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FP Success Story

Dec 05
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What Defines a Mission Field

By First Priority Of America, FP Success Story

What defines a mission field? As a missionary serving the people of Puerto Rico, it can be easy for me to simply say that my mission field aligns with my job. After all, my task is to meet physical needs while sharing the message of redemption available in Jesus. However, I feel the need to press into that question more deeply. To define the idea of a mission field is ultimately to understand that God has purposefully placed every Christian in unique and specific locations. Whether school, life, work, or recreation brings us into communities and neighborhoods, a true analysis of a mission field reveals that all around us there is a world in desperate need of gospel transformation.

For me, long before God called me to serve in Puerto Rico, God sent me into Science Hill High School in Johnson City, Tennessee. As is the case for many kids in the Southeastern United States, I spent a significant amount of time in a church building. I was saved at ten, and I grew up hearing of how the sacrifice of Jesus was the ultimate gift of grace. I heard the gospel message every Sunday, and I was blessed with parents who lived this out at home and instilled in me the truth of the gospel.

In high school, I became familiar with First Priority. It was then that I began to see the damaging and detrimental effects of “cultural Christianity.” All around me, classmates who had grown up inside a physical church building were searching for something. They knew a lot about Jesus, but they were searching for a relationship with Jesus. That is where First Priority stepped in. Walking through the H.O.P.E. cycle every month both equipped me and gave me opportunities to share the message of Jesus and His gospel with my friends, classmates, and teammates.

Now, in serving vulnerable families and communities in poverty-stricken areas marred by the effects of economic crises, political instability, and natural disasters, the impact of First Priority in my life is still evident. First Priority helped me to see the pressing need of Jesus at Science Hill, and God used those four years to begin to prepare me for my next mission field, my college campus, and my current mission field in Puerto Rico. I do not view Puerto Rico as a mission field simply because of my job, but rather it is a mission field because, just like Science Hill, people in Puerto Rico are desperately in need of a relationship with Jesus. Whether in classrooms in Science Hill or a rural community in Puerto Rico, people are searching. In high school and today, my response to a searching population is the same – the life changing hope of Jesus.

Matthew Hembree
NAMB Journeyman – Puerto Rico

Jan 26
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May we leave a legacy of love for Jesus that remains long after we are gone

By FP Success Story, Local FP Communities

by Rachel Gardiner, Executive Director

We have truly had a year of unprecedented growth here at FP Johnston County. From volunteers to clubs to student leaders we are blown away by how God continues to grow and provide for our ministry. To be honest with you, I wasn’t too sure what would happen as students returned to campus post-COVID. I, like many of you, felt nervous, unsure, but still hopeful. Yet, I had no clue what God had in mind for us.

The past two years for our team at FP Johnston County have been marked by prayer. We’ve added staff members, board members, two paid interns, and countless student leaders and volunteers. We’ve seen God build, tear down, re-build, and make new. He’s provided for us financially. He’s been faithful to give wisdom, clarity, unity, and encouragement. This is His work after all, not ours. We are building His Kingdom, not our own castles.

Through the growth and provision, I found myself leaning into God’s presence more than ever before. As we build, we must build upon His firm foundation and as we grow, we must be guided by His Spirit. We do not want to make one decision, one action without His authority and guidance.

Through this period of growth, I began to reflect on where we have come from and dream about where we can go. God has graciously allowed me to be a small part of this ministry for the past 4 years and it has been such a sweet season to be a part of the work He is doing. As I reflected and as I dreamed, I felt as if God gave us an “anthem” that would keep us faithfully grounded to our mission through it all:

This is our anthem. This is why we host training events. This is why we gather for prayer walks on campuses all across the county. This is why we equip, encourage, and disciple students. This is why we wake up early and get to bed late. This is why we send emails and write letters. This is why we raise money and gather for fellowship. This is why we don’t give up.

Our mission remains to see the hope of Christ in every student. Our goal for each aspect of ministry under that mission is to leave a legacy of love for Jesus that remains long after we are gone. I see generations and generations, their children and their children’s children, carrying a revival of the faith that we are a part of now. Long after our names are meaningless dust, may the work of our hands leave a legacy that boasts of the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jul 03
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Happy Independence Day!

By First Priority Of America, FP Success Story
As we prepare to celebrate America’s independence, it is a wonderful time to reflect on our freedoms – particularly the right to speak freely. It is the bedrock of our country’s history and the first of ten amendments that protect our rights.

The First Amendment reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

These few sentences encompass our right to gather, to worship, and to share Jesus with others. These rights protect students as well. What a beautiful reminder.

May we always give thanks for these freedoms and never take them for granted. It is for God’s glory and honor that we are able to worship HIM freely.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners…” Isaiah 61:1 (NIV)

May 29
Love1

A Principal is thankful for the FP Club at his school!

By Local FP Communities, FP Success Story

At a recent First Priority meeting in the biggest school in our region (FP Blue Ridge, TN), a sophomore girl visited the club for the first time. No one knew her. She saw students preparing to go out onto the campus with gospel surveys. She approached and asked what was going on. A freshman leader told her about First Priority and she said she is seeking Christian fellowship because her friends are bringing her down and driving her from God. She claimed to be a Christian and went evangelizing with the team.

When she returned to the room we were debriefing about the experience. She suddenly went into a violent seizure and fell face first into a table leg, busting her cheek and leaving a gash in her scalp. I jumped around the table, pulled her out and determined she wasn’t bleeding to death or choking on her tongue. She seized for at least 6 minutes, while the school officials came running in and EMTs arrived.

