From years of pursuing God’s calling on my life in the area of student ministry, this recent shift towards coaching Youth / Student ministers to survive and thrive in their ministry to students has been challenging & fulfilling! Training younger generation leaders to minister to teenagers is an exciting opportunity for me after having led successful youth ministries over the past 33+ years in churches in 4 different states & Spain!
This past year I began working with Youth Minister Networks in 17 cities/metro areas in Arkansas to help them become more effective as Networks by focusing on the National Network of Youth Ministries (NNYM) four core values of (1) praying together, (2) building relationships, (3) sharing resources, & (4) strategizing together...an organization I first became involved with in 1983! When a Network gets to #4 & is ready to implement a strategy, it gets really exciting to introduce & train them in the powerful church-based campus-focused strategy of First Priority [of America] (FPOA) where Youth Pastors equip students to be missionaries on their campuses & then coach them to fulfill the Great Commission through on-campus clubs…a strategy that I’ve been using since 1991!
Another exciting new element of ministry that I began this past year is training youth pastors to implement a youth ministry strategy for their local church that I’ve used since 1988 called Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry (JFYM - which is part of Reachout Youth Solutions) that will help them see long-term success in their church youth ministry! So I’m getting to train youth pastors with a strategy for all three areas:
1) Church, 2) Campus, & 3) City!!!
Also, this past year I had the privilege to do this same networking ministry with First Priority Global (FPG) in Kenya, Uganda, & Spain, where we trained hundreds of youth ministers & student leaders, which also included communicating the Gospel in dozens of schools to hundreds of students and saw over 100 students become followers of Christ!In 2015, I will be on the team that will be initiating this First Priority strategy training process in India, Nepal, Indonesia, Cuba, China & others, as well as continuing the process in the existing countries.
Up to this point, I've been doing this ministry part-time, but that must change. Only with increased financial capacity can I keep pace with the need to do this full-time! Right now, we need to add 30 new donors giving $100 a month. In light of your heart for the younger generation, I invite you to become one of those 30 who invest $100 a month in this ministry.
You have plenty of giving opportunities like this one, but maybe this is closer to your heart because of our ministry focus: equipping and multiplying leaders locally & globally who influence the younger generation to follow Jesus.
Will you pray about investing $100 a month to equip and multiply younger generation leaders in Arkansas & around the world? For more info or to begin investing in this ministry, click here.
May God continue to bless you & your family!Phil (1:20) Brown
Consultant - Phil (1:20) Student Ministry
Spanish World Coord. - First Priority Global (FPG)
AR Coord. - Nat'l Network of Youth Min. (NNYM) & First Priority of America (FPOA)
Trainer - Jesus-Focused Youth Min. (JFYM) of Reachout Youth Solutions
Phil Brown
Phil (1:20)
Student
Ministry
Trainer &
Coach
It is my deep desire and hope that I will never fail my Lord, and that at all times, but especially right now, that I will be full of courage, so that Christ will be exalted in my whole being,
in everything I do or say, whether I live or die. Philippians 1:20
Phil (1:20) Brown
MAY / JUNE 2015
(Click on small photos to see them enlarged. Click on words in white to go to the linked website.)
May started off with a slam dunk! On May 1, I got to help out with the
NWA FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) Annual Golf Tournament at Paradise Valley Country Club in Fayetteville, AR. I manned the 13th hole to witness anyone who made a hole-in-one in order to win a $7000 Rolex watch!
Tough job, huh!?!
Well, during the lunch break, I sat down at a table with some older men that I didn't know. We made introductions & I began to eat. A few minutes later, another older man sat down in the empty chair next to me, and when I looked up to see who it was, my heart almost stopped as I realized it was former Hog football coach,
Ken Hatfield, one of my Hog heroes - the highest winning percentage coach of any AR football coach!! Enjoy the photos below!!
Later that night, I had a blast speaking at the FCA Leader Training for
Gentry High School! Thanks Koach Krazy!
Watch the greatest Graduation Valedictorian speech ever!!!
This is our daughter Brittany at the School of Architecture graduation at the University of Arkansas on May 9!!
https://www.facebook.com/Automan40/videos/10152756490232175/
What fun we had on Mother's Day, May 10, doing Children's Church at Lakeview Bapt NWA! The Paper Airplane contest was hilarious!
