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Weekend of Prayer Over Students Starts THIS Friday

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Weekend of Prayer Over Alabama Students is THIS weekend! Please join us in praying for students, teachers, faculty and administration. They need our prayers now more than ever! Please pray for the health and safety of each school campus. 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.

The following are locations where specific prayer events will be taking place during Weekend of Prayer. Join a prayer walk or hold one in your community! Be sure to send your prayer walk details to ashlee@firstpriorityal.com so that we can add them to our list and help you get the word out!
Saturday, August 6
  • Minor Schools Prayer Walk at 9 a.m. – Love Fellowship, 1150 Hillcrest Rd, Adamsville, AL 35005
Sunday, August 7
  • Oak Mountain High School Prayer Walk at 2 p.m. – Oak Mountain High School, 5476 Caldwell Mill Rd, Birmingham, AL 35242
  • Helena Back to School Prayer Event at 6 p.m. – Helena High School Front Parking Lot, 1310 Hillsboro Pkwy, Helena, AL 35080
  • Hewitt-Trussville High School Prayer Walk at 7 p.m. – Hewitt-Trussville High School Front Parking Lot, 6450 Husky Parkway, Trussville, AL 35173
Monday, August 8
The following prayer walks will take place:
  • Erwin Middle School at 10 a.m. – 532 23rd Ave NW, Center Point, AL 35215
  • Banks Academy at 11:30 a.m. – 8301 8th Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35206
  • Center Point High School at 1 p.m. – 1000 Eagle Drive, Center Point, AL 35215
  • Prayer walk at Pinson Valley High School from 10-11 a.m., Faculty/Staff Devotion and Prayer from 11-11:30 a.m. – 6895 Hwy 75, Pinson, AL 35126
  • Rudd Middle School Faculty/Staff Devotion and Prayer from 1:30-2 p.m.; Prayer walk at Rudd Middle from 2-3 p.m. Devotion and Faculty/Staff Prayer time led by John Hires of Life Church. – 4526 Rudd School Rd., Pinson, AL 35126
Tuesday, August 9
  • Hoover High School’s Undivided Club will be hosting a Prayer Walk at 7 p.m. in front of the school – 1000 Buccaneer Drive, Hoover, AL 35244

There are multiple ways you can be involved during Weekend of Prayer. Click here for various prayer resources and to learn how you can be in prayer for students, faculty and administration.

Will you join this prayer movement? Commit today to pray!

Prayer Resources & Gatherings

Students, Schools Need Our Prayers Now More Than Ever!

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Weekend of Prayer Over Alabama Students is Aug. 5-7, 2022. Please join us in praying for students, teachers, faculty and administration. They need our prayers now more than ever! Please pray for the health and safety of each school campus. 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.

There are multiple ways you can be involved during the Weekend of Prayer:
  • When you pass by a school, pray for that school. Make a school zone your prayer zone and drive around the school as you pray.
  • Plan a community-wide prayer walk around the schools in your area. Work with your local churches to plan these prayer walks. Be sure to send us the details for your prayer walks to ashlee@firstpriorityal.com so we can help you promote them.
  • Take time to encourage students, teachers and administration. Call, text or mail them an encouraging card to let them know you are praying for them. Provide them with a specific Bible verse you plan to pray over them throughout this school year.
  • Commission students before they return to school. Talk with your pastor about your church congregation praying over and commissioning students to go and be disciples in their school.

We have put together prayer resources to help you as you organize a prayer walk and get ready for Weekend of Prayer. We also have a listing of prayer walks happening across Greater Birmingham that you can join.

Will you join this prayer movement? Commit today to pray!

Prayer Resources & Gatherings

Thousands gathered locally for See You at the Pole

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Last Wednesday, September 22, thousands of 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. First Priority and SYATP are celebrating 31 years this school year!

This year’s SYATP theme was “Just Pray” and the scripture verse was James 4:10 – “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

During SYATP, we receive numerous testimonies of how God moved in our schools and through our communities. We hope you’ll take a moment to read a few incredible testimonies below:
  • “After a very difficult year like 2020, it is important to remember verses like Matthew 18:20 when God says ‘Where two or more gather in my name, I am there with them.’ After not being able to come together for over a year, we truly needed something like See You at the Pole not only to reconnect us with each other, but to help refocus our sights on our Lord. We are called to come together and there was no greater feeling than finally being able to unite as one and share our passion for Jesus Christ.” – Kayson Parker, First Priority Student Leader, Moody High School
  • “See You at the Pole 2021 at St. Clair County High School not only gave a chance to gather and pray, but to meet other students and faculty members that are likeminded in the faith. Many of the underclassmen have not had the opportunity to gather in groups due to Covid, so this year’s gathering at the pole helped those who came see others in their school that they can go to for prayer and encouragement. At our gathering, we had a total of 20 faculty and students. Both students and faculty prayed under the entry awning in the rain. Many students walked through while being dropped off for school were able to witness and hear the holy scriptures spoken and prayers lifted to Almighty God. We hope that See You at the Pole will encourage students to meet regularly at our weekly First Priority club. Please pray that God will bless the ministry of First Priority and obedience of those who lead to bring many to faith in Christ.” – Casey Burnham, First Priority Faculty Sponsor, St. Clair County High School
  • “See You at the Pole is an awesome opportunity for students to make a faith statement that God is not dead in this generation! I have been challenging students to make this year count for Christ and to make Christ known on their campus. Way to go students!.” – Benny Bowman, First Priority Campus Coach
  • “God is showing me the tremendous need for First Priority clubs in our schools! Their seems to be a hunger for these clubs after the difficulties of the last year!” – Jacque Snow, First Priority Campus Coach/Board Member
Click here for more information about First Priority’s EPIC Strategy that is being used in our clubs.
Please take a moment to check out a great SYATP news article and many other great articles from The Alabama Baptist here, and Birmingham Christian Family Magazine here.
Thousands of students also participated in SYATP rallies held across the state on the evening of September 22. There were countless decisions made for Christ on this momentous day. During this important prayer event, students were encouraged to humble themselves in prayer and seek the face of God.

