Kristina Sears

I’ve been there.

I’ve done that.

What have I done? I’ve made silly mistakes. I didn’t take the time to proofread a blog and posted it with three typos. I made an assumption and didn’t check which Decatur I was to go to and, well… went to the wrong one!

Why did I do that? Was I lazy? Was I simply in a hurry? I do not remember (or at least claim that right now… Ha!). What I do know is that what I did was not excellent. It also did not bring glory to God nor honor to me. Many of my co-workers still have not let me live down driving to Decatur, IL instead of Decatur, AL. IT. IS. ONE. LETTER. that will haunt me for the rest of this side of eternity.

God created me in his image. He created our world with excellence and precision and calls me to live the same in bringing glory to His name. Sometimes I lean back on faith as being good enough. I’ll never forget the season of life when God brought 2 Peter 1 to light for me:

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

2 Peter 1:5-10

God wants me to have faith. He also wants me to add to my faith so that I live a life of quality and excellence. What is God calling you to do with excellence today? Over the next few weeks during the month of May, we are going to spend a few moments talking through the First Priority core value of Excellence. I look forward to our interactions!

If you have spent any amount of time around First Priority, you know that we still believe the Local Church is the hope of the world! Our call as a ministry is to wave that banner high in Middle Tennessee and unite the local churches in a community to Pray, Participate and Provide for a gospel movement on their school campus.

So far this school year we have seen over 2,500 adults and students gather on their campus to Pray for the school year ahead. On these 130 school campuses we heard parents cry out for safety on their child’s campus. We heard students standing in the gap not only for their peers, but also for their teachers and principals. Most of all we heard the Church unite in one voice and ask Jesus to reveal himself to many this school year.

These times of prayer have been crucial as our team leads HOPE campus trainings across 7 counties in Middle Tennessee. To our great joy, close to 500 student and adult leaders are gathering so they can Participate in this gospel movement at their school. Whether you are a teacher serving as the FAC Sponsor to keep the schools FP Club legal, or you are the Campus Coach who is equipping the students to lead their club each week, we are so honored by your participation this school year.

Steve Cherrico, FP Nashville
Executive Director

You have heard the whisper: bring Jesus to the school down the street. You know the obstacles: separation of church and state. You know the stories: students do not have hope and are hurting. You know how to get started: draw a circle around the school down the street and pray.

I understand your first question, “What if nothing happens? And I do not hear anything? And I find no direction?” There is a lot of ‘logic’ that goes into the first moments of circle making prayer. That is why it is important to jump in with both feet. Be confident that God is behind the whisper you’ve heard. Mark Batterson lists out five areas that he worked through in drawing his first circle.

1. Promises in Scripture
2. Impossible situations
3. Impossible people
4. Goals
5. Pieces of property

With First Priority, it is obvious that we circle property for the sake of reaching the people who walk inside that circle everyday. The top four of Mark’s list can help direct your prayers for that circle. Maybe the principal has been stiff arming the church (historically) and will not willingly let you in the building. Maybe there has been a string of suicides by students in that school and you need to pray scripture over them. You know your area, the people who lead in the school system, and the whisper you heard when God told you to reach out to the school. It is now time to draw your circle around the school. Pray. Do not move. Listen. I feel the same way you do about this. Mark Batterson himself states it well, “Under-qualified and overwhelmed” with the opportunity.

Check out The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson for more insights to this topic. Don’t have the book? I’d like the opportunity to send you a copy. Let me know.

“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.”
Habakkuk 3:2

Students have been hard at work with the HOPE strategy and creating a positive environment for their lost friends to hear the life changing message of the gospel!  In January, over 1,000 students in Shreveport, LA heard the gospel and 18 students responded by indicating that they were committing their lives to Christ! Then, last month, 12 more made the same decision! In Tampa, FL student leaders from several schools contacted us about the possibility of a joint meeting between groups. In early February, the First Priority group at Jefferson High School hosted the leaders from Robinson HS, Middleton HS, Plant HS, and D.W. Waters Career Center. There were 50 students having lunch together and seeking God. The Lord is inspiring and empowering a team based movement in the hearts of students across the U.S. to live and share their faith boldly!

Student leadership inside the schools expanding to different areas and different campuses does not happen on it’s own. We’ve got a second team to help students be equipped, encouraged, and empowered as they lead the HOPE Strategy.  They are the local church leaders. Some would say that church leaders are divided by many things. Not in First Priority. They are united with a common vision and purpose. The first purpose is to serve the students as stated above. But, God always gives increase.
13 local churches in Corbin, KY recently decided to serve the 13th Region Basketball Tourney at the Arena in Corbin. Together we feed every player, cheerleader/coach during the week. Our goal was to show them the love of Christ with a smile. We gave away almost 400 t-shirts to the students in the stands and with the help of the local Gideon’s; gave away 2,082 bibles!

