First Priority of Alabama

The Hope of Christ in Every Student

Join our Race to 100 Challenge!

by Leave a Comment

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!
 

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

by Leave a Comment

 
 
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

FPKids raising up missionaries!

by Leave a Comment

FP Kids Header
FPKids raising up missionaries for God’s Kingdom! 
Our culture is changing vastly and First Priority is working to change with it. We are currently in our fifth year of implementing FPKids, a strategy for churches and parents to partner together around schools to empower elementary and intermediate students to influence their school with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This year, nearly 50 schools and over 4,000 students participate in FPKids. The FPKids strategy focuses on teaching students to know and do what “Jesus Said.” The curriculum consists of four parts that are repeated every month: Read It, See It, Live It, Tell It. Each month, students Read and learn what Jesus Said; they See how His teaching changes them and the marks it leaves on them; they experience real ways to Live out the truth with love; and they encourage each other to Tell others about Jesus. FPKids is taking God’s Word and putting it into action on campus.
FPKids has been a great success this school year thus far. Several new clubs have been started. One of the many amazing things about FPKids is the willingness of fourth and fifth grade students who are excited about praying for their school. Not only are they willing to pray, they’re willing to let others know that Jesus is the only way to Heaven – John 14:6.
Oak Grove Elementary School started FPKids last school year. Nearly 100 kids attend the meetings each week. One hundred Bibles were generously donated to the club at the beginning of last year for every student to use. Here is an example of the blessings received from the teacher sponsors: “FPKids is a great way for the students to come together and hear the Gospel from us and each other. We have kids who love to stand and pray at the beginning and end of the session, and I always have kids asking me if they can read the Gospel Step-up (presentation of the Gospel). We try to make it as much fun as we can, and teach so much to these kids as well. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to work with these students and teach them the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
We hear stories just like this every week from our different FPKids clubs. The staff at First Priority is very thankful for all the prayers and support from the local community.
We praise God for all He has done and the seeds of life planted in students’ hearts.
Do you want to help with an FPKids club near you? Please call 205.871.8886 or e-mail: info@firstpriorityal.com for all the info you need. We look forward to hearing from you!

FPKids share Christ’s love this Christmas

by Leave a Comment

FPKids share Christ’s love this Christmas 
As we approach the Christmas season, it’s a wonderful time to share about and celebrate the birth of our Hope and Savior Jesus Christ. Luke 2:1-20 will be read and told on hundreds of local school campuses this time of year. Also during this holiday season, many local First Priority and FPKids clubs do special things to celebrate the birth of Jesus and spread Christmas joy.
To show the love of Christ, Warrior Elementary FPKids club decided to do Operation Christmas Child and pack shoeboxes full of toys and necessities that will travel all around the world and be given to children in rural villages and towns. Allyson McCombs, campus coach and teacher sponsor at Warrior Elementary, helped students prepare and wrap boxes to be sent to distribution centers that send the boxes worldwide.

I think we can take a cue from elementary students just like this who see Christmas as more than a time to receive gifts but to give gifts and share the hope of Christ, not just in our local community but all around the world.

First Priority and FPKids students have also collected candy to fill Christmas stockings for children in need, sang Christmas carols, held canned-food drives to help local ministries, made cards for teachers to encourage them and served hot chocolate to students. It is a blessing to see students give up their time to show others the love of Christ this Christmas.
Candy collected by students to fill Christmas stockings

How First Priority began and how you can help!

