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First Priority Of America

Sep 29
Love0

Hope and Strength in the Face of Adversity: Lessons from James 1:12

By Local FP Communities, First Priority Of America, Podcast

When we are walking with God in life, there are times we can see His face shining upon us, and we know that life is good and He will be there for us when we need him. All we have to do is lean into Him and follow what He has commanded us to do. But what happens when things seem to not be going our way, and we feel as if spiritual warfare is all around us?

James 1:12 states, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

Recognize the moments in your life when things get hard. Seek Jesus and ask Him to help guide you in those times. He will not forsake the ones that love Him. He is willing to answer you and protect you! Jesus has come to give us strength and peace to continue living for Him. By battling our trials, His light will shine and we will be able to display where our Hope is found. Jesus is worthy of all our praise, whether we are facing good or bad times.

When reading scripture, you see that there are people who won’t recognize Jesus as who He is. However, every time Jesus interacts with a demonic force, they know immediately who Jesus is and the power He holds. When we go through a similar experience, never forget how capable Jesus is!

On this week’s podcast, Brad Schelling met with the Executive Director of FP ArkLaTex, Michael Butler. Michael shared with Brad that he has seen God working in his area, but he also can see spiritual warfare going around his clubs. He notices that there will be great gifts from the Lord in the clubs, but sometimes not everything goes as planned.

To hear more about Michael Butler and the clubs of the ArkLaTex area, click here.

This blog post was written by Kenley Kizer

Sep 26
Love0

Embracing God’s Plan

By Local FP Communities, First Priority Of America, Podcast

Answering God is sometimes a difficult task, but being able to pray and differentiate His
voice from others is important. God will call you to follow His plans, and may even ask you to do things that make you uncomfortable, but no harm can come from following His will for your life.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 states, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the
LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’”

When we are seeking God, by calling out to him in prayer, we are allowing Him to use us as His vessel. His plans have never been to harm us or cause us hurt, but rather to teach us obedience and show us what good things may come from trusting Him.

Brad Schelling sits down in this week’s podcast to talk to Jacob Sharp. Jacob is the
Ministry Director of Rutherford Co. for First Priority of Greater Nashville. Jacob tells
listeners that he had prepared to say “YES!” to whatever God had planned for him next. Within the next day, he received a call asking if he was interested in being a First Priority campus coach at Rocky Fork Middle School.

Jacob was able to follow God’s voice and be an example of what obedience to the Lord
looks like– all because he was willing! If you would like to hear more about what God is doing in Jacob’s life, watch Brad Schelling and Jacob Sharp here.

 

This blog post was written by Kenley Kizer

Sep 14
Love0

Cultivating Effective Church Partnerships

By FP Tools, First Priority Of America

Building a partnership with the church, especially as a faith-based non-profit, is vital. So what does a good church partnership look like? Let’s find out!

1. Church Connection:

Connection is the first step to building a solid relationship with the church. Meeting with them is always goal number 1, whether through a phone call or even swinging by their office. In order to have a partnership with the church, you have to engage with them and visit the church. Real connection is an interaction between you and the church, not just leaving a message or a business card. Find people to interact with at the church who will notice that First Priority has something to offer them!

2. Church Engagement:

Next, we want to see the church engaged. There needs to be a constructive movement into the partnership. What does it look like for the church and FP to walk into a school together? The church engagement should involve the congregation, who are ready to help walk alongside FP. Together they can be equipping students to lead in their schools, and providing the encouragement they need through the Gospel. FP is able to go into the church and help fan the flame by walking with students on how to understand their testimony and how to share it.

3. Church Partnership:

Partnership is when the tangible movement is in the school. When the words of Jesus are coming out of the mouths of students; that is the type of movement we are looking for. We want the clubs to be active and engaged, ready to share the hope of Jesus with those who don’t know Him– all with the help of the church.

4. Church Adoption:

The final goal is adoption from the church. For the students who did not grow up in a church family, that come to know Jesus at a FP Club, we want the churches partnered to become that for them. When Jesus steps into these kids’ lives, they will want a place to worship and potentially bring their families. By partnering with the church, they will know where to go and who will welcome them!