John Carruth is the founder of First Priority in Shreveport, LA. After starting a dozen or so clubs, the task got larger than just himself. So he brought on Phillip Cole to help. Now they are expanding into Texas and bringing on Landon Robin, student pastor at Southside Baptist Church in Bossier, who will be supporting clubs in Bossier parish.  Kyle Weeks, student pastor at Airline Baptist Church in Bossier, will be supporting clubs in Caddo parish.  They form a team to oversee the movement on a regional scale. We are excited to partner with these guys because they are capable and trustworthy leaders who love evangelism, youth ministry, and the Kingdom of Christ!

Three teams. All united in purpose and vision. Each playing their role to see the same thing accomplished. The hope of Christ in every student.

If you’ve been around First Priority for any length of time, you know that a core value of ours is teamwork. At our core, the adults in the community play roles to support the students as they lead their club. To use a sporting analogy, the students are our Michael Jordan and we are their Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, and BJ Armstrong. The student leaders are the hero of the First Priority story. We are their support. It takes all of us to influence students at school with the gospel.

In Nehemiah chapter 3, over 39 groups of people worked on their section of the wall; they each had their area and role to fill.  For example:

28 Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. 29 Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shekaniah, the guard at the East Gate, made repairs. 30 Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs opposite his living quarters.

Notice that each priest made repairs in front of their own house. Each of us in the ministry is responsible for the area God has placed us in. As you work to build a team of people that will help you make First Priority a reality, think of the essential networks: Students, Teachers, Church Leaders, Parents, and the Business Community. Each network works on their own section of the wall, ‘runs in their lane’, and does their part. Students use their freedom of speech and assembly to assemble as Christian students and talk about Jesus. Teachers are needed as ‘faculty sponsors’ of the club under the Equal Access Act. Church Leaders coach the students to implement the HOPE cycle. Parents pray together. Business Leaders oversee the long term health and direction of the ministry movement in the entire community. If everybody builds their piece of the spiritual wall in your community, you will see the ‘Fear of the Lord’ as the beginning of wisdom passed on from one generation of adults to a new generation of students.

Brad Schelling
Director of Ministry
FPoA

“No one can whistle a symphony.  It takes an orchestra to play it.”  Hafford E. Luccock

Sean Hall, FP Director of St. Louis Metro East, shares an interview he had with one of his student leaders.

Zach is a student leader in the 6th grade at Carriel Jr. High.

Our interview:

Q: What is your favorite memory of First Priority?

Our first week . . . we had an Engage Week… I went through the hallways and told everyone to invite everyone, and we almost ran out of doughnuts because there were so many kids at First Priority.

Q: Why is God your First Priority?

He’s my First Priority because I know that He’s my one person to serve and my goal is to connect more non-believers to Him because I know that if I do that I’ll be able to see them again when we die and we’ll be able to see each other in heaven. If I can connect other kids to Christ, we can live together forever in our faith.

Q: When did God lead you to start First Priority?

Probably about a year ago when my sister first started First Priority at her school. I just felt like God was calling me out to do something greater outside of my perspective that I’m not used to doing and so far its been going pretty good.

Q: Have you had a time at club when you were shy?

Yep. At the very beginning of First Priority I was a little scared. Like what if these people don’t like me if I start saying stuff that they don’t believe in? Or if I lose friends or something?

But then i just prayed about it and I knew that God would use me in a way that I never thought he would. So I just sat down one night at my desk and I started writing stuff out on a card. When I got to First Priority the next morning God gave me the words.

Q: How does God remind you to push through and be unashamed of Him?

That He’s the one and only God and He’s done this before. I’m sure that when God was first doing it he was a little shy at first but He’s just telling me to be bold and share more about him so that more people will believe in him in the world.

Q: How has God grown your faith through First Priority?

. . . because of people speaking the gospel to me, and my mom is a big impact to me . . . and all the people that have my back. . . by seeing other people there that I know that need to get connected [to Christ] so I know I need to grow to connect them to Christ.

Q: What can God do through First Priority at Carriel Jr. High?

I think God can connect more students that don’t know Him, to Him . . . so that one day we can be a school full of Christians. It makes it a better place with less bad things going on.

Psalm 133
How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.

Unity is key. So key that God tells us that this is the place that life forever resides. I had never thought about it that significantly before hearing a sermon on it a few weeks ago. Francis Chan took it to another level last night via Youtube:

Section on Unity begins 28 minutes in

John 17:21
That all of them may be one,
Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.
May they also be in us
so that the world may believe
that you have sent me.

