School

Your Gift Will Be DOUBLED Today!

November 17, 2022 by Marianne Walker

Watch as students share their hearts about what First Priority means to them and why they believe it’s important to have the club on their campus.

GivingTuesday is just around the corner on November 29, a day that charities, families, churches, businesses and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give to causes they believe in. There’s Black Friday, Cyber Monday and GivingTuesday, which kicks off the charitable season of giving. It’s a simple idea, and we hope you’ll join us and be a part of a global celebration of a new tradition of generosity!

First Priority is passionate about taking the Hope of Christ to every student by equipping this generation of leaders with the truth of the Gospel and sending them to the greatest mission field: their campus. Thank you so much for partnering with us! Your support is very important as we continue to reach 270 public schools across Greater Birmingham, which consist of more than 163,000 students that need to hear how Jesus can change their lives. Can we count on you to continue to invest in this generation?

Did you know that only 12% of teenagers nationwide attend a local church? The last several years have been eye-opening to say the least. Students are struggling with their identity and who they were created to be, even as young as elementary school-aged. Suicide is still the second-leading cause of death amongst teenagers. Students have been isolated, lonely, and full of anxiety and despair. They need our help. According to Barna and other credible ministries, “The Open Generation Project conducted this year in ages 13-17 years, discovered that 47% of all teens believe that Jesus was crucified. However, only 33% say Jesus rose again.” This tells me that half of this generation, which I am called to reach, believe in the crucifixion of Jesus, but what about the other half? What do they believe? And if only ⅓ of students believe in the resurrection, then does Jesus really have the power to change their lives? Yes! We have to give them Jesus. This generation is known as the open generation, which gives me hope that they will be open to hear about the life-changing message of Jesus but only if we show an authentic representation of Him and demonstrate His power at work in our lives. This open generation is also alarming because, like the name, they are open to any and all information and their source may not be the Bible. This study also revealed that 61% of students believe the Holy Scriptures are trustworthy but are skeptical of learning about the Truth from social media. Students are craving relationships. Students need community and personal connections. Students need to be seen and loved. Most importantly, students need Jesus.

Since August, we have 115 active First Priority/Priority Kids campus clubs and 441 students have made a decision to follow Jesus. HALLELUJAH! While we have 115 active clubs, that is not even half of the campuses we are called to reach. There is still more work to be done. Would you partner with us to make sure Every Last One has an opportunity to hear about Jesus? Some amazing friends of First Priority have gotten together and challenged the ministry to raise as much as $100,000 from now until the end of the year, and they will match it dollar-for-dollar to help reach this generation with the Gospel. That’s right, YOUR GIFT WILL BE DOUBLED! Although any gift is needed and greatly appreciated, the following are specific suggestions for your year-end gift:

● $50 represents how many students on average attend a single club

● $155 represents how many schools that do not have a First Priority/Priority Kids club

● $270 represents how many schools we have in the Greater-Birmingham Area

● $441 represents the number of students that have given their hearts to Jesus thus far this school year

● $600 represents the number of volunteers mobilized monthly

● $1,500 represents the number of miles driven by staff to clubs in a month

● $6,000 represents the number of students attending First Priority/Priority Kids clubs weekly

● $10,000 represents the number of students that attended See You at the Pole for prayer in September

GIVE $50

GIVE $155

GIVE $270

GIVE $441

GIVE OTHER

Please pray about what the Lord is leading you to give. What gift represents you? A gift in any amount is vitally important to see First Priority continue to grow and expand to reach this generation with the Hope of Christ.

I have been humming this tune all week by Anne Wilson that says, “Let me tell you ‘bout my Jesus and how He changed my life.” Has Jesus changed your life? My prayer for you and your family is “Yes” to that question. Help us introduce Jesus to students so He can change their lives too.

Thank you once again for being one of our dearest friends and supporters. We look forward to hearing from you before the end of the year. Don’t hesitate to contact me directly at Debi@FirstPriorityAL.com or at 205-871-8886.

Keeping Christ the First Priority,

Debi DeBoer

Ministry Director

Will you help us start the new school year strong?

August 12, 2022 by Marianne Walker

These student leaders are truly passionate about sharing the Gospel! “What’s important to us about First Priority is being able to share the Gospel with students who need it and being able to bring students that are in a dark place back to light again.” Check out this short video!

We are so excited about a new school year starting and the wonderful opportunities that lie ahead for students’ lives to be transformed for the Kingdom of God! First Priority is about investing in the community and mobilizing students to share the Hope of Christ on their school campus. As of this past school year, there are 163,814 students in 270 schools across Greater Birmingham and we want to reach Every Last One with the Gospel.

Did you know that suicide is the second leading cause of death among teenagers? Students are depressed, lonely and looking for a safe place to belong. Did you also know that in America 3,300 students drop out of school every day? The majority of students tell us they have little sense of hope or direction. They want to make a difference but feel afraid, overwhelmed and anxious. These statistics are disturbing and frightening. Christ’s love is the answer and First Priority gives students a great outlet to connect with others who may be going through similar situations. Your support will help launch more clubs, reach students with the Gospel, provide needed resources for clubs, develop leaders, build accountability, encourage teamwork, connect local churches to mentor students, and allow a First Priority staff member to work with the schools in your community.

Your Back to School gift will be DOUBLED and help First Priority work with local churches and schools to address these issues. You see, as we’re able to launch more clubs, kids and teens have a place to connect and belong. First Priority becomes a place that students know they can find friends and hope. We know the ultimate solution is Jesus! Will you join this incredible movement and help us start this school year strong?

Support Students Today Here

Will you celebrate with us?

