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Nov 07
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First Priority of America Celebrates #GivingTuesday

By First Priority Of America

About Giving Tuesday:

#GivingTuesday is a global giving movement that has been built by individuals, families, organizations, businesses and communities in all 50 states and in countries around the world. Founded in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y – a community and cultural center in New York City − #GivingTuesday inspired millions of people to give back and support the causes they believe in. Over $300 million was raised online to benefit a tremendously broad range of organizations, and much more was given in volunteer hours, donations of food and clothing, and acts of kindness. This year, #GivingTuesday falls on November 27.

#GivingTuesday harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners to transform how people think about, talk about, and participate in the giving season. It inspires people to take collective action to improve their communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they believe in, and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday demonstrates how every act of generosity counts, and that they mean even more when we give together.

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studentsStudents Reach Students

Will you help us train more student leaders so that more students will hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ? It takes $3000 to start a new club. Our goal is to raise $9000 on Giving Tuesday so 3 new clubs can be started in order to continue our mission which is “The Hope of Christ in Every Student.”

 

 

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We know this to be true because last week in just one of the many places across the United States where First Priority exists, 44 students made a decision to follow Christ! That’s amazing. Imagine how many more will come to know Christ this year with your help. Keep reading more stories about life change here.

 

 

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#GivingTuesday 11.27.18

We hope you will partner with us to launch 3 new clubs so that we can celebrate spreading further our mission of the “Hope of Christ in Every Student.”

 

Nov 01
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Why First Priority?

By Local FP Communities, FP Success Story

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

We are thankful and excited that First Priority trains students, our future generation, to share the love of Christ with their peers. Students are seeking the lost. It’s incredible to hear week after week the lives that are being changed on school campuses across the nation. Just yesterday, 44 students in the Permian Basin began a relationship with Jesus. That’s amazing! God is on the move and He is not done yet!

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Be encouraged to get involved and live out your faith with those around you. Students are doing it in one of the hardest places of all. Be in prayer for ways you can be involved and for the students that are rising up and being bold in their faith.

Oct 25
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Benefits of Social Media Unity and Uniformity

By FP Tools, First Priority Of America

It shows that we are student led! But HOW?

By highlighting student leaders of the FP clubs. This is tricky due to privacy laws and marketing etiquette. The best student leader highlight I have seen in recent past was by Tim Bargo in the Tri-County, KY chapter. He took a picture of only the student leader outside the school and told her story. This got around the school privacy laws of getting a parent permission form from all the students in the room. It also will keep you on the up and up in marketing practices which state that you can take someone’s picture without asking. However, once you put a product name next to them, you need to make sure they are okay with it. Here is the example.

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It shows that we are a multi-denominational movement!

By highlighting the churches and church leaders that are involved in your area. The best church network highlight that I’ve seen recently is from Sean Hall in St. Louis Metro East. As the school year started, Sean posted a hero post for each of his campus coaches, telling their story. This highlights the multi-church movement that FP is and gives props to the student pastors in the area. Not only do they feel appreciated, but it tells the FP story as well.

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Another Student Leader Example:

South Florida got a quick pick of 3 student leaders outside the club room recently. Chris lane did several things in designing this shot. He told the story of the local club. He also showed the world that everyone is welcome at a First Priority club. This eliminates the need for dozens of parent permission forms while being in the school and telling the FP story. Change up the poster for different clubs to tell different stories about FP.

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Where is First Priority located?

Larry Franks did a great job answering this question recently by sharing one of his campus coaches Facebook posts. This one does not include other social media platforms, but does give you the opportunity to post as many times each week as you have clubs. Just ask your coach or a student (if they are allowed) to check in and share some simple data about how the meeting went. You can then share that with your FP Facebook page.

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Keep it consistent!

The FPoA summer intern taught us this one. Quality is just as important as Quantity. When someone comes to your Instagram/Facebook/Twitter, their first response is not, “Man, they post 3 times a day.” It IS, “Man this looks good. I am not saying that the FPoA Instagram account is where it needs to be, but our look, colors, and feel is consistent. It is intentional. We have a long way to go, but when people show up for the first time, they get a quick feel for who we are, what we do, and whether they want to dig into our content or not.

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As the saying goes, “If It was easy, someone else could do it.” But, that is why you are here! Be consistent. Be legal. Tell the FP story well!

Oct 13
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Choosing to Lead

By Local FP Communities, Student Leaders

This student leader in FP North Alabama chose to lead despite her circumstances.

