The wisdom of Melissa Babbs youth is overshadowed only by her zeal to share Christ. But it hasnt always been that way. Ive always been a Christian, said the 17-year-old, who ded- icated her life to Jesus as a young child. Id never really tried to share my faith until this year. I loved God and tried to do good things. I didnt know how to ask people about their faith. I was concerned about what people would think.

Overcoming obstacles became a priority for Melissa as she began to take her faith to her peers.

Pride and popularity are the biggest barriers to sharing your faith at our school, says Melissa, a junior at Lake City High School in Coeur dAlene, Idaho. If youre verbal about your Christianity, the cool kids, the in crowd, will mock you. It costs me a lot of time, energy, prayer and stuff. But it hasnt cost me that much in the long run. Im helping get people to God. Ive overcome my personal barriers through Gods strength and love. No matter what anyone else thinks of me, Im doing what God wants me to do and that makes Him happy. It makes me happy, too.

Anika Todd and Maren Jorgensen, both 15-year-old sophomores at Lakeland High School in nearby Rathdrum, Idaho, match Melissas infectious enthusiasm for seeing their friends come to Christ.

I overcame my fear of sharing Christ by doing it and, of course, the strength of Jesus and faith. If youre persecuted, Jesus faced that, too. When school started I began going to church at New Life. Being around people who were vocal about their faith and getting involved in what God was doing helped my faith grow. I could feel the difference in me. People asked, and I told them why I had changed, Anika said.

Almost as soon as they decided to become more intentional about sharing their faith the students at Lakeland High had to overcome significant hurdles. The school administration opposed outside clubs of any kind coming onto campus.

Amber Menke and Melissa Babb (top) demonstrate drive-by hugging, in front of their school, Lake City High. Its a practice encouraged by youth leader Mark Moder (above, with guitar). Moder directs The Student Bodys ska band for youth worship.

They tried to put off starting our First Priority club. We pushed and pushed, and finally they agreed to sign the papers for the club to meet, said Maren. When another group of students wanted to begin a devil worship club, it looked as if First Priority might be denied again.

I think the first barrier was the fear of losing social status. It wasnt so much whether Id be popular as much as it was, would they drop me? Anika said. Not having the support from the school got to me. When the devil worship stuff came up, I didnt want to hurt our school, I thought maybe we should drop it. After much prayer and more organizing, the First Priority club launched with 75 students at their first meeting while the devil worship group fizzled.

Barriers come in the form of strained relationships, too. Some of my closest friends dont believe in Jesus. At first I kept pushing on them. Now Im open for them to talk to me, and I tell them if they want to come, thats great. I know Im not going to change them. Only God can do that. Ive shared my story with people. It makes it easier for me to get to know them. When people know me they know they can talk to me. Some people look down on you, but your real friends stick by you, Anika said.

Setting Priorities First
Melissa, Anika and Maren have found a new excitement about sharing Christ thanks to their involvement in First Priority, a student-led campus club that focuses on evangelism and discipleship on school campuses. All three are leaders in First Priority in their schools.

First Priority is awesome. Its different from other campus Christian clubs, because those clubs are for believers. First Priority has Christians, but the main objective is to reach new people and get them to heaven. Bright, cheerful and assertive, Melissa is a leader among leaders.

Maren finds solace in numbers. For me its knowing I have a whole group of people behind me, and I have God. I have faith that He will help me through it. And whether I succeed or not, I know I tried my hardest, Maren said.

For Anika the club has helped build her confidence. First Priority opened me up. Since Ive taken part in speaking at the meetings Im not afraid to talk in front of groups.

The trios common ground comes from church. All are members of The Student Body, the youth group at New Life Church where Mark Moder gives direction to both the Body and First Priority. Moder, a 13-year youth ministry veteran, finds answers in First Priority that havent come from anywhere else.

There was nothing going on in campus ministry when I came here. I was exposed to Benny Proffitt [First Priority founder]. Id been working with an ecumenical group, and it was a God thing for us. It was the missing piece for campus ministry. See You At The Pole is great for mobilizing your youth group, but First Priority is the missing ingredient for getting on campuses and getting into campuses. It brings the organization and structure a church can provide and the   kids who are involved at church into schools in a focused way, Moder said.

Moder partnered with other youth ministers in the area to begin the strategy in the fall of 1997. Their involvement went from nothing to 400  students meeting in six clubs in one year. This fall the strategy will branch out to Spokane, Washington, with the help of student leaders from Coeur dAlene, a farming and resort city just outside Spokane. That keystudent leadershiphas as much to do with  the strategys success as anything, according to Moder. Kids will listen to kids much faster than to adults coming in to tell youth what they need.

A Nationwide Movement
The same scenario has repeated itself across the United States as First Priority has swept the country, and thousands of students on more than 3,000 campuses have accepted their part in Gods plan. The North American Mission Board in Alpharetta, Georgia, has partnered to coordinate First Priority of America, Inc. on a national level. Since 1990 more than 10,000 students have come to faith in Christ through First Priority. The clubs are in more than 200 cities in 38 states.

