Minor High School students leave a lasting, influential mark on their school

Walking down the halls of a local High school can sometimes feel a little dark or even boring for students. First Priority students at Minor High school, under the leadership of Teacher Sponsor Steven Hickman, took on a mission to bring light to the dark halls of their school. With this charge, a project took shape to leave a lasting impression on fellow students.

What to do? With so many windows in the school, why not make one into stained glass that speaks life? That's just what First Priority students did. They took a main window that every student would see every day and turned it into a beautiful, bright creation. Choices and Consequences mark the window and signifies that each one of us must choose a path, life or death and broad or narrow. Matthew 7:13-14 says, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

With all that students deal with, and the decisions they have to make every day, the hardest one they will make is to follow Jesus Christ despite all the other paths they can take. It's a narrow path for many and a group of committed Minor High School students have decided to follow Jesus and leave a lasting mark on their school and community for many years to come.

This is the stained glass window Minor First Priority students painted to bring light to their school.

March 7, 2014

A nation in crisis; we must do our part

First Priority held it's first City-Wide Campus Ministry Network Luncheon of the year on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, at Valleydale Church. Nearly 75 youth leaders and children's ministers across the Greater-Birmingham area attended for a time of equipping, encouragement and fellowship. Everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch from Shane's Rib Shack.

First Priority Executive Director Matt Wilson provided the group with a reminder about First Priority and why we do what we do. He shared some very disturbing statistics about how times have changed since the 1950s. "We live in a nation of crisis," said Matt. "In the 1950s, 75% of students attended church, 35% in the 1970s and 12% attended in the 2000s. It is estimated that only 4% of the next generation will attend church. It is our job to share the story. Students haven't rejected the Gospel, most have never heard it. First Priority is all about networking and partnering with the local church to share the hope of Christ with students. We don't want to see that 4% statistic come true. Let's tell our story every day. We can't assume students have heard the Gospel; we have to do our part." Click here to learn more about First Priority and how you can get involved to reach students for Christ.

We would like to give a special thanks to our vendors who helped make this event a huge success: YM360, Altar84, Lifeline Children's Services and Adventure Bus Charters. Representatives from these organizations provided youth leaders with educational material about their programs and upcoming events. These groups also gave away several nice gifts and youth ministry resources. Please take time to visit their Web sites. We would like to thank all those again who attended and joined us for a great time of growth and fellowship.