Jesus wants us to be one JUST AS He and God are one. Not just enough to get along on Sunday. Not just enough to hang out in a small group for six months. JUST AS Jesus and God are one. I need to confess here that I have never had that as a goal in any of my relationships with other Christians.

Jesus tells us that unity is needed SO THAT the world may believe. What?!?! My natural thinking is that a well thought out apologetics outline would help people believe. Maybe if I could perform a miracle some people would believe. What if we had a great band and professional athlete speak to people, that would get them to believe. Jesus doesn’t say that. He says that if we are united together and united with God, then the world may believe.

This gives me hope for the ministry of First Priority. Our bread and butter is uniting the local churches in an area to help students reach students in their school for Jesus Christ. The students do need to preach the gospel each month so those who do not know can hear. But, the thing that will get them there is the unity of believers!

It is counter cultural thinking, but it does make sense. Culture says to put on a show and gather a crowd. Culture is also divided in so many ways today. Let’s unite SO THAT the world may believe.

(See also Romans 14)

With Hope,
Brad

“First Priority provides 1 service for many churches.”

Our Vision:
The HOPE of Christ in every student.

Our Mission:
To unite the local body of Christ with a plan of action to influence the school with the gospel.

What if… We encouraged, equipped, and empowered students to have good looking feet at their school?

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?
And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?

As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Romans 10:13-15

Steve Cherrico, Executive Director of FP Greater Nashville, shares his thoughts on God in our schools.

This past week I was conducting an interview for the local newspaper, The Tennessean. As the reporter and I talked, he made an interesting statement, “that God was no longer allowed in schools.” I have been in multiple meetings and even listened to other press try to push this agenda. However, like I did with this conversation, I whole-heartedly disagreed with this thought.

Schools, like churches, are made up of people. If there were no students to teach, then there would be no reason for the school building. The same goes for a church, you can call the building a church all you want, it is only when praying and believing people fill it up that it becomes the Church. The brick and mortar simply provide a meeting place or a tool to make it happen. So what happens when those same praying and believing people fill their school? Well no doubt God is found there, too.

I am very aware of the legal implications associated with saying God is in our schools. I can quote much of the law that is written regarding the Separation of Church and State or the Equal Access Law of 1984 (just a couple of the many rulings about God and the school system). Yet, no law has the authority or ability to remove the presence of God from any building containing two or more followers of Jesus.

Because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we are guaranteed that God is NOT out of our schools. For God’s spirit doesn’t require a physical location as it did in the Old Testament; rather, He dwells in the hearts and minds of all who choose to follow Him.

1 Corinthians 6:19

First Priority exists in a community to unite local churches around their schools. We build networks of adults who support believing students. This support system allows students to stand united in their faith and become what is inside of them, one of the most influential, important and grace-filled organisms in a school. That is the Body of Christ, alive and well, and definitely in our schools.

1 Corinthians 12:27

Steve Cherrico,
Executive Director – steve@fpnashville.com

Sean Hall, First Priority Director for St. Louis Metro East, invites us to read about one of his student leaders and how God was calling him to do more in his school.

Meet Grant

Grant is in his sophomore year at O’Fallon Township High School. He served his school through First Priority for the first time this semester. God has given him strong compassion, a desire to listen to the hurting, and the guts to lead in front of his peers.

Our Interview

Brad (his Campus Coach), Aaron (his Pastor), and Sean (Area Director) recently enjoyed interviewing Grant over a couple baskets of Dairy Queen fries. Here are some highlights:

“God was calling me to do more than just sit around and go through the usual casual thing that I was always going through. I decided to take the initiative I was originally getting from thechurch and take that into my school, and I felt a calling for it. Sure enough I ended up on stage giving the gospel. I think it started at church and eventually progressed out of it. I definitely felt God working through that moment with me.”

Q: Is it easy or tough to step up in our faith?

To step up in your faith you have to take the initiative to do it, and I think that’s challenging for most. You have to give the time to do it. Impacting someone is taking the initiative to go talk to them.

Q: What do you think First Priority can do for your school?

It can bring people to understand exactly what this whole Christianity thing is. It [First Priority] is welcoming and non-judgmental, even if no one knows them. It’s the best place they can go with questions. Church is the best place, but First Priority is the best place to start off. Another thing that First Priority can do is help them [Christian students] understand what they’re supposed to do for the Kingdom.

Q: How would you encourage Christian students who want to leave “churchy” things outside of school?

Who do you think you really are: the “school kid” or the “church kid”? I’m the church kid–the one who’s not afraid of their faith. The one who doesn’t care about popularity– because it’s not going to matter in 3 or 4 years. It’s not… think about who you really are… I used to be a different person on and off campus as well. God is calling me to be who I am at church.

Q: What would you say to students who don’t really know who Christ is?

Come talk to me.