May 11-15, we had a First Priority Global staff meeting in Nashville, TN, that included spending a few days with the "I'm Not Ashamed" movie team (watch the promo!) working on tweeking the script, marketing plans, etc.
Below are pictures of the Rogers Middle School JV Soccer League Conference Tournament where Connor's team, Elmwood Middle School, made it to the Championship game on May 16 and finished 2nd! I had such a blast coaching the team with the help of Michael Delgado!
May 17, I got to do a unique special music at Lakeview. It was very challenging to play on guitar, but it was so much fun to do a Christian parody of the Beatle's song Yesterday...Yes Today - listen here!
May 18, Connor's Elmwood Middle School Band had their Spring Concert, and they did surprisingly well considering that they are first-timers!
May 20, Connor, Candace, & myself got to be with Ed Newton & Hutch Kufahl at Studio 412 for the end-of-the-year Twinkie event!
On May 21, I had the privilege of speaking at the Gentry High School's FCA Spring "Field's of Faith" at the City Park!
May 25 was Memorial Day and if you want to see an example of what it really is all about, click here. Also, Latest on the Brown's...Keep us in your prayers: The picture below was taken as we saw Candace off from the XNA airport for her month-long Univ. of AR Study Abroad in the United Kingdom where she will be til the end of June! If you want to keep up with what's happening with her there, follow her on her blog: http://candaceintheuk.blogspot.com/.
At the Elmwood Middle School Awards Assembly on May 29, Connor brought home top honors for Straight-A's & a 6th grade Reading Award! He is looking forward to a great summer full of camps, swimming, soccer, & video games!
Today, May 30, Windy is with Brittany in Nashville, TN for the weekend to help her find an apartment to live in when she moves there mid-June to begin work for the Page Duke Landscape Architecture Firm!
Also, today, May 30, this is Phil in the Houston airport about to board a plane to Mexico City where he will be teaching a week-long Masters-level Youth Ministry course called "Campus Outreach & Evangelism" at the Mexico Baptist Theological Seminary - Facebook page & website! He only had 2 & 1/2 weeks to prepare for the class (Syllabus, teaching plan, etc.), but he is teaching
the "Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry Strategy"
(which he has implemented since 1989),
the "First Priority Strategy"
(which he has implemented since 1992),
& various Evangelism Strategies
(that he has implemented since 1982),
so he is very "prepared" and excited!!
Here are pictures from the Youth Worship Service that was held that night on the grounds of the Mex. Bapt. Seminary:
First full day in Mexico City & what a blessing it has been so far! The 1st picture is in front of the 3rd service (averaging 1200-1500 at each) at First Baptist Mexico City at 1pm with Chucho Hurtado (who is the Youth Pastor at one of the two satellite campuses at the Mexico Baptist Theological Seminary) and his fiance Carla!!
The 2nd picture is at the 11am service at the satellite campus at the Seminary, which was the 2nd of the 3 services averaging 400-500 at each!! The Church is alive in Mexico!! The 3rd picture is at the famous 'Tonio's restaurant for lunch! The other 3 photo's are from the FBC Mexico City main campus & worship service! The worship leader plays the lead in Mexico's "Lion King!"
What a great 1st three days of teaching in Mexico City at the Bapt. Seminary, getting to know some wonderful Christians, & getting to meet some great Youth Pastors in the Campus Ministry class I'm teaching!! The 2nd picture is a US missionary who is a Professor at the Seminary, Bob Waguespack. The 3rd & 5th picture are of the Seminary Director, Daniel Jimenez Torija.
The following pictures are at Coyoacan Square which includes the Conchita Temple & Coyote Fountain!
The next photos were taken in the Seminary cafeteria, the view from the Mexico City Mall, & with one of the Seminary professors and his family at a home-style restaurant!
The following pics are of the class I taught, the Chili's restaurant in the Mall, the Ocampo family, downtown Mexico City, & a great taco restaurant!
What a blessed week!!
What a great week! The students in my class have until August 7 to turn in their final 2 projects. After that, we will have a much better idea of the future of First Priority & Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry in Mexico!
The next week, June 7-13, was both Vacation Bible School at Lakeview (where I dressed up & taught as King Hezekiah's son) and Soccer Camp for Connor. Plus, it was full of helping Brittany get ready to move to Nashville, TN, which included taking her out to eat at one of her favorite places...the Catfish Hole, where we ran into Hog running back Alex Collins!!!
