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Student Leaders

Dec 11
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Forgiveness

By Local FP Communities, Student Leaders

A student leader from a local high school was invited to speak at another high school on Engage Week. He shared his testimony about being angry at his father after his parents separated. His anger affected his family, his friends and his performance at school. After not speaking with his father for a long time, the Lord began working on his heart and calling him to forgiveness. He was able to forgive his father and release his anger.

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During his testimony, he encouraged other students to give their lives to Christ and to forgive those who have hurt them.

The next day, a student from the school posted on social media that he had heard the student speak at the First Priority club meeting and it motivated him to call his father, with whom he had not spoken to in 4 years. He shared how the speaker had motivated him to forgive his father and to re-establish a relationship. He also shared that his father was planning to see the son in the next few weeks.

Praise God!

Amber Johansen
Executive Director
FP Tampa

Dec 04
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Decisions and Disciples at Mascoutah Middle School!

By Local FP Communities, Student Leaders

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After the Gospel was delivered (3 Crowns presentation) at MMS’s Engage Week Party, 2 students decided they want to follow Jesus for the first time! Even cooler: 2 Christian student leaders decided to sign a Decision to Disciple Card with them, committing to take them to church and First Priority every week, and read through the Book of John! There was also 1 student who decided to become a student leader for First Priority.

Sean Hall
FP Director
FP St. Louis Metro East

Nov 20
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Nearly 100 Student Leaders!

By Student Leaders

On our 6 campuses this semester, nearly 100 students have been trained as missionaries to their school! Over the course of last year, 87 student leaders were trained, meaning we’ve seen an increase of the church uniting to reach the lost on campus.

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These leaders are Christian students who claim themselves as missionaries to their school, active in inviting students, and learning how to share the Gospel message. They also participate in planning and presenting the different weekly roles of First Priority.

 

 

 

Sean Hall
FP Director
FP St. Louis Metro East

Nov 09
Love0

Your Support Provides Opportunity for Students

By Student Leaders

Last week, students at two local high schools hosted their tampabayFirst Priority club meeting, which they affectionately call “Jesus Pizza”. They reported a combined total attendance of over 375 students and 62 decisions for Christ. The meetings were student-initiated, student-organized, and student-led.

We applaud these student leaders for their efforts, because the process of organizing the meetings requires a lot of attention to detail, navigating the school’s policies and procedures, and inviting their friends.

 

 

 

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(pictured above are student leaders sharing their faith stories and the gospel message)

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” Romans 10:14 (NIV)

Amber Johansen
Executive Director
FP Tampa Bay

Oct 18
Love0

Equipping Students to share Christ on Campus

By Local FP Communities, Student Leaders

“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” Romans 10:14

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First Priority students are dedicated to reaching friends with the hope of Christ. By partnering with area churches, we provide students with ongoing training and they learn important skills such as:

Public speaking
Team building strategies
Meeting preparation
Conflict resolution

Is this legal?
The First Amendment and the Equal Access Act afford students (in secondary grades) the right to gather on public school campuses, even for religious reasons.

Is the model sustainable?
Because our organizational model is student focused, our resources and training strategies help empower students to be who God created them to be. All groups are student-led and graduating leaders mentor younger leaders, thereby ensuring sustainability.

How is First Priority funded?
As a registered nonprofit, we are funded by donations from churches and private donors. All donations impact local students and are tax deductible.

How can you help?

  • By praying for students to share their faith and pursue God’s truth
  • By praying for churches to have a burden for students/this generation
  • By letting others know about our mission
  • By supporting our organization as a donation partner

If you would like to find out more about supporting First Priority you can find more info here.

