On Thursday, April 12, 2012, First Priority students arrived early to school so that they could walk the halls and invite their friends to attend the First Priority meeting. Within minutes students started flooding in! First Priority Campus Coach Mika Marcum said the students do that every week. Approximately 75 students attended that day.

Before the meeting began, a couple of students shared the following with us about First Priority:

“First Priority is the best thing that has ever happened to North Jefferson Middle School,” said Brooke.

“I come to First Priority so that I can learn more about Jesus,” said Duncan.

The meeting began with scripture read by a student: Luke 9:23-24 ~ “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”

“We must be willing to lose our life; we have to give up ourselves,” said Mika. It’s not about us. Jesus tells us this before He died on the cross. Take up your cross, what is inconvenient to you. Deny yourself and let Jesus live through you and you will experience the presence of Jesus. Deny yourself and make Him your First Priority.”

Deny yourself and trust God and your life will be saved. Give up yourself and reach out to those who are lost just like these students do at North Jefferson Middle School.

“I see the importance of First Priority in the lives of these students,” said First Priority Teacher Sponsor Lisa Skinner. “It is exciting to see students encourage their classmates to come with them to First Priority. We’ve seen all religions. First Priority is student produced. We let them meet and lead groups each week. They need this in their life decisions. It’s so important because these kids will have families one day.”