Students, Schools Need Our Prayers Now More Than Ever!

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Weekend of Prayer Over Alabama Students is Aug. 6-8, 2021. Please join us in praying for students, teachers, faculty and administration. They need our prayers now more than ever! Please pray for the health and safety of each school campus. 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.

There are multiple ways you can be involved during the Weekend of Prayer:
  • When you pass by a school, pray for that school. Make a school zone your prayer zone and drive around the school as you pray.
  • Plan a community-wide prayer walk around the schools in your area. Work with your local churches to plan these prayer walks. Please be sure to comply with the necessary safety precautions of social distancing. Be sure to send us the details for your prayer walks so we can help you promote them: info@firstpriorityal.com.
  • Take time to encourage students, teachers and administration. Call, text or mail them an encouraging card to let them know you are praying for them. Provide them with a specific Bible verse you plan to pray over them throughout this school year.
  • Commission students before they return to school. Talk with your pastor about your church congregation praying over and commissioning students to go and be disciples in their school.

We have put together prayer resources to help you as you organize a prayer walk and get ready for Weekend of Prayer. We also have a listing of prayer walks happening across Greater Birmingham that you can join.

Will you join this prayer movement? Commit today to pray!

Prayer Resources & Gatherings

Happy New Year! Join Our 30 Days of Prayer Challenge!

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“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him…” 2 Chronicles 16:9

Dear First Priority Partner,

I love the anticipation of a brand new year and all the possibilities that it holds. I like to begin the year by seeking the Lord and drawing near to Him. What does it mean to seek? There are two different Hebrew words used to express the idea of “seeking.” The first word is darash which means to inquire, hunt, examine or search carefully for something, and the second is bakash which means to request something desired. Both kinds of seeking are needed. First, we need to know the LORD and the power of His might, and then we need to ask Him daily for help in our lives.

This is our 30th school year of ministry in reaching students with the Hope of Christ. In celebration of all the Lord has done, I would like us to pray for the next 30 days. I want to challenge you to “seek” the Lord and ask him to raise up a bold generation of students that will passionately stand for His truth and share His love with a lost and dying world. Our city has 269 campuses with over 166,000 students and we want Every Last One to have an opportunity to hear the Gospel. We need your help; we can’t do this alone! But GOD “can do exceedingly more than all we ask, think or imagine.” Together, we can reach more students with the hope of Christ in 2021!

For the next 30 days I ask that you pray for our schools by name (see below for our social media where specific schools will be posted daily). Pray for passionate student leaders that will be bold to share the Hope of Jesus. Pray for our teacher sponsors to be encouraged and inspired by this generation. Pray for a First Priority club to be on every campus in the Greater-Birmingham Area (right now we have 150). Pray for churches to adopt a campus in their community. Pray for our youth pastors to be committed to a campus and equip this generation to be missionaries to their schools. Pray for favor and authority to claim their school for Christ. Let’s petition the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to bring revival to this land and let it begin with our youth! We appreciate you and your commitment to pray for students.

In Christ,

Debi DeBoer
Ministry Director
Follow our social media for specific schools to pray over!
The listing of schools to specifically pray for by name will be posted on our social media each day. Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to be sure you see our posts.

Will you join one of the largest prayer movements tomorrow?

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See You at the Pole 2020 Update
See You at the Pole 2020 Update

First Priority and See You at the Pole™ (SYATP) are celebrating 30 years this school year! The annual SYATP observance takes place THIS Wednesday, September 23, and we invite you to take part in one of the largest prayer movements in our nation. We strongly encourage students and adults to follow all applicable local school guidelines and mandates. Because of COVID-19, some schools have not returned to school full-time so they may choose to delay their SYATP meeting until one month later. We are suggesting Wednesday, October 28, as an alternative date.

SYATP is about one simple thing – STUDENTS in PRAYER. Before school, students will meet 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. Did you know that First Priority has been promoting and coordinating SYATP since the early 90’s? The picture below from 1993 at Vestavia Hills High School is what we believe was the first (or among the first) SYATP gatherings in Alabama.

“See You at the Pole this year will be like no other,” said First Priority Greater Birmingham Ministry Director Debi DeBoer. “Whether students are on campus or learning remotely, prayer will happen. As a nation, we need to return to the Lord and repent for present and past sins. Only then can relationships be restored and healing begin. Awaken our hearts, revive us or we can slumber and watch another generation be without hope.”

For this year’s theme, scripture verse and multiple resources including graphics, a planning guide, ways to report attendance numbers and links to videos, visit our Web site.

THIS Wednesday, September 23, we encourage you to gather with your family, at your place of business with coworkers or even online and HUMBLE yourselves in PRAYER and SEEK the face of God and take part in one of the LARGEST prayer movements in our nation. PRAY for friends, families, teachers, schools and our world.

MORE INFO AND RESOURCES