Speaking to a crowd of more than 200 students brings feelings of nervousness and unease to most, but for junior William Jackson, sharing his religious messages to an audience is a regular occurrence. For him and other members of First Priority, Thursday Power Hours are a time to connect with peers in their Christian faith. Recently, the weekly meetings in the gym have observed a notable increase in attendance.

“At the first meeting this year there were only like 30 of us, and now we have almost 200 kids in there,” Jackson said. “I think a lot of people are starting to realize what they really need in life, and people go through things that are hard for them and come in there to find hope.”

Last year, the West Shore chapter of First Priority was established, replacing the longstanding Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) club.

“First Priority is just a better blanket term,” senior and club president Carter Newlin said. “People assumed that just because they weren’t athletes, they couldn’t come to FCA, when in reality we just wanted everybody to be able to come. I know it’s different in other parts of the state, but within the region, they made the switch.”

According to the First Priority of South Florida organization, the federal 1984 Equal Access Act alongside the 2017 Florida Student and School Personnel Religious Liberties Act give students the right to initiate and lead a Christian club on school campuses. The organization partners with more than 120 local churches and has more than 300 clubs across nine counties in Florida.

“Faith is the biggest thing that I truly care about,” Jackson said. “Being able to come together is the most amazing thing because when you go to a public school, you’re not thinking that there’s going to be something like this for you, like a religious thing. At the same time, it’s just a way to gather with others and talk about what matters to you.”

Newlin said he has worked to expand the club, implementing different approaches to gain outreach.

“We started off by just having a core group of people who I knew from church and some other people who were there in years past,” Newlin said. “From there, friends told friends, we made posters, social media, we got stuff on [WCTZ] news, so all the tangible ways of just spreading things in school. Then of course when we have pizza and the fun days, we really make that known. People come for that and then stick around afterward.”

The First Priority curriculum is based on a four-week cycle: Equip, Prepare, Invite, Connect.

“The first two weeks are very similar,” Newlin said. “We read stories out of the Bible and get ready for the following week. The whole month revolves around the third week, Invite Week, which is when we’re bringing people and we want to be prepared for questions that people might ask if they want to get involved in church, if they want to be able to do that kind of thing. Then the fourth week is Connect, where we say ‘Okay, you’ve been here, you came for pizza, maybe you’re interested in what we’re talking about.’ Then we try to connect you with people and be like, ‘We’re here every week, we go to church here,’ and these kinds of things.”

Youth pastors from local churches also speak at First Priority every week, including Calvary Baptist youth pastor David Trujillo.

“Man, I love it,” Trujillo said. “I just love anything that gives me the opportunity to encourage students and pour into their lives and just come and have fun; that’s really special to me. I hope that students learn how much God loves them. And I hope they learn to love Jesus and to love the Gospel.”

The meetings begin with an introductory game as an icebreaker, followed by speeches from members and youth pastors. Meetings conclude with a prayer, with many members staying afterward to connect with one another.

“I’ve gotten more engaged this year,” sophomore Adriah Mossiah said. “I shared my testimony twice, and when Carter speaks, we all can just raise our hand and start up with conversation. A lot of things I learn [in the club] apply to my life in school and outside of school.”

Jackson has shared Bible verses and messages every day over the past year on his Instagram account. He said his religion’s strong impact on his life inspired him to share it with others.

“God transformed my life when I was going through a really hard time,” Jackson said. “Realizing in my heart what He did, I wanted to spread that to other people, knowing that they’re going through similar things as me. I was not trying to push my religion or anything. I was just spreading this thing that I consider as truth and comforting.”

Newlin plans to pass on his role to Jackson next year, who said being a pastor is a potential career path. Jackson said his experience sharing his faith online has helped him build confidence to speak at First Priority meetings.

“At first, I was super scared to post videos,” Jackson said,” I was like ‘What will people think of me? I don’t want to seem like a weird person.’ But as soon as I did it, I was like ‘I’m doing this for God, not for other people or their viewpoint.’ Relating it to the club, I think it helped me a lot speaking at meetings because I already knew how to get in front of people and even though I was nervous, I was just kind of doing it anyway. It prepared me to figure out what to speak on and how to say it and make it effective.”

Former teacher Mark Schledorn sponsored the club until his retirement last year. The new sponsor, civics teacher Sean Regan has experience in similar fields as he was previously a missionary on Reunion Island for seven years. Regan did outreach through sports evangelism by running the Reunion Island branch of Christian Surfers. Regan said acquiring sponsorship of the club has been a smooth process.

“It’s been pretty simple,” Regan said. “It’s very much a student-run club and so I’m just kind of there because they have to have a faculty representative. I let them do their thing and it’s kind of how it’s designed.”

Newlin said that his leadership experience for First Priority has strengthened his ties to his faith and further motivated him to pursue similar endeavors in the future.

“I definitely want to be involved with campus outreach and campus ministry when I go to college,” Newlin said. “I know there’s even more opportunity than there is in high school just because you have a lot more freedom when it comes to college. I definitely see myself being involved with people who are like-minded, like how in First Priority we’re united because of our faith.”

First Priority provides materials to guide students as they lead chapters at their schools. After following the provided curriculum for his first year as the club’s leader, Newlin said he has begun to branch out into new topics for meetings.

“It’s gotten to the point where I don’t necessarily ignore the curriculum, but I go with what is on my mind and in my heart at the time and what I feel will land well,” Newlin said. “Of course, it’s all from the Bible, but if there’s something I think other people should hear or something speaks to me, I’m going to talk about it because I feel like it’ll help other people.”

As the club continues to grow, Newlin said he appreciates the impact it has left on both himself and the student body at large.

“Above all, it’s kind of cliché, but God is good and I love what I do,” Newlin said. “Thursday is my favorite day of the week to be able to see all my people and be so excited about the changes we’re seeing on campus. I’m encouraged just as much by seeing people as they are hearing the messages that myself, along with others, are sharing. It’s empowering overall. I love what I do and I can’t wait to see the future with other people making the club prosper.”