Good News - February 2019

LOCAL 38 FEBRUARY 2019 Good News • South Florida Edition E he t rolpx h siwee J f s o tooR naitsirh C !yti f o o l earsf I t ohgi ! Ldlro e wht swe no tivnp i ihswollec F inaisseM se sro n ve a o eht tuobn a rae o l u t os ye f s o tooh r siwe J 5 na uo | 1341-737-16 y d bewolloy f dut e s lbi d B epxd enh a tian f aitsirh r C giL.www swolled f ns a tnemhserfer inaisse f M y ooe j he t cneir moc.LlFaersIfOth u t oe yeo s e t poe h . Wpih e a l bli e wreh . Tpihsro c w OthigL | !ereh pihsro f w e omi t LlFaersIf up in youth group, it is the valued relationship I had with a youth pastor that stayed and laid the foundation for my future. And the core thing is a relationship with Jesus,” said Revell. He referred to what author Terry A. Smith calls “Hospitable Leadership” as First Priority’s strength. “The one thing that is true across all ethnic groups is home. Everybody wants to go home. We even talk about going home to heaven, and the closer you get to home the more real connection you have. It’s about hospitality, welcoming the stranger, and that’s what First Priority has been all this time, in an inhospitable and even a hostile environment sometimes… Ultimately the hospi- tality, the vivaciousness and the infectiousness of Christian love will impact people. People are longing for that, and they are not getting it on Facebook, and they’re not getting it on Twitter or all these other things.” This was evident to Daniela “Dani” Santiago, a high school senior who joined the First Priority Club at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after being invited by a friend a year and a half ago. She said she stayed when she discovered, “everybody was just so nice and made me feel so welcome, like a small family.” But the thing she said has impacted her the most is, “It gives me an outlet to talk about my feelings and things going on in my life.” A campus mentor at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas and youth pastor at Coastal Community Church, Susie LaForge said, “First Priority has been a safe place for students to share what they’re going through and to really relate with one another in an environment where Scripture is brought up, and we talk about the things God offers… First Priority is a club on campus that allows for prayer. I truly believe prayer changes atmospheres and has the potential to start a movement and change the culture on campus… You bring Christ to campus, but then you also connect them back to a local church so they can grow as a believer, and we have seen that,” she added. Get involved When asked how people can you get involved, Lane said, “I think 2019 is an op- portunity for us to grow further and faster. People can continue to pray. I think awareness is really important. When people drive by schools or when they see kids in the neigh- borhood, ask them if they go to first Priority. Point people there. And we need the Church; youth leaders, pastors, everybody can get engaged.” To find out more about First Priority andwhere clubs aremeeting, visit firstpriority.cc First Priority members pray at the memorial cross for Helena Ramsey (Continued from page 37)