contact your local schools for more info.
 

We hope you will plan to join us in prayer on Wednesday, September 27. Be on the lookout for resources and listing of local rallies coming soon. In the meantime, please visit syatp.com for more info.

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

Don’t miss our last round of golf in 2017!

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We still have one more tournament in our Golf Challenge 2017, don’t miss out! 
 
We are excited to invite you to take part in the last tournament of First Priority’s Golf Challenge 2017! We are holding a golf tournament at Highland Park Golf Course, 3300 Highland Ave. South, Birmingham, AL 35205 on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, at 8 a.m. and we hope you’ll come spend the day with us! You will be a blessing for First Priority and the important work we do on public school campuses all across our area.
 
This tournament will be a shotgun start and includes your golf round, lunch, gifts and snacks. Prizes will be awarded to the first place winning team.
 
Individual Player
Cost is $250 per player.
 
Hole Sponsorship
If you’re not able to play in the tournament, we hope you will consider a hole sponsorship:
 
Exclusive – $500
Includes a full color sign with your or your company’s name placed at the tee box. Your sign will be the only hole sponsorship on this tee box and the sponsor name will be recognized in our E-newsletter.
Shared – $300
Includes the same as exclusive hole sponsorship with the exception that your sign will not be the only hole sponsorship at this tee box. Click here for more information on hole sponsorships. 
 
The vision of First Priority is to see the Hope of Christ in every student. Your support helps us to achieve this great goal. We truly appreciate your support and the impact you are making on students’ lives. We hope you will save the date and make plans now to join us for our Golf Challenge 2017!

Shop on Prime Day and support First Priority at the same time!

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Amazon Prime Members, shop on Prime Day and support First Priority at the same time!  
    
Amazon Prime members, shop at smile.amazon.com on Prime Day Tuesday, July 11, and Amazon will donate a percentage of the purchase to First Priority.

Amazon’s third-annual Prime Day is tomorrow and will feature more than 100,000 deals exclusively for Prime members, making it one of the biggest shopping days of the year. When you #StartWithaSmile on #PrimeDay, Amazon donates to First Priority. Shop for great deals HERE.
 
Amazon’s program called AmazonSmile allows shoppers to select their favorite charitable organization to receive 0.5% of the purchase as a contribution from Amazon. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know, the same products, same prices, same service! The benefit: you are helping First Priority reach students with the love and hope of Jesus Christ.
 
CLICK HERE to get started today. Designate First Priority of Alabama as your charity of choice and start shopping! You will know your purchase is supporting First Priority when you see, “Supporting First Priority of Alabama” in the top left corner of Amazon’s Web site.
 
Start with a smile on Prime Day! We truly appreciate your support!
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