by Leave a Comment

Learn how First Priority began and how you can help! Now is the time! 
First Priority began, informally, in 1990 with local youth minister Benny Proffitt as the visionary and leader. First, in only a handful of Over the Mountain schools, the vision quickly formalized into a functioning non-profit organization in 1992 under the leadership of businessman Tommy Brigham. Over the years to follow, First Priority practically exploded on every High School and Middle School campus in Greater Birmingham. From the late 1990s through the late 2000s, First Priority of Greater Birmingham served these schools and focused on making ministry at each school the best it could be.
First Priority of Greater Birmingham flourished for many years under the leadership of Board Chairmen Tommy Brigham, Garry Ard, Mark Peeples and Tom Lambert. Executive Director Greg Davis, who first volunteered with the organization in 1994, joined the staff in 1996 and continues today as President of the organization. From that small group of men, the vision of First Priority spread like wildfire.
Six schools have now grown to over 200 in central Alabama alone, involving approximately 13,000 students every week during the school year. As more churches began implementing First Priority in their communities, the movement spread outside Alabama. As a result, Benny Proffitt left Birmingham to form First Priority of America, which has now touched all 50 states.
Here’s what’s happening with First Priority across the United States:
–          200+ communities being touched by First Priority
–          2,605 First Priority clubs in the U.S.
–          186,000 Students attend First Priority each month
–          7,715 commitments to Christ during the 2014-2015 school year
–          2,500 networked student ministry leaders and churches
In the late 2000s, with the dip in the economy and loss of funding, First Priority was forced to reduce its staff and, therefore, began losing effectiveness in many of the communities that had been served for years.
In 2011, with the culture changing and more and more parents asking First Priority to help them establish campus evangelism for younger children, the idea of FPKids became imperative to accomplish. We are now entering our fifth year of implementing FPKids, a strategy for churches and parents to partner together around schools to empower elementary and intermediate students to influence their school with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Last year, 35 schools and nearly 3,500 students participated in FPKids, and the numbers continue to rise this year as new clubs are starting. The FPKids strategy focuses on teaching students to know and do what “Jesus Said.” The curriculum consists of four parts that are repeated every month: Read It, See It, Live It, Tell It. Each month, students Read and learn what Jesus Said; they See how His teaching changes them and the marks it leaves on them; they experience real ways to Live out the truth with love; and they encourage each other to Tell others about Jesus. FPKids is taking God’s Word and putting it into action on campus.
So how can you help? We would never be able to do what we do without your prayer and support. There are several ways you can get involved:
Pray – This ministry can never be what God truly wants it to be without consistent prayer. Please pray for our staff, volunteers, faculty sponsors, campus coaches, students and schools. When you pass by a school, pray for that school. Pray for those students who don’t know Christ. Pray that Christian students will be bold in sharing their faith.
Promote – Share the vision and mission of First Priority within your circle of influence. Pray about who would be blessed and interested to know about and support the mighty work that God is doing on our school campuses. We have a lot of resources available that you can share with others.
Provide – Support First Priority financially and help ensure that every student in our area is reached with the hope of Christ. It takes $3,000 to fund each school that we serve. We would like to encourage you to help support one or several of the more than 200 schools across the Greater-Birmingham Area. CLICK HERE to support First Priority.

We hope you will begin praying now about how you can serve First Priority during the 2016-2017 school year. Call 205.871.8886 or visit firstpriorityal.comto learn how you can join this Gospel movement to advance the Kingdom of God.

Check out the amazing things God has done in our schools!

by Leave a Comment

       
God is doing amazing things in our schools through First Priority 

For the past 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. First Priority works! We want to share with you the great things God is doing in our schools through First Priority. The following are two of many testimonials we have received for the 2015-2016 school year:
I have had the opportunity to be a part of First Priority for many years. Over the years, I have had the joy of sharing, as well as receiving, the Gospel with students in both elementary and middle school. First Priority has made such a positive impact on the lives of our students. It is a place where all students can come to belong. Students reach out to all students, those who are cheerleaders, football players, honor students, etc., and those who are in need of a place to belong. Many students have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Those students who don’t attend church, have expressed such enthusiasm about attending the meetings. Ministers and guest speakers have encouraged all students to find a church of their choice and get involved. I’ll never forget the little girl raised of the Muslim faith. After a few years of questioning and impolite remarks, she finally decided to come to the meetings. What a blessing to hear her questions and to see the change in her behavior and attitude toward others and herself. We have had students raised of different faiths come together to pray for one another, work together to share the love of Jesus with others, and most of all, to lift up THE TRINITY! No club has ever had a greater purpose! It has truly been an honor and privilege to be involved with such a great group.
Kelly Green
First Priority Faculty Sponsor
Corner School

This is our first year to have FPKids at Oak Grove Elementary School (OGES). Approximately 116 kids attended our first meeting. Our kids love it so much and it’s a blessing to me every time I walk in the room with them. These kids are showing a passion for Christ that one doesn’t usually see these days. The Bible verses are exciting and cool for them to learn with the hand motions. One hundred Bibles were generously donated to us at the beginning of the year for every student to use. We have truly been blessed by these kids at OGES but could not have done it without First Priority. The organization has the curriculum all laid out for us and unique tools for us to use as we are teaching the kids about what Jesus said and how we can learn so much from the Bible.

Here is an example of the blessings we’ve received. Just today, I had a mom tell me that her child is getting baptized Sunday. She told me that she wanted it to be her child’s decision and that she knew what she was doing by being baptized and living for Christ. So I asked if the child really understood what she was doing and the mom told me, “Because of you and Mrs. Jenny she knows exactly what she is doing.” I was so proud at that moment. Those are the small rewards we have received from this great ministry.
Michelle Ray
Jenny Yearby
FPKids Faculty Sponsors
Oak Grove Elementary School
What is your First Priority testimony? Share it with us today at: info@gofirstpriority.com. Let us know the amazing things God has done in your school this year through First Priority.

