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First Priority Of America

September Happenings!

By First Priority Of America

It is hard to believe that summer is over and schools everywhere are back in session, or soon will be next week. Some FP clubs have already begun to meet and students are showing up! Most FP Clubs will begin meeting later this month and we are excited and hopeful for what God is going to do as these students come together and share the Hope of Christ! A club in Texas has already been meeting the past two weeks and has seen more students coming this year than previous years. Praise God!

See you at the Pole

See You at the Pole™ is simply a prayer rally where students meet at the school flagpole before school to lift up their friends, families, teachers, school, and nation to God. See You at the Pole™ is a student-initiated, student-organized, and student-led event.

August Happenings!

By First Priority Of America, Events

Let the School Year Begin!

It’s August which means many schools are about to start or have already started. Student leaders are being trained To Take the Hope of Christ to Every Student in their school. Isn’t that exciting? Students are going to be reaching students with the Gospel of Christ and changing our world!

Did you know?

The Tennessee Weekend of Prayer Over Students designates the first full weekend of August each year as a day of prayer over our schools. At the request of First Priority, The TN State Legislators and Governor Bill Haslam signed it into law on April 24th, 2015. First Priority, Moms in Prayer, local churches and others work to coordinate prayer for our schools, students, teachers, staff and administrators during this weekend as school begins each year.

 

Let’s celebrate our freedom!

By First Priority Of America

Join us in celebrating our country’s freedom!

Today is July 1st and this weekend we will celebrate the freedom that our nation gained after signing the Declaration of Independence. We want to celebrate not only our nation’s freedom, but the freedom found in Christ and a life serving the One who created us all.

Did You Know?

This next school year, we are offering three different training guides for students to use in their weekly FP clubs. They will have a chance to use the one that will work best for their FP club and audience. We are excited to share these guides and can’t wait to hear how they will impact the lives of students. Click the image to view the three guides.

We made it to June!

By Local FP Communities, First Priority Of America

It’s June! Can you believe it? We are celebrating the end of the school year and the excitement of ending strong and looking towards an even stronger school year in the fall. We can’t wait to see what God is going to do in middle and high schools across our nation!

Local Club Spotlight: FP Blue Ridge

Three sophomore First Priority Student Leaders handed out popsicles and Life Books to every student in their high school that wanted them. They gave out more than 125 Life Books for “summer reading”. All three will be establishing First Priority clubs at their school in the fall.

May Happenings

By Local FP Communities, First Priority Of America

May brings us together through Spring Meetings!
The first of four spring meetings happened on Monday and Tuesday in Nashville. It was a time to gather and share, learn, support, encourage, and have some fun through laughter and good food. We had 16 people from Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, and several of us met for the very first time. We are excited to see what God has in store in each of these areas as we look forward to next school year.

The Spring Meeting in Corbin, KY is happening today, and there are two more meetings this month. One in Fort Lauderdale, FL and one in Denver, CO. We are looking forward to hear the stories of God moving through the leaders and student leaders of First Priority and the life change they have had the opportunity to witness.

Local Club Story:  “This morning I received a message from a middle school teacher who is running two clubs on her own. We are not able to get into the school and haven’t been since last spring. She started the club up again in March. She had to break it into two lunches, as it grew substantially. I have been given a list, one for seventh graders and one for eighth graders who are interested in being trained this summer for next school year. This is super good news! As we are planning a training but this will hit the middle school and high school for next year.” – Sandy Mast, FP of the Lakeshore

April Happenings

By Local FP Communities, First Priority Of America

April is a busy month! We are preparing for the 2021 Spring Meetings happening in May. The annual Spring Meeting is an event that happens in multiple cities so that we can gather in smaller groups to evaluate this past year and plan and set goals for the upcoming year. We also have a board meeting this month where we will reflect and plan for growth and changes for the 2021-2022 school year.

The First Priority of America writing team has been hard at work  developing new curriculum for the next school year. We are excited to see how EPIC next school year will be in the lives of students as they are equipped and prepared to invite and connect with others and their churches. We can’t wait to see how God is going to move!

Local Club Spotlight

First Priority Greater Springfield launched their first club last week! To hear more about FP Director Jeff Stanford and how he felt God’s calling to move him and his family to a new place in the midst of a pandemic, listen to the podcast episode 8 here.