A 10th grade girl name Jenna just became a student leader for her first priority club that just started their 1st year at her school. Jenna is one of the student leaders that helped organize SYATP to pray for her faculty, administration, fellow students and community. What people don’t know is that her mom is battling cancer and was having surgery that same day and yet she believed God was on the move in her school. We make so many excuses all of the time of why we can’t show up and lead. But these students, in the middle of their own battles are getting on their knees to pray for people who can’t pray for themselves and to encourage others with the HOPE of Christ. Read more here

We as the body need to support the movement that God is pouring out on this generation, they are our future and our future looks great with First Priority student leaders like Jenna. Her school had 77 in attendance for prayer, multiple teacher sponsors and 5 churches in support. Look at our great God working through young women and men that are willing to say “Here am I send me”

Oct 03
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The Power of a Testimony

By Student Leaders, FP Success Story

You never know who God is going to use to bring people to Him. So many of us think that we could never share something so powerful that it would lead others to Christ. But you don’t know who’s there listening and who needs to hear exactly what you have to share. So thankful for our clubs who have students sharing their life with others so they may come to know Christ. Read this story from a student in Tampa Bay and praise God for the lives changed.

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Sep 20
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Your Story

By Faculty Sponsors, Community Leaders, Priority Parents, Student Leaders, Church Leaders

Have you ever thought about the role that stories play in your everyday life? Stories help us understand things that other forms of communication cannot. Stories sometimes become the way we understand ourselves and the world around us. Did you go to a theater to see any
movies this summer? Obviously, the movie was itself a story, but what other stories were involved in your decision to go and pay money to see that movie? Did you see an advertisement for the movie? That’s a story. Did you go with friends? A personal story probably determined which friends you went with. Did you buy snacks to enjoy during the movie? A story had to be displayed to help you understand that this entertainment experience would be right for you. Some stories are not as obvious as others, but stories generally do four things:

  • Stories make a point
  • Stories make the point memorable
  • Stories make the point meaningful
  • Stories create connections

Screen Shot 2018-09-17 at 11.39.17 AMMany of us think that we have nothing worth sharing. Maybe you think your testimony is nowhere near as powerful as someone else’s. If you follow Jesus, however, you must realize that the true power of your story is in the Gospel, not in your own achievements. No matter what our experience appears to look like on the surface, the truth is that we were lost and now we are found! We were in darkness but now we walk in the light! Once we were alone and without hope, and yet Jesus has brought us into His family!

So I want to encourage you to share your story. You never know how it might help spread the gospel to those who hear the message.

Sep 14
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Campus Coach Spotlight: Casey from FP Great Plains

By Local FP Communities, Church Leaders, Community Leaders

First Priority clubs are a great way for youth pastors to be able to step into the lives of their students on campus and meet them in a place where they spend most of their time. Being a campus coach provides this opportunity, and not only does it help youth pastors connect with their students, it helps churches unite locally. Listen to Casey, a youth pastor from the FP Great Plains community talk about her role as both a youth pastor and campus coach for the FP club she is involved with.

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Sep 06
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Check out where we have new FP Clubs this year!

By Local FP Communities, FP Tools

We are off to a great start this school year and are so excited about the new clubs starting this year in new places! First Priority is helping students reach students for Christ in new locations like Big Springs, TX, Vicksburg, MS, Panama City, FL, Paducah, KY, Gainesville, GA, Clinton and Altus, OK, and Port Angeles, WA. God is good!

If you want or know someone who would like more information on starting a club in your area you can download our app that has many resources for you all at your fingertips. It has everything from “How to start a Club” to the HOPE weekly guides and links to the First Priority youtube channel and blog. It’s a great resource to share with your students as well. Plus you can register to win free stuff. Everybody loves to win something. Here’s a video below explaining the many things the app has to offer.

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Aug 29
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Teachers are the “referees in the game.”

By Faculty Sponsors

Faculty sponsors are the volunteers that open their room and the doors of the school for the club to hold their meetings. At the school, they are the people who help the players stay in line with the rules of the local district and state. At the monthly leadership meeting, they are the ones guiding and showing wisdom to navigate the school as only someone on the “inside” can do. They do not participate in the game even though they are right in the middle of it.

Listen to Bernie Harrington talk about his role as faculty sponsor.

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Aug 22
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Training Student Leaders to bring H.O.P.E to their School

By Priority Parents, Student Leaders, FP Tools, Faculty Sponsors

HOPE classroomStudents are on the greatest mission field in America: school. Engaged in the middle of the “game,” students are the players we are here to train, pray for, and support, just as we do for foreign missionaries. First Priority clubs follow a four-week strategy called HOPE.  HOPE is an acronym for Help, Overcome, Prepare, and Engage.  

The H.O.P.E. strategy gives the student missionaries the action steps and direction they need to reach out to their peers at school. It is broken-down into these four actions:

  • HELP: Equipping Christian students with foundational truth to be able to articulate a simple gospel message in thirty seconds or less.
  • OVERCOME: Motivation and inspiration to overcome our fear, worry and doubts we have about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.
  • PREPARE: Giving 1-3 students the opportunity to prepare and share their journey of faith in God (in its entirety or in part).
  • ENGAGE: The opportunity for the believing students to invite their non-believing friends they have been praying for to come and hear about the HOPE of Christ.

Each month, they are provided with a HOPE weekly guide that helps them focus on a group and share the message of Jesus Christ with unbelieving students.

The H.O.P.E weekly guides are a resource we provide for free when you download our app on the app store or google play. They are also available as part of the club kit you can purchase in our online store.