The Priority of the Church -
Reaching students at a younger age
When First Priority began over 20 years ago the emphasis was to reach students at secondary schools. This was the legal precedent that allowed First Priority clubs to exist on secondary campuses. At that time, the focus was mostly on high schools. First Priority was thought of by many as, "A last chance to impact a student's life before they graduate high school." Over the years, middle schools quickly became very active and fruitful.
Now that more time has passed a trend continues. For years, church leaders have heard the claim that nearly nine out of 10 Christians accept Jesus as their savior before the age of 18. If that statistic was accurate in the past, it no longer depicts U.S. society. The current Barna study indicates that nearly half of all Americans who accept Jesus Christ as their savior do so before reaching the age of 13 (43%), and that two out of three born-again Christians (64%) made that commitment to Christ before their 18th birthday. Less than one out of every four born-again Christians (23%) embraced Christ after their 21st birthday.
While the urgency to reach a student prior to graduating is still important, we know from experience that it is becoming easier to do so in middle school than it is once they are in high school. While First Priority has traditionally been focused on middle and high schools, the need to reach students younger is now the trend knocking at our door every day. This means that as the opportunity presents itself, First Priority is establishing First Priority Kids Clubs in intermediate and elementary schools. While the legality issues are different they are not more difficult than middle and high schools. At this time there are more than 30 First Priority Kids Clubs in Greater Birmingham.
The response at these intermediate and elementary clubs is overwhelming to say the least. It is not unusual to see half of the entire school's student population attend weekly meetings before school. Just as in middle and high school clubs, our staff works with volunteers to make these times inspirational, fun and all about Jesus. Resources for these Kids Clubs are currently being developed. More volunteers and financial support are needed to meet the demand for services that First Priority is currently experiencing. When you make a tax-deductible gift, we will use it in a responsible manner to help many more schools prepare to start campus ministry for the next school year. For more information about starting a First Priority Kids Club in your area, contact us at 205-871-8886 or info@gofirstpriority.com.
First Priority is growing thanks to amazing new leaders
First Priority has an impact in communities all across Greater Birmingham and in over 250 schools. This is only possible because of the commitment to being a strategy and an extension of the local church. Among the schools where we have started a First Priority club this school year is Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA). What an incredible opportunity it is to share the Hope of Christ with some of Alabama's most talented young artists, dancers and musicians.
Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send the workers into the field," ~ Luke 10:2. The impact we are able to make would not be possible without the local church responding to God's call. When we voiced the need for campus coaches at ASFA, the Lord sent us Josh Rutledge and Josh Tomasek.
One of "the Josh's" as the students call them, Josh Rutledge, when asked what drew him in said, "ASFA is an incredible school with incredible students - students who are extraordinarily gifted and talented. So the call I felt was a call to help empower these particular students at this particular school because the challenges they face are different than at other schools, but their potential is immense. What I love about First Priority is that it opens the door for all of that."
Would you be willing to respond in the same way? We have students all over our city that need your guidance, prayer and encouragement to reach their schools with the Hope of Christ.
