Feb. 10, 2016  
 
"I'm Not Ashamed to speak the name of Jesus," students said at this year's Leader's Summit 
 
On Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, First Priority held its 11th Annual Leader's Summit at Southeastern Bible College in Birmingham, Ala. More than 700 students, teachers, youth leaders and parents from nearly 70 intermediate, middle, junior high and high schools across Central Alabama attended this year's event. "I'm Not Ashamed," based from Romans 1:16 in the Bible was this year's theme: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Witnessing students take a stand for Christ and sharing His love has always been the main focus of First Priority. Students joined together this year with that in mind.

Praise and Worship Band The Multis Project kicked-off the morning with upbeat and interactive music that led students into the presence of God. Students enjoyed a day of intense training that began with First Priority President and Priority Talk Radio Show Host Greg Davis. Greg challenged students to speak the name of Jesus and to speak it with boldness and believe. Greg talked through "I am" declarations, which set the tone for passion and pursuit for students. First Priority Founder Benny Proffitt joined Greg onstage and inspired students to keep the Gospel torch lit and not grow weary in being a missionary on their campus. Christian Rap Artist Sanchez Tannehill then took the stage with his enthusiasm and talent. He challenged students to never underestimate God's power in us to do great things for His Kingdom. Students then heard from Pastor and Evangelist Ed Newton who challenged them to share the Gospel and understand that evangelism is not about us but those we are sharing the hope of Christ with.
 
"The tangible illustration of evangelism (both before and after the break) was the most powerful thing the students could possibly experience," said Youth Pastor Grady Morrison about Ed's message. "We literally left Leader's Summit, went to Krispy Kreme to de-brief, and the kids were using those same steps to evangelize to people coming in! I've taught them the difference between knowledge and wisdom recently. They took that to heart. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. That is where we find the biggest disconnect in Christians today. We are obese with knowledge and malnourished of wisdom. I can't thank Ed enough for reminding them of common knowledge while giving them clear application to turn that in to wisdom."
 
Former NFL Player, Jeremy Towns, then shared his testimony with students and challenged them to speak out about Jesus and not to be afraid to share the Gospel. Actor and Musician, Matthew Schuler, concluded the day by reminding students to be who God calls them to be. He shared a song with students to close out the day.
 
Special Thanks To:

"The Leader's Summit is always a very engaging time for students to be refreshed and renewed on how to share the Gospel. Each speaker had a dynamic and Bible based word; students were set on fire once again to share Jesus on their campus!"
- Logan LeGrande, First Priority Student Leader
 
"I Love the diversity that was represented at the Leader's Summit. I also loved watching the students that I brought take notes. Days later, I asked one of the students if she remembered what was said about how to talk to students about Jesus and she said it pretty much word for word! It was one of the best leadership summits I've been to. The First Priority staff put on a class A, number one event, not only for the students but for the glory of God and His kingdom."
- Debbie Marshall, First Priority Campus Coach
 
"The atmosphere was electric, the speakers were relevant, the material was life changing, and the worship was spirit filled. The Leader's Summit was a life-altering event for many students and I can't wait to see what God does in their lives. I can't wait to attend next year's event!"
- Heath Pike, Youth Pastor and First Priority Campus Coach
 
"I really enjoyed everything about the conference. I loved hearing from all of the speakers, but my favorite was probably Ed Newton. Ed described how to share Jesus with people in a way that made so much sense and I thought he had a lot of really good ideas. Attending the conference made me feel very thankful to be a part of First Priority, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to attend."
- McKenzie, First Priority Student Leader
 
"I really enjoyed praising and worshipping our God. I also loved all of the motivational speakers and learning about the different ways to share my faith. This was a great experience to learn what God has in store for us, and to not be ashamed to speak the name of Jesus."
- Lily Grace, First Priority Student Leader
      
 
FIRST PRIORITY of GREATER BIRMINGHAM
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