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.”

Summer is flying by. Students are headed back to the classroom as schools in many states across the nation begin this month. Other schools will start in September, but all of them are gearing up for their FP Clubs to kick off this 2022/2023 school year and to see more and more students come to know Christ than ever before. We are excited to see so many prayer walks, student leader training events, fundraisers and more, filling up the calendar and getting the word out about students reaching students with the hope of Christ!

Two of the states where we have a lot of club concentration, are having a ‘weekend of prayer over students’. In both Tennessee and Alabama, there will be believers gathering at schools praying over students, teachers, staff, and administrators as they head back to one of the biggest mission fields. Will you join us in praying for everyone heading back to school soon? You can let us know you prayed here.

(NASHVILLE, Tenn. — June 28, 2022) First Priority of America, a 501C3 non-profit ministry focused on empowering students to reach their friends with the HOPE of Christ, announced today the hire of Season Tingler as District Director and Stephen Summit as Area Coordinator in the Kansas City District.

Mark Robbins, President of First Priority of America said, “We are excited at FPoA to be launching the Kansas City district which will be expanding throughout Jackson and Johnson counties over the next 3 to 5 years. Season Tingler has accepted the position of District Director and Stephen Summit as an Area Coordinator”.

Season Tingler is the District Director for Kansas City. She lives in Missouri with her husband Jerad, daughter Elle, and son Cross. Season is an ordained pastor who served full-time on a church staff before joining the First Priority of America team. She has been a High School & Young Adult Pastor, Pastor of Spiritual Formation, and a Public School Teacher. Season founded and launched her first ministry in 2003 as a sophomore in high school, and has been serving in ministry ever since.

She has been leading in student ministry and coaching youth sports since 2007. Season has a heart for developing and empowering leaders to steward their influence and abilities to make a Kingdom impact.

Stephen Summit and his family live in the Northland of Kansas City, Missouri. Stephen graduated from William Jewell College in 2008 with his bachelor’s in history and education. He will soon have his Master’s in Educational Leadership from Northwest Missouri State University. Before joining First Priority in June of 2022, Stephen spent 11 years as a high school Social Studies teacher for Grandview C-4 School District. Stephen also serves in the Air National Guard as an officer for the 131st Force Support Squadron out of Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.

Stephen serves in his local church as a youth group leader, adult small group leader, and drummer. Stephen and his wife, Alexa, have been married for 14 years and have two precious children, Grace and Shane.

Robbins adds, “We are looking forward in prayer and excitement to partner with local churches in raising up student leaders who will influence and reach their peers with the message of Hope in Christ”.

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 hired Maggie Smith as the Resource and Event Coordinator.

We are extremely excited to be adding Maggie Smith as the Resource and Event Coordinator in our Nashville office where she will spend her days managing our inventory and online orders, as well as planning and coordinating the FPoA events such as the annual Fall Conference. Director of Ministry Operations, Brad Schelling said, “I am happy to add Maggie to the team in Nashville. With the growth of the ministry, we needed someone with her gifts and passion to take the lead on the resources and events. I am excited to see her take these areas to the next level in order to best serve the students, clubs, district, and chapters around the country.”

Maggie is excited to join First Priority of America and serve as the Resource and Event Coordinator. She is a graduate of Austin Peay State University, earning a Bachelors of Science degree with a concentration in Public Health. She came to know the Lord as a child but didn’t understand what a relationship with Jesus could be until a friend in high school poured into her. Since then, Maggie has served in a variety of roles in youth ministry and is passionate about leading youth to have a personal relationship with Jesus. She currently lives in Murfreesboro with her family.

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 hired Morristown, Tennessee resident David North as the District Director for the Tennessee 1 Region. The Tennessee 1 Region of First Priority of America mirrors the First Congressional District of Tennessee.

“We are extremely excited to be adding David North as the new Director of the Tennessee 1 Region,” said President of First Priority of America Mark Robbins. “David brings with him a wealth of both business knowledge, nonprofit experience, and most importantly, a passion to see students hear about the gospel from fellow students. ”

North grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee, where he met and married his wife, Julie. They have been married for 28 years and have three children. He has spent the last 21 years working in medical sales, where he has won performance awards with several companies, including Forest Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, and Medtronic. In 2020, North formed his own company Moriah Medical, a medical device distribution company with a focus on providing minimally invasive therapies for the treatment of chronic pain.

He has been involved in various ministries inside and outside of the church walls. He served as a youth leader, deacon, Sunday school teacher, worship leader, and orchestra member, led a Bible study for young men in his home. In addition to all of that he helped to found a Classical Christian school in 2006.

“I desire to see young people introduced to the saving grace of Jesus Christ and to cultivate a deeper walk with their Savior,” said North. “My wife and I have prayed about ministry for more than a decade and have served in numerous ministry capacities. Last year, I decided to close my medical business and sought God for the next steps in our life. We were praying for God to show us what we were supposed to do in ministry and to open a door for us. I began to enter in a combination of words searching for a new opportunity that combined my business skills, fundraising skills, and passion for ministry. The first thing that popped up was the Tennessee 1 Director Position for First Priority of America. The job description combined all of my experience and passions for ministry. I was astonished and felt I needed to apply. I am excited to be able to use all the gifts and talents God has given me to reach more students.”