We want to see mission-oriented churches in partnership with FP to help leave legacies with First Priority and the people in their area, through connection, engagement, and partnership with FP.

If you’re interested in hearing more about this topic, listen to Brad Schelling and Steve Cherrico discuss this topic on the podcast here.

 

This post was written by Kenley Kizer

May 15
Love0

How Exciting!

By First Priority Of America

What an exciting school year we have had! So many stories of life change and students accepting Christ for the first time, as club numbers continue to grow.

We also announced on May 1st the two winners of the First Priority of America $500 leadership scholarship. They found out last week while recording a podcast with Brad Schelling, (podcast to come out later this month) that a donor wanted to increase this year’s scholarship. They were overjoyed to learn on the podcast that the scholarship they are to receive went from $500 to $5000!! God is good!! Here is a little more about each of the recipients.

 

Mar 09
Love0

Did you know?

By First Priority Of America, Events

Did you know that we are offering two leadership scholarships this year to a deserving senior who exemplifies leadership in their First Priority Club! We are excited to offer this opportunity to help our student leaders continue to grow and lead as they seek the next step towards their futu

We are also looking forward to the annual Spring Meetings which will take place in two cities:

Nashville May 1-2

Tampa May 8-9

Spring Meetings are a chance for us to reflect on this year and look towards even greater things for the coming year.

God is on the move and it is evident in the stories that we witness and the growth in our club numbers so far this year.

One story, I want to share, comes from First Priority Permian Basin. They had their students create and share cardboard testimonies. Students shared how the love and support they received through their FP Club, helped them make the turn from broken to healed. Students were “not seen”, “felt like a nobody” before Jesus and now “feel loved”, “like a somebody”. Many found very concrete answers to heavy problems, a place to live; a set of parents. One student stated if all the stories told were true, she wants to get to know Jesus.

We are thankful for the willingness of student leaders who are sharing the Gospel with their peers.

Feb 15
Love0

By First Priority Of America

We have turned the corner of January and are nearing the end of the first full week of February. God is at work in so many little stories and in so many kids’ lives through their FP Clubs. It’s amazing to hear the stories of students reaching students with the hope of Jesus. Here is one story from a club in FP Lakeshore.

A 6th grader attended FP Club after being invited and reminded about the club through the school announcements. At the first club meeting in January, the student leaders wanted to share the story of Jesus birth as they had missed the opportunity due to a snow day in December. During a turn and talk to your neighbor time, the girl who was visiting said she was confused. She didn’t know that Jesus was born in a manger, she thought he was born in a crystal. The leader who was sitting at the table was able to share the truth with her. She’s been back at FP Club every week. It was a good reminder that even though we have a church on every corner, there are still those who have never heard the truth of Jesus.

Another beautiful story out of FP Permian Basin also involved a 6th grader. “One of the six graders wanted to be the host of their club that day, but was afraid because she had never prayed out loud before. Before I as a club mentor could say “hey, it’s OK I’ll help you pray,” another student who is in sixth grade, said “here, let me teach you!” God is so good!”

Jan 20
Love0

Look what God has done this school year!

By First Priority Of America

We are already two weeks in to a new year. It’s hard to believe that 2023 is upon us. We are excited to report what God has already done this school year and can’t wait to see how He moves this second half of the year. Since the start of the 2022/23 school year we have seen almost 30,000 students attending 732 FP Clubs. Almost 5000 students have begun a relationship with Jesus Christ and over 4200 student leaders have been trained. And that’s just since September. Please be in prayer that these numbers will continue to rise the remainder of this school year so that more and more students will find the Hope in Christ.  

What an exciting time to be a part of this ministry that is focused to see the hope of Christ in every student. A club mentor at a school in FP Permian Basin shares this: 

“First Priority has not only created an awesome opportunity for kids to hear the gospel it has helped grow my junior high and high school youth groups. It is so heart warming to see kids excited about Jesus! I know First Priority has blessed my church and I hope it has blessed other churches in our small town as well.”

If you are interested in partnering with us to take the hope of Christ to every student, there are many ways we need your help. You can become a prayer partner here. You can get involved in your local area to either spread the word about First Priority or get involved in supporting a local club. You can also partner with us financially by clicking the button below. Thanks for all you do and for caring about the future generation. 