March Happenings!

By Local FP Communities, First Priority Of America

To Take the Hope of Christ to Every Student!

The mission of First Priority of America has been stronger than ever this past year as we have had to navigate the way we do things in the midst of a world full of changes. We have spent time adapting to these changes while also focusing on our 5 Year Plan of expanding First Priority of America to new areas, reaching more students with the Gospel of Christ!

First Priority of America is hiring. One of the newest areas we are expanding is into TN Tennessee’s 1st Congressional District. Do you know someone with business and ministry leadership who would fit with the mission and culture of FPoA? You can read the job posting here.

These two senior high girls at FP of the Lakeshore in Grand Haven, MI have been making videos to reach their peers for Christ! They have really put time and effort into reaching students for Christ in a fun and inviting way. Click the image to watch!

Many FP clubs are asking for prayer as things are so different this school year. Please consider becoming a Prayer Partner today.

 

What have you learned about God?

By First Priority Of America

We made it through the first month of 2021, and although we are still in the midst of a pandemic, we can know without a doubt that God is full of love and He takes care of us and watches over us in the midst of heartache and pain and the unknowns of this world. His love never fails and we can have faith and trust that He is leading us.

Did you know?

First Priority of America is reaching out to the local colleges around the Nashville area hoping to find some college students who are interested in interning with us in the areas of student ministry, communications, and audio/video production. We have begun to advertise these internships and are excited about this opportunity moving forward. If you know a student in the Nashville area who might be interested, please have them contact kristinaz@fpofamerica.com for more information.

 

Students can still share their faith with their peers

By Nehemiah, First Priority Of America

With all the chaos in the world, God is still in charge and He is still moving in this country. Even with the shortened school year, we still celebrate 7924 students giving their lives to Christ. BOOM!

FP clubs may look different this year, but the core of First Priority remains the same; to teach students how to share their faith with their peers. We do not know if students will be able to gather together at school, but we do know there are multiple ways they can still share the Gospel of Christ. Let’s be there cheering them on. God is good!

One statement that changed my life, made it easier to say ‘no’, and brought me comfort.

By First Priority Of America

You know the statement I am talking about. It’s the comment that is made by someone that I cannot remember where or when, if I read it or heard it, or what I was putting off at the moment…but I remember the statement clearly. It is ingrained into my subconscious and rises at inopportune times of the day and night and subtly shifts the course of my entire life. But who said it? And why has it made such a lasting impact on my life? You know the statements I am talking about. You’ve had various statements like that change your life as well. Here is one of mine:

If I do not have time to get this done right now, what makes me think I will have time tomorrow?

I am sure that whatever I was putting off that day was going to be pretty boring, but I have no idea why it stuck. But it did. And it’s changed my life. For months after my subconscious burned this statement into my soul, I’d find myself at a moment in my day when I’d typically say, “Oh, I’ll do that later.” only to be followed up with “When later?” Stink!! #busted

Now I’ve gone back and forth with this internal battle. Like a typical teenager living in a 44-year-old body, I’d rebel and still not do what needed to be done. I’d lip off (yes to myself). I would finally walk away only to be drawn back by my 44-year-old self knowing that it wouldn’t be more fun tomorrow. 

What I have learned about myself in this process is interesting. What it comes down to for me is less about time management and more about personal priority. What do I want in life? What I want in life needs to happen today! So, I go through a series of questions now when I find myself in this moment of conflict asking myself if I want to do something right now: Does this NEED to be done? If yes, just do it now so it’s over. I found that having things pile up caused more stress and anxiety in me than I realized.  How did I realize that? I ended a few days without a pile of things I needed to do tomorrow. My second question is, ‘Do I want to do it?’ If yes, then why not have the joy of getting this done now? I found that so many things that I was putting off were actually things that I wanted to do and found joy in. So why not get some instant gratification?

One of the most profound things I came to realize is that I was putting a LOT of pressure on myself to do things that didn’t NEED to be done and that I did not WANT to do. So why do them? I don’t anymore. I didn’t do it then either. The difference now is that those items no longer make my to do list which is where the stress and anxiety came from. 

You might be saying, ‘Brad, you are way too complex and make life way too difficult.’  That may be true, but life is way easier now that I’ve learned that I have time to do what is a priority right now. I hope the same can be true for you.