We prayed over her, cleaned up and stayed with her until she was taken away by the ambulance. She had mentioned where she went to church, so I was able to contact her youth pastor who knew her as a former attendee. The youth pastor visited her in the hospital and let me know she went home that night with stitches.

She was back at school with a black eye and stitches and showed up at the First Priority meeting. She went evangelizing again with the team. When the meeting was over, she remained behind and approached me and another Campus Coach and asked “How do I find friends?” We encouraged her and gave her advice on that question and several others, encouraging her to get involved at her church and hang with people that lift her up, not tear her down. It was an opportunity to speak into a student we would never have met outside of First Priority.

Later that day I went to the principal at the high school. When he saw me, he said, “I’m glad you are here…I need to talk to you about an email I received yesterday regarding First Priority.” He then told me that the mother had emailed him a lengthy message. He said her main point for the email was that her daughter’s favorite class was First Priority (she must not know it’s a club), that her daughter couldn’t stop taking about it, and the mother wanted to ask the principal if he could assure that she could attend that class next school year.

He said her email was a testimony to the value of First Priority on his campus. I assured him it was a testimony to the student leaders who are loving on this student and the whole student body. He then said, “Most people outside of these walls only hear about the bad things that go on here. But, there are good things happening here and First Priority is one of them.”

Feb 14
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The Benefit of Being Faithful

By Local FP Communities, Student Leaders, FP Success Story

Do you often wonder if faithfulness really pays off? In a culture built on immediate satisfaction and the pursuit of comfort, it seems to be a value that has fallen by the wayside. But, among God’s people, it is a virtue worth guarding and worth displaying.

Many students come to mind when considering this, but one in particular stands out to me. She wanted to launch a First Priority group at her school last year, but had little support going in. In fact, there were many weeks (and months), when she and one other student were the only ones in the meetings. This did not shake her, though. She continued to pray, to attend the weekly meetings, and to invite friends. There was not a time that she faltered or questioned her calling. Her faith amazed my staff and me.

Then, the group began to grow and last week they had their biggest turnout. As she described it: “this is truly God’s group; a safe place for students to come into and grow in relationship with him.” Wow, what a wonderful example of faithfulness and God’s willingness to provide.

It is my prayer that First Priority will always be a place where students find their purpose, remain steadfast in their faith, and faithfully share the hope of Christ with others.

Blessings Abundant,

Amber Johansen
Executive Director, FP Tampa

 

Feb 07
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The Best Day Ever

By Student Leaders, FP Success Story, Local FP Communities

Last week we talked about letting students lead. Sometimes, leading can be something simple. It doesn’t always have to be someone standing up in front speaking. Students can lead by being a good example to those around them or simply sharing something with someone just like this middle school student did in Birmingham, AL. Read this testimony of a middle school student who had the best day ever!

Testimony – “It was 7th period and my science teacher had asked us to take out our books and read for the rest of class. My fellow table partner could be a helpful type but was the kind of person that would slip up from time to time as any human, but I was recognizing a pattern. Homework, incomplete. Words, unkind. Character, unhappy. So as you would have guessed, he didn’t have a book. So he asked me to borrow one from my, “library”. I browsed through and carelessly handed him the book, “The Biggest Story”. I thought he might enjoy it because of all the art in it. He yanked it from my hands and ran his fingers through the pages. By the end of the class he had finished the book and was overjoyed during 8th. He was full of happiness and wouldn’t stop telling me about the book. It made him smile and it made me happy. The next morning, we had a guest speaker in our First Priority club and there was a special person that I had never seen in any Christian club, and he was from my 7th period. Can you guess who it was? Yes! The boy from 7th period! He came up to me later during class and told me that he had become a Christian that morning. It was the best day ever!”- Student, Berry Middle School

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 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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May 07
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God is Moving in our Communities

By Local FP Communities, FP Success Story

Here is just one example of how God is moving through the First Priority communities we have across our nation. This is FP Greater Clayton. Praise God for the work He is doing in the lives of students.

68 more students said yes to Jesus!

677 students have responded to the Gospel since our launch.

17 students have signed up for baptism!

30+ more students shared their Faith Stories!

200+ boxes of Mac N Cheese and non-perishable items were collected for With Love From Jesus, missions to other local ministries, and ministry to Teachers.

100+ more Bibles were given to students who wanted them.

2,000 students attended First Priority Clubs last month. That means 2,000 students heard the Gospel!

Around 1,500 students are attending on a weekly basis to learn what it means to be Missional Leaders who live and share the Gospel.

Apr 24
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Meet Allison

By Local FP Communities, Student Leaders, FP Success Story

This is a story about Allison, who was a victim of bullying and who suffered from depression. She dealt with her pain by cutting her arms, and struggled with the belief that God had left her. In her sophomore year of high school, she reached a breaking point and spent four months in a psychiatric hospital in Lexington. Allison says it was prayer that helped her survive during this time.

Her dad often told her, “When you are down to nothing, God is up to something.”

After coming home, a friend introduced her to First Priority. There, she found family and a place to belong. When asked to be a First Priority leader, Allison knew her path.

“I saw it as an opportunity to tell my story and help others. I feel closer to other students in First Priority. They are my brothers and sisters in Christ. We are going to heaven together,” says Allison. “Being in First Priority has not only helped me, but also helped others. People know my story, so it helps them too.”

FP Tri-County reaches students like Allison every day. There are 28 clubs meeting in schools across the region every week. Each one is spreading the message of “The Hope of Christ” from one student to the next with the guidance of local teachers, pastors, and club leaders. If you want to hear more of Allison’s story you can click on the video below.

 

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