The First Priority strategy calls for youth ministers to network together   to support students as the students   lead campus efforts. The youth ministers provide guidance and support, but students do the work. The core of the strategy is the ACTS Revolution, the game plan for the club. ACTS stands for Accountability, Challenge, Testimonies and Seek, each a weekly focus of the club. Accountability  Group meetings serve as a framework for discipleship. Challenge week   brings an outside speaker to inspire   students. Week three features testimonies from the student members.   The final week, Seek Week, is the major outreach effort of the strategy. Club members are encouraged to bring their non-Christian friends to hear an intentionally evangelistic message.

As club members bring their   friends to Christ, they are encouraged to help them plug into a youth group  at a church. The dual accountability keeps both students and youth ministers involved in discipleship and evangelism.

Purposeful Relationships
One of First Prioritys strengths is relationships. Building friendships enables the kind of life-changing encounters that Jessy Todd experienced with Matt Ridenour.

I remember when they had See You at the Pole. I had just moved here from Reno and I didnt know what it was. I saw some of the football guys there so I asked around, said Jessy, Anikas 17-year-old brother.

I went to the Youth Group and First Priority a few times. A friend of mine who is a Christian, Matt, laid his hand on my shoulder one day in class and said I needed to get things right in my life. He shared the gospel with me, and I prayed to put God in the drivers seat.

It happened that way for Craig Solum, 15, too. He couldnt escape Maren Jorgensens invitations to First Priority. Maren had asked me to go to First Priority, and I went to Youth Group, too. I started praying and reading the Bible. One day at First Priority they asked if anyone wanted to give their life to Jesus. I did, so I raised my hand and prayed to receive Christ. Everybody has problems. You can tell God about them. I wanted that in my life, Craig said.

As students follow through on their commitment to share Christ with others, they also face challenges in other areas of their walks with God. Melissa Babb has seen her share of challenges while leading First Priority.

Its been tough for some of us. Weve had leaders who are strong and the next thing you know they start going to parties or they get too close to a boyfriend or girlfriend and theyre gone. You hate to see your Christian friends fall away, but some of them come back. People put you under such scrutiny. A kid will see another kid who witnessed to him at a party and say, If he can drink, I can. They may not even be drinking, but the perception is there. Youve got to be different. When I was a freshman the seniors used to want us to go drink with them. When Im a senior I want the freshmen coming up to be a part of First Priority, Melissa said.

The Student Body ends the day with a sunset Bible study on the campus of New Life Community Church.

Melissa has her ally in 16-year-old Amber Menke. Amber overcame personal barriers to find her place in sharing her faith.

I had to give up a lot of things. You have to take a stance and tell people you represent the Lord. Kids dont want to listen to just anybody. You have to become their friend first. You have to overcome your own pride. For me it took a lot of prayer and the strength of Jesus Christ. I dont worry about what people think any more, because God is number one, Amber said.

Anika overcame it all to be an outspoken leader on her campus.

I was really encouraged the first time I gave my testimony. It was hard for me to speak in front of people. I was stressing out. I was really scared. But I just got up there and talked about an emptiness that you feel without God. I talked to them about things they would relate to that wont fill that emptiness, drugs and alcohol. At the end I felt really touched. I was numb because God had used me. I asked if any one wanted to receive Christ and four people raised their hands. I felt like, what is it when you have stuff poured over you, anointed, right? she said.

Anika had a dream that she was at school and the Lord came back. We were beginning to go meet Him, but it was like the kids around us were chained to the floor. They couldnt go. The feeling just came over me, their blood is on my head if I dont tell them.

Melissas passion for reaching her peers translates into her vision for this school year. With bright eyes she sees the days of fall classes ahead and anticipates her strategy as if she were in battle. She draws strength from Pauls admonition to Timothy: Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe (1 Timothy 4:12, NIV).

This coming year were going all out, says Melissa. When we go talk to people, every day has to be like the last day were here. Weve got to be bold. This is a life or death situation. The choice is an eternity in heaven or an eternity in hell. If people dont see us, what will they see?    

Check out First Priority
First Priority clubs are breaking out across America, and theres a good reason for the phenomenal growth. God is in it.

The Church is about the Great Commission. This is a Great Commission club, said Scott Grissom, a national consultant for First Priority. The foundation is the youth minister network. The vision is evangelistic with campus ministry as the outflow. First Prioritys purpose is evangelism. The youth ministers are the coaches and the students are the players.

First Priority is a multi-denominational network of churches joining together to take a united stand for Christ in their city. The strategy equips youth to begin student-initiated, student-led campus clubs.

If youd like more information about First Priority, or youre ready to bring the strategy to your city or school, visit First Priority USA, Inc.s website at www.firstpriorityusa.co or call the national headquarters toll-free at 1-888-476-9179.