For many years, we have not been allowed to mention God or Jesus to our students in public schools in the United States. Meanwhile, children have continued to be misguided and even harmed in our schools. Satan has had his way.

But God has made a way for us to teach and influence hundreds, even thousands of young lives, through a program called First Priority. Through this club we are able to teach and provide spiritual guidance to the middle school and high school students at our schools. (First Priority is a secondary school program and not available at the elementary school level.)

I am convinced that the harvest is plentiful and that there are a good number of parents right now at your schools that long for this type of spiritual nourishment to be available for their children at your schools, not to mention the students themselves.

I am a sponsor for our school’s First Priority club, and we average about 60 students that attend on a weekly basis. One week we had 76. The administration and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) are fully behind it. The PTA provides pizza on a weekly basis for the students, and the administration puts it on the weekly bulletin. My principal even went so far as to design a logo for our club T-shirt. I even receive a weekly supplement which I reinvest in treats, plates and cups for class and our meetings. And of course, I teach them about Jesus. My goal is that they will fall in love with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The students invite their friends, and students frequently ask me, “Is it ok if they come to First Priority?” Imagine your neighbor asking if it’s ok if they could come to your community group!

Normally we start by having the students sign in for attendance purposes. I collect permission forms as parents grant their students permission to attend. We distribute their folders where they store their weekly lessons. They put away their phones, and we say a prayer together. Then I teach a short 15-minute lesson about Jesus. After the lesson the students eat pizza that has been provided by the PTA or the First Priority organization. Of late, I’ve begun having a PTA parent attend to help me manage so many students. In total, the meeting is about one hour.

I have so much more to say about First Priority, but I will leave it at that for now. But please, consider and pray about making the most of this golden opportunity at your school for the good of our students and the glory of God.

I have made myself available to any teacher, counselor or administrator that is interested in implementing the First Priority program at their school. My email is [email protected] and my phone is (305) 903-9925. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments.

Richard and his wife of 35 years, Debonaire, are members of the Broward Church in Davie, Florida where he serves as one of the community group leaders and is a member of the church core group. He was originally baptized into Christ in 1981 at the Crossroads Church of Christ. He has a PhD in U.S. History and is author of the book An Unsealed Indictment: How American Slavery Violated the Scriptures. He teaches Civics at Dr. Rolando Espinosa K-8 Center, a public school in Miami and is an adjunct lecturer at Florida International University. He is also a member of the ICOC US SCUAD.