Partner

Nov 15
Love0

Are you prepared?

By First Priority Of America

Are you prepared to join in the global generosity movement taking place on November 29th? GivingTuesday inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. At First Priority of America, we are committed and prepared to fulfill our mission “To Take The Hope of Christ To Every Student”. YOU could help us do that this year by giving a Student Leader, a Leader Club Kit with all the resources they need to start a club.

For a one-time gift of $149 you can provide the resources for a student leader to run a club. This includes:

  • Bibles
  • Club Leader Guide
  • Prayer and Invite Cards
  • Student Response Cards/Pens
  • Posters and advertisement
  • Everything else needed to start a club

Please consider giving a one time gift of $149 on November 29th to help a student leader have the resources they need to start a club.

 

Sep 08
Love0

Hey I know you, you’re a Christian too?

By Local FP Communities, First Priority Of America

The 2022-23 school year has begun everywhere across the nation and we are already hearing some amazing stories. One of our newest Districts, Cincinnati, is seeing God move in many ways. Here is just a small part of what God is doing there.

From District Director, Justin Theriot, “On Thursday 8/25 FP Cincinnati did our first club training with students, campus coaches, and faculty sponsors! We had eight students present, 5 churches represented, the campus coach and the faculty sponsor. I was not really sure what to expect. The high school students represented every grade and also did not run in the same circles at Batavia HS. Some did not even know each other.

I heard multiple times, “Hey I know you, you’re a Christian too?” Friendships and bonds were being formed.

I asked the students to be bold and pray us out. Two students raised their hands and gave that awkward,” oh you can do it” almost simultaneously. I chimed in with, “how about you both pray? You dial and you hang up.” As we were praying you could feel the thankfulness and sincerity in their voices. One student prayed, “God, you know I have been praying for a way to share you at my school. I think this is it.”

I am so thankful for what we are already seeing God do in FP Clubs across the nation. God is on the move. Will you help support the furthering of His Kingdom so that together, we can take the HOPE of Christ to every student? Thank you for being a part of the First Priority movement. Sharing our mission with others helps our future generation be able to share their story and see their peers come to know the love of Jesus.

Mark Robbins, FPoA President

Sep 01
Love0

FPoA hires Janice full-time and hires a new Event and Resource Coordinator

By First Priority Of America

First Priority of America, a 501c3 nonprofit ministry focused on empowering students to reach their friends with the HOPE of Christ, announced today that the ministry has promoted Janice Blanchett to a full-time role of Executive Assistant and Bookkeeper and has hired Susan Cagna as the part-time Resource and Event Coordinator.

“We are excited that Janice will be available full-time in the Nashville office to meet the growing needs of First Priority of America. She is a huge asset as we expand to reach new areas,” said Brad Schelling, Director of Ministry Operations.

Janice serves as the Executive Assistant to our President, Mark Robbins and EVP of Development and Ministry Relations, Warren Robold. She also works closely with our accountant as our Bookkeeper. Janice is responsible for “all things” administrative, keeping our FP Office running smoothly and recording all donations and expenses. She is a graduate of Oral Roberts University, and earned a Bachelors of Science degree in 1985 with an emphasis in Journalism.

She also writes children’s books in her spare time. Janice and her husband, Mark have been married 34 years and have 5 children: James, Jared, Jillian, Jessica and John Mark. They also have two grandchildren, Liam and Porter.

Susan works for First Priority of America as the Resource and Event Coordinator. Susan is married to Thomas Cagna, and has two children: Sarah, who attends Lee University, and Alex, who is a junior in high school. She has been a Congregational Pastor at Christ Church Nashville for over 24 years. She also serves on the altar care and prayer teams. She helps lead the Married Life Sunday School class and also serves as the Special Event Pastor for the Women’s Ministry.

She owns and operates an etiquette business that teaches self confidence, interview skills, speech, and table manners to children and teens.

Susan loves the outdoors, beautiful flowers, a good book, and spending time relaxing with family, friends, and her three cats. Her favorite scripture is Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know:.”

Systems and Communications Director, Kristina Hedstrom, adds, “We are thrilled to add Susan to our team here in the Nashville office and are thankful for the opportunity to add more staff as we continue to grow.”

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