On Sunday, June 14, we moved Brittany to Nashville, TN. We spent the night with the Proffitt's & then unloaded on Monday. Tuesday, we set-up her apartment so she could start work on Wednesday at the Page Duke Landscape Architecture Firm on Music Row! The middle picture was taken from her balcony...ducks, geese, & turtles galore! On Tuesday night, Dan & Sherree Telford, friends from Nashville, AR, who live in Nashville, TN, now, had us over for dinner! Yea, I know...a little confusing! We also got to see Hope & Molly Freel, who were in our Youth group First Baptist Nashville, AR, and now live just around the corner from Brittany!
Wednesday through Friday, our First Priority Global staff worked tirelessly. On Friday night, Windy arrived to help give the final touches to Brittany's apartment. On Thursday, our FPGlobal staff met all day with the "I'm Not Ashamed" movie marketing crew (1st two pics) which ended with a dinner for all + families at Conduit Church! What a great day of meetings and getting to finally meet all the families!!
The 4th photo is of all the top directors for the movie. The 5th pic, left to right, is of the Director, Casting Director, & one of the Producers. The last pic is of Brittany during the clean-up pretending to hurt her Achilles while moving a rack of chairs like Candace did a few years ago at FBC Nashville!
The next week was Super Summer Arkansas, with guest speaker Brent Crowe, and worship band The Museum! I had a great time meeting with and mentoring Youth Pastors, but Brent & The Museum really hit it out of the park!
On June 25, we welcomed Candace home from her study abroad in the UK! Below you will notice she discovered the Brown Family Crest!
You gotta go read her blog from her time there & see the pics! Amazing! http://candaceintheuk.blogspot.com/
We ended the month of June with a phenomenal worship service and firework show at Cross Church Pinnacle on Sunday night!
Prayer Needs:
FIRST PRIORITY GLOBAL
Especially, pray for Benny as he is overseeing & coordinating the production & funding for the movie on the life of Rachel Scott, entitled "I'm Not Ashamed," who was martyred at the Columbine High School shooting on April 20, 1999. The plan is to have the opening on April 20, 2016 (17th anniversary of the shooting), with the goal of having 25,000 locations/viewings in Theaters & Churches!!
Filming is scheduled to start mid-July.
Click here for how to pray for our staff.
FIRST PRIORITY OF AMERICA - ARKANSAS
Pray for guidance as to how to encourage and equip the Youth Pastors in the two main NWA Networks of Benton & Washington counties in implementing the First Priority strategy. Also, pray for Pea Ridge Middle School First Priority club & the Youth Ministers that are coaching it...plus, the FCA clubs in the Pea Ridge schools because they are planning on partnering together to do See You at the Pole & Fields of Faith in the Fall!
EXAGO / NNYM HEARTLAND REGION - ARKANSAS
Be praying for Aaron Babyar and his family. He is the Heartland Coordinator and has 4 kids. His wife is continually dealing with major health challenges.
Also, be praying for the 19 Youth Pastor Networks we have operating in the state of Arkansas.
REACHOUT'S JESUS-FOCUSED YOUTH MINISTRY STRATEGY
Also, be praying for all of our Arkansas Trainers, as we coach/mentor other Youth Pastors in the Jesus-Focused Strategy, which also involves scheduling & leading training events. Two guys that I have mentored through the process will be certified as Eagle Leaders in the next couple months!
FAMILY
Pray for Brittany as she is a light at her new job at the Page Duke Landscape Architecture firm on Music Row in Nashville, TN!
Pray for Candace as she prepares for her Senior year at the University of AR, where she will continue to play the trumpet in the Razorback Band and be an RA in Reid dormitory! She plans on going one extra year to get her Master of Arts in Teaching!
Pray for Connor as he will be at Youth Camp at Falls Creek the first week of July & at Children's Camp at Grandlake the fourth week of July.
Pray for Windy for her expanded job description and as we continue to search for just the right house to buy!
Pray for me as I continue to try to juggle all of these roles & continue to raise financial support to be able to do this ministry full-time.
Pray for my sister & her husband, John & Wendy Wesson, as they relocate to Iowa where John has taken the position of Asst. Principal at Muscatine High School. Of course, they are highly motivated since they will be near both of their grown children & their two grandchildren!
Thanks again so much for all of your continued support both prayerfully and financially! God bless you and your family as you enjoy the rest of your summer!