Amber Johansen
FP Director
First Priority Tampa

Oct 16
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Hebrews 12:2 came to life for some South Florida students

By Priority Parents, Student Leaders, Faculty Sponsors

On Wednesday September 27th, First Priority clubs all over South Florida joined in a global movement of student prayer! Some schools had over 80 students, parents and teachers. Some only had 2 students. But all were making a bold choice to join hands and ask the Lord onto their campus.  unnamed(4)

The theme of this year’s See You at the Pole was Hebrews 12:2, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

For the students at Murray Middle school, this verse really came to life. Their flagpole is right where buses get dropped off in the morning and they were there praying just before school. As their classmates got off the buses, they began harassing the students praying. Although being cursed at and insulted, the First Priority students continued to pray, tears steaming down their faces, that the Lord would bring revival to their campus! After the prayer was over, the resolve was a greater passion to reach their broken and lost classmates!

Today, we praise God for the student leaders who keep their eyes fixed on Jesus, even when it is tough.

Chris Lane
FP Director South Florida

Oct 09
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10 Students profess Christ at First Priority’s Leader’s Summit!

By Student Leaders
On Tuesday, September 19, 2017, First Priority Greater Birmingham held its 13th Annual Leader’s Summit at Valleydale Church. The Summit is a high-impact, one-day conference that features live music and inspirational messages geared toward highly motivated student leaders and teacher sponsors involved in First Priority campus clubs. This year’s conference focus was “Fight the Good Fight” based from 1 Timothy 6:11-14.
Nearly 600 students, teachers, youth leaders, parents and volunteers from 50 intermediate, middle, junior high and high schools across Central Alabama attended this year’s event. Local school boards of education continue to endorse the program, allowing a group of students to attend during the school day and count the event as a field trip. Superintendents continue to excuse First Priority students and teacher sponsors to attend because they see the value in this type of leadership training event. They also witness the positive impact it makes on students’ lives. Superintendent of St. Clair County Schools Jenny Seals told us she continues to approve for students to attend because, “I know that our students will walk away with valuable leadership information that will help to prepare them for whatever paths they may choose.”
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 Praise and Worship Band More Than This kicked-off the morning with upbeat and interactive music that led students into the presence of God. To correspond with the “Fight the Good Fight” theme, students were trained in rounds. Executive Director of Lift Tour and YPS Jeff Wallace led Rounds One and Two – “Entering the Fight” and “The Role of a Fighter.” Jeff encouraged students to flee worldliness and pursue Godliness. Jeff gave students three goals of a fighter: 1) Upwardly develop and know God yourself; 2) Inwardly develop and own your faith; 3) Make your faith known. Jeff concluded his training rounds with a Gospel presentation. We are very excited to announce that 10 students responded and professed Christ as their Lord and Savior!
Founder of Stained Glass Ministries and Living Deeper Ministries Jena Forehand led Round Three “Arming for the Fight” and encouraged students from Numbers 14:24 – Caleb had a different spirit and followed God wholeheartedly. Jena provided students with four ways to have a “Caleb” spirit: 1) Be positive – stop whining; 2) Be passionate – believe God, He can do it; 3) Be patient – we are winning when we out wait the enemy…Caleb waited 40 years to possess the land; 4) Be persistent – never give up.
During Rounds Four and Five, led by First Priority Greater Birmingham’s Debi DeBoer and James Cato, students received intense training on our HOPE strategy.  They were also trained on the 3 Crowns Gospel presentation, which is a new evangelism technique that includes a video and guide on our Web site to help students share the Gospel daily with their sphere of influence.
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Following the HOPE training, students enjoyed lunch from Chick-fil-A and cookies from Bud’s Best Cookies. Also at this time, we held a separate lunch for teachers to encourage them and show our appreciation for all their time and help with First Priority clubs.
To close out the day with Round 6 “It’s Worth the Fight,” students heard an inspiring testimony from First Baptist Church Moody Youth Pastor Joel Davis. Joel shared the traumatic birth story of his son, Noah, and the fight that he and his family have fought over the past few years. Joel encouraged students saying, “It’s worth the fight because the victory is eternal. Don’t be surprised when you find joy in the fight and blessings throughout the battles.” Students left enthusiastic and ready to “Fight the Good Fight.”
“I had so much fun learning about God and how to use Him in my school today. What a great way to start off the year.”
– First Priority Student Leader
“The Leader’s Summit was very informative, inspirational and gave me a great opportunity to spend quality time with the students outside of their school setting.”
– Angie, Teacher Sponsor
“What I loved most about Leader’s Summit was the emphasis of the Gospel all day leading up to how to present the Gospel with the 3 Crowns witness tool. It was great to open with a powerful speaker who gave a presentation of the Gospel, another speaker to hit home that it is Christian students’ responsibility to saturate their campus with the Gospel, then another speaker who trained students with a witness tool, and finally, Joel and his family to drive the point home! I loved the flow of the day with the emphasis all on the Gospel of Christ!
– Christal, Teacher Sponsor
Sep 25
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Student Leaders Pray, Prepare, and Plan