Deadline approaching to tell us your First Priority story

by Leave a Comment

       
What amazing things has God done in your school this year? Please respond soon! 

We would like to remind you about helping us out with our “School Year in Review.” This is a look back at all of our First Priority and FPKids clubs over the school year. 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@gofirstpriority.com by Tuesday, May 10, at 5 p.m.
– Average weekly attendance and number of salvations/decisions for the 2015-2016 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 2015-2016 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 Tuesday, May 10, 2016, to ashlee@gofirstpriority.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!

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

by Leave a Comment

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

WOW! Can you believe this school year is about to come to a close? It went by so fast! We pray your First Priority club grew over the year and that many lives were changed. We want to hear about those changed lives! It’s that time of year again when we are getting ready to do our First Priority “School Year in Review.” This is a look back at all of our First Priority and FPKids clubs over the school year. 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@gofirstpriority.com:
– Average weekly attendance and number of salvations/decisions for the 2015-2016 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 2015-2016 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 6, 2016, to ashlee@gofirstpriority.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 are reaching students for God’s Kingdom

by Leave a Comment

Raising up a generation for the Kingdom 

For the past 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 students participate and 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.
Out of the schools that have reported, more than 13,000 students are currently attending First Priority and FPKids every week; and we are excited to announce that nearly 200 students have made a decision for Christ on their school campus just since the beginning of 2016. These students have been followed-up with to be discipled and become involved with a local church. Wow, God is good! We can’t wait to hear how He has moved in all of our schools throughout the 2015-2016 school year.
FPKids Update
We are now in our fourth year of implementing FPKids, a strategy for churches and parents to partner together around schools to empower elementary and intermediate students to influence their school with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our mission is to raise up the next generation to share the hope of Christ. We now have nearly 50 FPKids clubs that meet each week, and new clubs are starting every month. North Highlands Elementary is one of the many awesome examples. More than 15 teachers and community leaders met back in October for a quick FPKids training gearing up to implement a new club after school. They officially kicked off November 17. Over 100 students came to the first meeting with their Bibles in hand ready to learn what Jesus said. One of the many amazing things about FPKids is the willingness of fourth and fifth grade students who are excited about praying for their school. Not only are they willing to pray, they’re willing to let others know that Jesus is the only way to Heaven – John 14:6.
Campus Club Update
First Priority clubs meet on nearly 200 middle, junior high and high school campuses across the Greater-Birmingham Area. This school year, clubs are implementing First Priority’s HOPE Strategy, a 4-week cycle that is repeated every month. To assist with carrying out this strategy, First Priority has developed the HOPE curriculum, a comprehensive, informational packet of resources that leads, guides and directs teacher sponsors, campus coaches and students as they prepare for their meetings. Teachers have informed us that the HOPE curriculum has been very exciting. It has raised the bar for students and provided valuable resources for them to be successful. We have seen a lot more student-led clubs on multiple weeks because of this curriculum.
We have received more and more reports of the impact First Priority is making on unchurched students. These students thirst for God but can’t make it to church on Sunday because they live in a family that doesn’t go to church. We have seen students grow in taking leadership who would not get that experience if it wasn’t for First Priority. We have seen lives changed due to the power of prayer. The great things happening in our clubs for God’s Kingdom is endless! 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 each school year. While students are reaching students, God is at work shaping lives.
 
First Priority works! Lives are being changed. 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.

Communities partner to reach kids with the Gospel

by Leave a Comment

Local communities partner together to reach kids with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! 

Exciting things are happening all across the city with First Priority and FPKids. More churches and community leaders are getting involved on the school campus this year like never before. North Highlands Elementary is one of the many awesome examples. More than 15 teachers and community leaders met back in October for a quick FPKids training gearing up to implement a new club after school. They officially kicked off November 17. Over 100 students came to the first meeting with their Bibles in hand ready to learn what “Jesus said.” North Highlands PTA is playing a huge role in the partnership with local leaders and getting them involved at the school. Seven teachers and four parents joined us for the school’s first meeting. One of the many amazing things about FPKids is the willingness of fourth and fifth grade students who are excited about praying for their school. Not only are they willing to pray, they’re willing to let others know that Jesus is the only way to Heaven – John 14:6.

It is our pleasure at First Priority to be able to be a part of what God is doing in the local schools. It takes complete unity and partnership from the local church to make this possible. Once trainings are over and new clubs are started, the ownership of the club is placed in the local community. It is always exciting to see local organizations uniting with one single cause: “Seeing students share their hope they have in Christ and as many students come to know Christ as possible.”
James Cato
Area Director
First Priority Greater Birmingham
Main menu