Raising Leaders & Reaching the Next Generation 4 Christ,
Phil(1:20) Brown
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER e-News
Before the school year began, we did the AR YOUTH EVANGELISM CONFERENCE at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Aug.8-9.
Featured were Brian Burgess, an international speaker and founder of Tootin’ in Town biker ministry, and Michael Wood, student ministry pastor at First Baptist Church of West Monroe, La. Wood was formerly on the student ministry staff of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. The Digital Age led worship and Capital Kings performed in concert. 321 Improv, a comedy ministry, also performed.
We also did a student ministry training session for Youth Pastors emphasizing teen evangelism strategies!As our various 17 Youth Minister Networks around the state began to meet again, I also had the privilege to attend a MINISTERS RENEWAL CONFERENCE at the John Q. Hammonds Convention Center in Rogers on August 25-26 with a group of Youth Pastors. In the middle picture below, that is one of the keynote speakers, Rev. Rafael Cruz on the left & and a youth pastor friend of mine from Ft. Smith, Jon Hamby, in the middle. In the picture on the right, that is another keynote speaker, Ken Graves, pastor of Calvary Chapel in Bangor, Maine. Other than renewal among pastors, the other main theme was ministerial involvement in politics. It was such a great encouraging event!
As I began to get back into the swing of refereeing Junior High & Senior High football games again on Monday, Thursday, & Friday nights, plus going to all the home Hog football games to watch our daughter Candace in the Razorback band, we did a Back-to-School BASH at First Baptist Hiwassee on August 27 featuring a local band & strong man, including lots of outdoor games & food!
September 6 was a very busy & rewarding day! It began that morning with setting up for the AR State F.C.A. Rally in the Univ. of AR Tyson Indoor Track facility. Former Pro Football player William Green was the guest speaker featured in the middle picture below, and we had right at 100 students pray to receive Christ!! In the picture on the left below, in the middle is Razorback Tennis player, Manfred Jeske, who gave his testimony. The picture on the right shows some of the NWA FCA staff: Left to right-Bill Burnette, Dayna Huckabee, Becky Patterson, & Jeff Wilkerson.
After the Rally, we bused all those at the Rally to the Razorback football game!
After the game, we manned an NNYM table at the LionLamb Christian Music Festival in Springdale, featuring the AR Mass Choir & Phil Wickham (below right), plus numerous other bands, drama groups & speakers!
The next week, on September 8-9, we held a gathering for the Trainers / Eagle Leaders of the Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry Strategy of Reach Out Youth Solutions in Little Rock, AR with Barry St. Clair. This strategy has totally shaped my Student Ministry Philosophy since I heard Barry first share it in 1988. In the picture below: left to right,
Front row: Phil Brown, Barry St. Clair, Dustin Sams, Randy Brantley;
Back row: John Cowling, Chris Roller, Grant Medford.
Not pictured: Bill Newton & Mark Simmons.
Click here to check out a video about JFYM!
On Thursday, September 11, we had a RALLY at Shiloh Christian School featuring speaker Ken Freeman with 120+ salvations, 23+ rededications, & 33 baptisms (pictured below)!!!
September 15-17, we had a FIRST PRIORITY GLOBAL Staff Retreat in Nashville, TN, where we worked tirelessly trying to refine our process in helping other countries implement the First Priority strategy! Pictured below, left to right: Greg Bounds, Sabrina Waters, & Brian Waters.
September 24 was SEE YOU AT THE POLE where literally millions of students gathered around the flagpole at their school to pray for their administrators, teachers, & classmates!! I have been building relationships with Rogers Elmwood Middle School staff & students, so I went there with my son Connor that morning (below left) and at a RALLY that night at First Baptist Rogers!! (below right)
At the beginning of the month, I started helping with OZONE ROGERS (which meets at the old campus of First Baptist Rogers), which is a weekly discipleship program for students who went to Camp War Eagle the previous summer. Each city in NWA has one. My daughter Candace has worked as a Staffer at Camp War Eagle for the past two summers! Connor got to go this past summer as a camper, and I had the privilege to speak at a Sunday morning service for all Staffers! That's Connor in the middle picture below playing Dodgeball!
If you are not already on our support team & would consider partnering with us, then click here.
JANUARY 2015
Two of our First Priority Global team (Benny Proffitt & Brian Waters) were able to make the trip to India January 14-19 and Nepal January 20-22.