By Student Leaders

Around 80 students attended our recent Leader Lab and were equipped to become missionaries to their schools who share the hope of Christ with their peers! unnamed(1)Our Student Leader Teams have been meeting at each school this month to pray, prepare, and plan together. They are planning to launch strong the first week of October as they are preparing to take the hope of Christ to every student. It has been incredible to spend time with each group as they are uniting for a Gospel movement of hope to the schools of Johnston County. No one can reach students like students can!

Joel Rowland
Executive Director
http://www.fpgreaterclayton.com/

#li #tw #in #firstpriorityclub

Sep 22
Love0

Meet Haley

By Student Leaders

This is Haley. She is a junior in High School. Haley attends First Assembly Church and is very active with her youth group. unnamedThat’s not the best part, Haley is a Student Leader at her school and considers herself a campus missionary to the whole student body. Haley started leading First Priority in middle school and God has really had His hand on her for the last few years. She has a passion for lost people and a real passion for the gospel message. We are very anxious to see the amazing things that God is going to do through Haley this year at her campus and in her community. Please pray for Haley as she goes on a mission to share the gospel in her school.

Sep 21
Love0

How to Help Christian Students Understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ

By Student Leaders

When I wrote that title, my first thought may have been the same as yours, “Why would we need to help Christian students understand the gospel?  Don’t they go to church?  Haven’t they already heard and responded to the gospel?”  The answer that I will give you is simple. The average person needs to hear something 7 or more times before they understand it. So, how can we help Christian students (or those that attend church regularly and we call Christian) understand the gospel?

  1. Share the gospel regularly.
    The average human only retains 5% of what they hear from lecturing.  This method is at the bottom of the retention ladder.  So, if you find yourself speaking to the same group week after week, do not be afraid to say the same thing over and over again.  Chances are, they have not remembered what you said last week anyway.
  2. Share the gospel differently.
    Every person sees, hears, and remembers things differently.  If you shared the gospel through the Romans Road to Salvation last week in youth group, you captured the Bible study crowd.  This week, if you use the EvangeBall to share the gospel while doing a few foot tricks, you’ve captured a different crowds attention.  Keep the message the same, but mix up the approach every time.
  3. Have students share the gospel in your weekly youth group and at special youth group events.
    I remember the first time that I was given the opportunity to prepare a talk for youth group.  It was my second year of my internship in college.  The first year, I built relationships.  In the second year, the student pastor gave me an opportunity to lead the whole program one Wednesday night.  It changed my life forever and gave a foundation for ministry that I’ll never forget.  Don’t get me wrong, I stuttered and probably said a few things that weren’t theologically correct.  That moment still was used by God to set me on a path to full-time ministry.  Give the message of the gospel to the students and let them teach it.  They will never be the same again.
  4. Share the gospel socially when students are with you.
    I will start out saying that this is the hardest one for me.  It is lifestyle, not programing.  I am always encouraged when I am out with First Priority leaders and they ask our waiter or waitress how they can pray for them.  Back in the day, Doug Fields took this a slightly different way.  Lifestyle evangelism is when you built a dog house for your new dog, but didn’t build it alone.  You invited students from the student ministry over to help and had God conversations while working together.

Whatever your method, recognize that just because students show up on a regular basis, does not mean that they know and understand what Christ did for them on the cross.  Stay consistent and give it away.  2 Timothy 2:2 says, ‘The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men (and woman) who will in turn teach others.’

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