(NASHVILLE, Tenn. — March 16, 2022) First Priority of America, a 501C3 non-profit ministry focused on empowering students to reach their friends with the HOPE of Christ, announced today that they have hired a District Director and Area Coordinator for the newly launched Fort Worth District. Will Sherman has been hired as the new full-time District Director and Matt Armendarez has been hired as the new full-time Area Coordinator.

Mark Robbins, President of First Priority of America says, “We are excited to continue expanding the mission of First Priority of America with Ft. Worth Texas being our newest district.  Our local team will be focusing on mobilizing students into the 184 middle and high schools to impact their peers with the message of the gospel.”

Will Sherman is originally from Birmingham, AL, but grew up in Tennessee and Arkansas. Will has been in student ministry since 2002 and has been leading worship since he was a teenager. He is a graduate of Arkansas Tech University and will soon have his Masters from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Will is married to his lovely wife Elizabeth and has two children – Skylar and Emily. Will is passionate about connecting youth with Jesus and the local church. He will be leading the ministry of First Priority of America in the Fort Worth area and is excited for his call to serve the Lord in Tarrant County.

Matt is a native Texan and grew up in the south Forth Worth. In 2014 he graduated from East Texas Baptist University and several years later got his masters degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. While attending undergrad, Matt met his wife Hannah and got married in 2015. In July of 2021, they welcomed their first born son Josiah. He has spent the last 9 years working in student ministry in the local church and is excited about First Priority coming to Fort Worth. Matt enjoys traveling, hiking, eating good food, playing disc golf and cheering on the Rangers.

First Priority of America is excited about Will and Matt joining their staff and getting the Fort Worth District up and running so that together we can see The Hope of Christ in Every Student!

(NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Feb 21, 2022) First Priority of America, a 501C3 non-profit ministry focused on empowering students to reach their friends with the HOPE of Christ, announced today that Executive Director of First Priority in Nashville, Tennessee, Steve Cherrico, and Executive Director of First Priority Permian Basin in Texas, Shane Kenney, have been hired part time as new Regional Managers for the growth in Tennessee and Texas.

“Cherrico and Kenney are both proven leaders and have helped grow First Priority of America,” said First Priority of America President Mark Robbins. “Our goal is to reach 10,000 schools in the next five years. We are growing and expanding in Tennessee and Texas and across the nation.  Their help and leadership are vital to our continued growth.”

Cherrico has been married to his wife Jessi for 24 years, is a father of three children, all adopted out of the Greater Nashville area, and has more than 25 years invested in youth ministry across the United States. He has served as a Youth Pastor, Next Gen Pastor and Campus Missionary through First Priority. He brings a unique view to youth ministry as he was brought to Christ through a peer at his school sharing the gospel at 15 years old and has been involved in youth ministry ever since. You can connect with Steve at steve@fpofamerica.com or @stevecherrico on social media.

Kenney has been working with students since 1998. He has served as a youth pastor in Florida for many years as well as coaching at the local school. It was during that time that he got a burden for campus ministry. In February of 2011 he joined First Priority in West Florida. In July of 2013, he moved his family to West Texas to become the Executive Director in the Permian Basin. Shane lives in Odessa, TX with his wife, Natalie and oldest daughter Tori. His youngest daughter Tristan currently lives in Anchorage, AK.

In their new roles, Cherrico and Kenney will be helping with the expansion into Forth Worth, Texas and The Northeast Tennessee markets.  First Priority will be hiring area coordinators, and directors for each market.  Other new markets and expansion for First Priority include Orlando, Kansas City, Dallas, Richmond, and more.

“God continues to send us the right leaders, support and team members that are empowering students.  The 10,000 schools in five years are goals we feel we can reach as we empower more leaders and student leaders to share the HOPE of Christ.  We are thankful to have these two First Priority Veterans join our expanding national team,” said Robbins.

I am constantly challenged as I hear about students sharing the Gospel with their peers week after week in their FP clubs. They are eager, ready, and willing To Take the Hope of Christ to Every Student.

Are we willing to do this? Are we willing to spread the Gospel to those around us who don’t know Jesus? For two weeks, a student leader in Missouri, went to her principal every day asking to get the FP Club approved at her school so they could begin meeting. Her persistence paid off when the principal finally approved the club and they get to start meeting this month. Are we persistent enough to share the Gospel with others like this student from Missouri was in order to get a club going in her school?

On GivingTuesday you can start impacting the life of a student by partnering with us in our mission To Take the Hope of Christ to Every Student!
First Priority of America needs you to partner with us to reach students and connect them to the local church. For $37.00 per month or $444 per year, we can lead one student to a saving relationship with Christ through our peer-to-peer evangelism model. This GivingTuesday, we are focusing on five areas of expansion. We are looking for 100 people who will partner with us to start giving $37 a month today toward one of these new areas. Will you give Jesus today so that together we can impact our future generation?

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