September 29, 2020 by First Priority of Alabama

Dear Friend and Partner,

We’re very excited to announce that we’re celebrating 30 incredible years of ministry this school year! Wow, God has touched hundreds of thousands of lives over the past three decades through First Priority campus clubs! We have so many reasons to celebrate and we invite you to celebrate with us.

Has First Priority impacted your life personally? Did your child profess Christ in his/her First Priority club? Why do you love and support our ministry? We want to hear from you! Using the steps in the graphic above, we would love for you to record a 20-30 second video congratulating First Priority on 30 years of ministry. You can also include a personal testimony or word of encouragement. The details in the graphic above outline six simple steps for recording and submitting your video. Please also see the examples below as guides to help you. Your video will be edited and shared on social media. We invite you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @FirstPriorityAL so you can share your video once it’s posted.

First Priority 30th Anniversary Testimonial One — Example Video Testimonial One

First Priority 30th Anniversary Testimonial Two — Example Video Testimonial Two

If you’re not able to record a video, please feel free to send us a written testimonial that we can share on social media and in various First Priority publications. Your written testimonial can be emailed to info@firstpriorityal.com.

We truly appreciate you celebrating with us and providing a word of congrats and encouragement! We look forward to watching and sharing your videos and testimonials. Thank you for your time, help and all you do for First Priority! It’s been an incredible 30 years and we look forward to many more!

#GivingTuesday is December 3 – Your gift to First Priority will be doubled!

November 22, 2019 by First Priority of Alabama

#GivingTuesday is just around the corner on December 3, a day that charities, families, churches, businesses and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give to causes they believe in. There’s Black Friday, Cyber Monday and now there’s #GivingTuesday, which kicks off the charitable season of giving. It’s a simple idea, and we hope you’ll join us and be a part of a global celebration of a new tradition of generosity!

This is an especially important time to give to First Priority… Some friends of First Priority have gotten together to challenge the ministry to raise $100,000 in November and December, and they will match every penny donated! On #GivingTuesday and every day until the end of the year, your gift will be DOUBLED! Your gift of $25 will be immediately doubled to $50. Your $50 gift will be matched to make a $100 gift and $100 becomes $200. We hope you will consider giving a gift for our year-end Victory Matching Challenge.

GIVE $25	GIVE $50
GIVE $100	GIVE OTHER

Last school year, out of the clubs that reported, over 550 students made a decision for Christ on their school campus. Wow, God is good! Please help us start new clubs in 2020 so that more students can hear the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. The following are a couple of recent testimonies from students.

“First Priority is my church.” – Student, Bessemer City High School

“When I was in school, a lot of students would come to First Priority but not attend church. I see the results of First Priority. It’s effective and helped shape who I am. It’s the reason I’m a follower of Jesus.” – Former First Priority student

How you can be involved:

1) Please pray about a gift and give online. A gift in any amount will be instantly doubled for twice the joy, twice the hope and twice the love to a student who so desperately needs to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ! The great thing about #GivingTuesday is that it is less about the amount each individual gives and more about having many individuals giving on the same day.

2) Please share our #GivingTuesday information with your friend groups and/or church family through social media or other informational channels.

3) After you have given, please tell everyone you can about how you are giving and invite them to do the same. Be sure to use hashtags: #GivingTuesday and #HopeofChrist in your posts!

4) Follow us on social media and stay connected: @FirstPriorityAL

We are very thankful that for almost 30 years we have had such strong support from churches and individuals who love what we do and desire to help the most vulnerable in our society. We hope #GivingTuesday will give you another way to join with us and to invite others to do the same.

Thank you for helping us share the HOPE of Christ with the next generation through your generous donations!

WILL YOU PRAY FOR OUR STUDENTS AS THEY RETURN TO SCHOOL?

July 23, 2019 by First Priority of Alabama

Weekend of Prayer Over Alabama Students is this weekend, August 2-4, 2019. 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 as you organize a prayer walk. 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:

24 Biblical Virtues to Pray Over Students

First Priority Prayer Guide

Prayer Walk for Students

School Prayer Walk Guide

Prayer Walk Scripture References

Community-wide Prayer Walks:

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

July 11, 2018 by First Priority

Weekend of Prayer Over Alabama Students is August 3-5, 2018. 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 a list of prayer walks below happening across Greater Birmingham that you might like to attend, as well as 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!

Community-wide Prayer Walks:

Metro West Prayer Walk – Tuesday, July 31, at 9 a.m. at Forestdale Church of God. For more info, contact Pastor John at 205.492.6232 or Debbie Marshall at: debbie.marshall@wbclive.com.

Adamsville Area Prayer Walk – Saturday, August 4, at 9 a.m. – The prayer walk will begin at Love Fellowship Christian Center and everyone will walk to Minor High School for prayer and then back to the church. For more info, contact Debbie Marshall at: debbie.marshall@wbclive.com.

Bessemer Area Prayer Walks – Saturday, August 4, at 8 a.m. – There will be a prayer walk at the following seven locations: Hard Elementary School, Bessemer City High School, Bessemer City Middle School, Jonesboro Elementary School, Abrams Elementary School, West Hills Elementary School, and Greenwood Elementary School. For more info, contact Eunice Pickens at: e.pickens@hotmail.com.

Moody Area Community-wide Prayer Walk – Sunday, August 5, at 1:30 p.m. at Moody First Baptist Church. For more info, contact Ashlee Lambert at: ashlee@firstpriorityal.com.

Hueytown Area Prayer Walk – Sunday, August 5, at 4 p.m. at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church. For more info, contact James Cato at: james@firstpriorityal.com.