INDIA
In India they met with the some of the leadership of CFI (Compassion For India) and visited their work in New Delhi, Agra and Lucknow. Their vision is to plant 100,000 (yes, I said One Hundred Thousand) churches in the northern part of India by 2030. 800,000,000 people live there (12% of the world’s population, predominantly Hindu with some Buddhist and Muslim) most who have never heard the name of Jesus or the Gospel message.
CFI has already planted over 13,000 of these churches across Northern India. Their visionary leader and all the organizational leadership and students being trained are Indian nationals.
CFI Leadership in Delhi
They visited three of their 19 current Transformations Centers where, in each center, 25 specially selected young men and women come to live for one year (men with men, women with women). They are thoroughly and effectively trained to go back to their villagers and regions to plant new churches. We were very impressed with the quality, passion and commitment of the students and their training. Another CFI goal is to have 100 of these centers across Northern India. Right in the heart of the 10/40 window.
Benny teaching on reaching young people thru the First Priority Strategy at the
Transformation Center in Lucknow, India.
Girls Transformation Center
We are pursuing and designing a strategic partnership with CFI where we can see a First Priority Student-led movement become a strategic part of all the church plants and community transformation initiatives.
They also visited their mercy ministry projects where they are running orphaned children and widow’s homes, special needs homes, primary schools, and medical clinics. Amazing! Amazing! Amazing!
These girls were either orphaned or abandoned on the streets.
They are now living in a CFI home and adopted by that home.
They are loved, full of love for others and singing about Jesus love.
They lined up and each one told us what they wanted to become...
some doctors, teachers, an airline pilot and missionaries.
Then each one gave us a big hug and thanked us for coming.
Sweet, sweet, sweet and now full of personality and dreams for their future.
(pictured with us is Legion, a CFI staff member assigned to develop strategies
to reach the youth of Northern India)
NEPAL
Next, they traveled to Katmandu, Nepal where they met with the leadership of Mountain Child. These selfless servants of the Lord Jesus Christ are planting churches, reaching children and youth, building schools and clinics, rescueing
women and children from human trafficking, and literally saving peoples lives
both physically and spiritually everyday. (Nepal is the 2nd leading area in the world for sourcing human trafficking).
Mountain Child is based in Katmandu but works across Nepal
and throughout the Himalayan Mountains.
Some of their leaders are local and some come from all over the world
and have left their homes and families to serve this area of the world.
These selfless people & the scenic surrounding were both beautiful and overwhelming. Our team felt like ants walking among Giants.
Jo (the lady) and Chandra (the man) have been reaching children in these mountains for over 10 years. He is Nepalese, she is British, and they are married. She loved the FP Kids info and he loved the Story of God drama. God is preparing our way.
Michael Seymour (back left) across from Benny and Samantha Seymour (front left) are from Birmingham and are now serving in Nepal. Michael was in Benny's youth ministry. Samantha taught his grandkids at Deer Valley Elementary School. Amazing story of sacrifice and example of obedience.
We are also working on a strategic partnership in Nepal where First Priority Student-led movements become a strategic part of all their church plants and community transformation initiatives.
God continues to open these doors for expansion and is handing us opportunities to serve alongside these amazing people who are reaching into areas of the world where millions of children, youth, and families need to know the hope we have in Jesus.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support as we continue to travel around the world, wherever God sends us, to expand the vision and ministry of First Priority.
Our training is so well received and desperately needed. Their people were so appreciative and said this is not an American program but a Biblical, Great Commission Strategy that they wanted to incorporate it into their mission efforts.
Pray for us as we follow up with developing relationships, defining partnerships, and scheduling training for leaders.
God is Love and He is at work everywhere we go around the world, living in His people, loving all people, rescuing the lost, and redeeming His creation! We are soooooooo grateful to be a part!!!
ARKANSAS
Jan. 8 was the first Benton Co. ECHO Youth Leader Network meeting of 2015...one of the 17 Networks around Arkansas that I am working with. It was at Catalyst Church Bentonville and we had Wade Bryant (front & center below) lead a discussion on Student Leadership.
Jan. 15 was the first Washington Co. ADVANCE Youth Leader Network meeting of the year at Cross Point Church Springdale with Dallas Wilson (below) bringing a great word called "Lone Ranger Ministry Team," which challenged us to look at whether or not we are a one-man ministry team.
Jan. 20 was the 8 year anniversary of my brother Gary giving his life for our country. For more photos & details, click here or on the TRIBUTE tab above.
Jan. 30-31 was the LIFT Tour Student Conference (sponsored by Student Leadership University) we put on at Cross Church Pinnacle with almost 700 students in attendance! Brent Crowe & Ed Newton were the speakers with Bethany Barr Phillips leading worship & Jared Hall doing illusions (pics below)! It was so great to spend time with two of my really good friends, Brent & Ed, but then also to get to know Bethany & Jared just put the icing on the cake! And then to top it all off, getting to spend time with Connor & see him grow leaps & bounds spiritually was just...awesome!! I love the photo below on the far right of the first row...it's Connor with Bethany Barr Phillips & Band!!
I am also presently meeting weekly one-on-one with two Youth Pastors in NWA & coaching them through the Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry strategy for their CHURCH, First Priority strategy for their CAMPUSES, and the Nat'l Network of Youth Min. strategy for their CITY! It has been such a blessing to help these guys & pass on hard-earned wisdom from the past 30+ years in Youth Ministry.
Raising Leaders & Reaching the Next Generation 4 Christ,
Phil (1:20) Brown
PRAY for our First Priority Global team that is going to India & Nepal in January. I had hoped to go but was unable to raise all the funding in time. I still hope to go to Spain, Cuba & China later in the year, so please pray for the financial support that I need to fulfill all the requests. If you or a friend / acquaintance is interested in being an answer to this prayer request by giving financially, please click here or go to the CONTRIBUTE Tab above.
PRAY also for the 17 Youth Minister Networks that I am working with around the state of Arkansas, plus the new ones that I am trying to help get started.
May God continue to bless you! Have a Merry CHRISTmas & a Prosperous New Year!
Raising Leaders & Reaching a Generation 4 Christ,
Phil (1:20) Brown Family – Phil, Windy, Brittany, Candace, & Connor
(870) 451-4446; phil@phil120brown.com; 1410 S. 11th St., Rogers, AR 72756
Consultant / Trainer - Phil (1:20) Student Ministry
– www.phil120brown.com
Ministry Partnerships:
Spanish World Coord. - First Priority Global
– www.firstpriorityglobal.com
AR Coord. - Nat'l Network of Youth Min. & First Priority of America
– www.nnym.org & www.fpoa.org
Trainer - Jesus-Focused Youth Min. of Reach Out Youth Solutions
– www.reach-out.org/youth-leaders
e-News
Click on the tab below to go to the Newsletter you want:
Summer 2014 e-News
There is so much to tell from the Summer. For example, each Thursday afternoon at Camp Siloam, I had the privilege to explain the First Priority strategy to anywhere from 15-50 youth ministers from around the state of AR!! What a blessing!!
Here's another of the other highlights...
FP Spain 2014 Summary
Spending time with the Spaniard evangelical Christians is like being with the 12 Disciples!!! Any denomination outside Catholicism is still under heavy persecution in Spain, and it is evident how persecution purifies. Since there is already a strong network of evangelical churches in Spain, the prospect of Networking Youth leaders and implementing the First Priority strategy is great!
While we were there, we had daily meetings about Networking & First Priority with the president of the Spain Baptist Convention, Jorge Pastor, who is also on the Executive Committee for the European Baptist Convention & the Baptist World Alliance.
We also did a First Priority orientation meeting with the college-age staffers at the conference center from all over the world!
In addition, we helped out with the Kids Arts & Sports Camp that was held at the Spanish Baptist Conference Center in Denia, which is on the southeast coast of Spain.
Also, we got to lead in the worship services at Denia Baptist Church & Immanuel Baptist Church in Madrid. These were the churches that I served at as Worship & Student Minister while I was a Journeyman missionary in Spain in the mid-80’s.
Below is a day to day description & pictures of our time there.
What a great blessing to meet this group of college girls from Alabama in Cuenca (pictured above) while on our way from Madrid to Denia (Fri., July 18). They had been involved with First Priority in their High Schools in Alabama!! Here’s what they posted on Facebook: "Met these amazing missionaries from Arkansas today in Cuenca! The gentleman in the middle is the founder of 1st Priority! So awesome! #cuenca #spain"
Our first day (Sat., July 19) at the Spain Bapt. Conf. Ctr. in Denia, we met some amazing people from FBC Port Neches, TX, Baylor Univ. (28 total), & the Staffers from all over the world…all part of the team that we worked with to lead the Kids Camp for the week (pictured above)!!What a great day of worship (Sun., July 20) at Denia Bapt. Church w/ such wonderful Christians from all over the world that were there at the Spanish Bapt. Conference Center (pictured above)!!
Our first day (Mon., July 21) serving at the Kids Arts & Sports Camp at the Spain Bapt. Conf. Ctr. (pictured above)!!
Great 2nd day (Tue., July 22) doing this Kids Camp & continuing our daily mtgs about First Priority with the president of the Spain Bapt. Convention, Jorge Pastor, who is also on the Leadership Team for the European Bapt. Convention & the Baptist World Alliance (pictured above)!!
Day 3 (Wed., July 23) of the Kids Camp at the Spain Bapt. Conf. Ctr.!!! The other volunteers from FBC Port Neches, TX, Baylor Univ., & Staffers from all over the world, have been so much fun to work with & get to know (pictured above)!! And then the kids in the camp are like the icing on the cake!!
Kids Camp Day 4 (Thur., July 24)...another great one, plus lunch at the Pastors, & seeing Denia from atop the Castle (pictured above)!!
Our last day (Fri., July 25) of the Kids Camp, last morning session w/ the Staffers, First Priority orientation mtg w/ the Staffers, Denia Radio, & "the Story" of how God began His work in Denia (pictured above)!!!
Really tough saying goodbye Saturday morning (July 26) to the wonderful people we worked with in Denia (pictured above).
If you are not already on our support team & would consider partnering with us, then click here.
Sunday (July 27), we led worship & did special music (Candace Brown singing & Marilou Proffitt on piano) at Immanuel Baptist Madrid, which is an English-language church I served at while a Journeyman. It was so great to see old friends still there!! We also got to have lunch with the Meltons (IBC Assoc. Pastor, wife, & daughter) at my favorite Chinese restaurant in Madrid. That evening, we got to go to the Bullfight at the Plaza de Torros in Madrid before flying home the next morning. (pictured above)
FEBRUARY 2015
February started off with one of the greatest Super Bowls in my memory where Tom Brady led the Patriots to defeat the Seahawks 28-24. The one thing I missed was hosting a Super Bowl Party in order to see teenagers decide to become followers of Christ...I have had the incredible privilege to see literally countless hundreds do so over the past 30+ years!!! Below is a picture of some of the Youth Ministers in our Network in Nashville, AR (called TNN4T=The Nashville-area Network 4 Teens) and a Super Bowl Party we did years ago! Josh Foliart (Razorback football player) in the red shirt was our guest speaker!
Feb. 2, I took Connor to the Groundhog Day Celebration at Grimes Elementary School! They make a big deal out of it & put on a great show!
On Wed., Feb. 4, Connor and I got to, once again, be with Ed Newton @ FUEL @ FBC Bentonville!
On Saturday, Feb. 7, I helped coordinate Youth Pastors in NWA to take their Youth groups to see the new movie "A Matter of Faith" that dealt with the issue of Creation vs. Evolution. If you haven't seen it yet, then do it!
Feb. 9-11, we had a First Priority Global Staff meeting in Nashville, TN.
Below, left to right are Greg Bounds, Benny Proffitt, & Brian Waters. Greg & Brian, along with their wives, moved to Nashville in the last couple of months.
At the Feb. 12 meeting of the Benton Co. Youth Ministers Network, which met at FBC Centerton, David Logan led a discussion on involving teenagers in leadership in youth ministry, followed by breaking into small prayer groups.
Feb. 16-17 were Snow Days for NW AR! Below left is Connor & pet Smitty sledding and the middle & right pictures show Brittany & Candace finding their granddad's name (Robert A. Clarke) on the Graduate Walk at the Univ. of AR!
At the Feb. 19 meeting of the Washington Co. Youth Ministers Network in the transfer Student Ministry building of Christian Life Cathedral in Fayetteville, we had a young couple who recently graduated from John Brown University lead us in experiential games! It was very fun & insightful!
Feb. 20-22, we partnered with Camp Siloam in an all-girls retreat.
Moriah Peters was the worship leader, and the guest speakers were Megan Marshman & Ashton Campbell. The report was that it was an amazing time!
On Feb. 25, the Razorback Band put on a concert at the Walton Arts Center. Our daughter, Candace, and Caleb Uhl, who was in our Youth group at Lakeview, were two of the featured soloists!!
On Feb. 28, at the Springdale High School Performing Arts Center, I helped coordinate a sold-out concert of the "God's Not Dead" Tour featuring
Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline & Finding Favour!
I just added another Youth Pastor in NWA that I am presently meeting with weekly one-on-one (in addition to the two Youth Pastors I've been meeting with) & coaching them through the Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry strategy for their CHURCH, First Priority strategy for their CAMPUSES, and the Nat'l Network of Youth Min. strategy for their CITY! He will also be initiating a new Youth Ministers Network in Harrison!!
As a result of the January trip to India & Nepal, Brian Waters, Greg Bounds, & myself are hitting it hard & heavy on trying to complete the re-writing of all of the First Priority of America training materials to make the wording more international or global. So please pray for us as we go through this tedious process of re-wording & editing.
Also, pray for Benny Proffitt (First Priority founder) as he is spending most of his time coordinating the production & funding for a movie on the life of Rachel Scott, entitled "I'm Not Ashamed," who was martyred at the Columbine High School shooting on April 20, 1999. Their plans are to begin filming on April 20, 2015, and have a huge opening on April 20, 2016, with the goal of having 10 million attend, which would land it in the Guinness Book of World Records!!
Also, be praying for Aaron Babyar, NNYM Heartland Region Coordinator, & his wife Marque, as he is traveling a lot this Spring speaking at Support Raising Bootcamps.
Also, be praying for Barry St. Clair (Reach Out's founder) as he is recuperating from hip surgery on Monday.
Raising Leaders & Reaching the Next Generation 4 Christ,
Phil (1:20) Brown
MARCH / APRIL 2015
While March started off at the Little Rock Marathon/Half Marathon on the 1st in the rain & freezing temperatures,
.
things heated up quickly the next day with a couple coaching/mentoring appointments with 2 Youth Pastors...one being in nearby Harrison with a Youth Pastor that wants to start a local Youth Pastors Network (city strategy),
start learning about First Priority (campus strategy), and develop a better understanding of the Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry strategy
(church strategy)!!!
(Photos in sets of three can be clicked on to see a magnified view.)
That same day, Brittany got to present her designs for a landscape architecture project on the Univ. of AR campus to the Chancellor!
Then, the next couple days things got cold again when school was cancelled due to snow! That weekend though, March 6-7, things heated up again at the Genesis Student Conference in Ft. Smith at Harvest Time Tabernacle with over 2,000 students in attendance! We had a booth set-up in the Youth Pastor Green Room, so I got to meet & talk with dozens of Youth Pastors about the National Network of Youth Ministers, First Priority, & Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry!
(Photos in rows of three can be clicked on to see a magnified view.)
The next day, Sunday, March 8, I got to preach again at Lakeview Bapt. NWA! The focus of my sermon was "It takes a Great Commitment to the Great Command & the Great Commission to have a Great Church!"
Thursday, March 12, I started off the day in Siloam Springs coaching/mentoring a local Youth Pastor. Then, we combined the two main NWA Networks
(Washington Co.-Advance & Benton Co.-Echo) to have a lunch meeting at
New Life Ranch that included a tour of their facilities. We ended our time together with a Wiffle Ball game in their new Wiffle Ball Stadium! The pictures below are just a sampling of their incredible facilities!
(Photos in rows of three can be clicked on to see a magnified view.)
On Saturday, March 14, Connor, Brittany, Drew, & I got to witness the first National Championship of the Univ. of AR girls track team at the NCAA Indoor Track Championship at the U of A's Tyson Indoor Track Complex!
After a full week of meetings and writing/editing First Priority Global materials, over the weekend I got to experience the 4th Annual Arkansas Run for the Fallen including getting to honor my brother, SFC John Gary Brown
(10/24/63-01/20/07).
*Click here or on the Tribute tab above for more on my brother.
What they have been doing these past few years is having a crew of 4-6 soldiers run 6 mile segments in order to cover 146 miles...one mile for each soldier from Arkansas who has been killed since 9/11/01.
On Friday, March 20, they left Ozark, AR, and ended in Little Rock on Sunday afternoon. Each soldier carried a full-size flag while they ran, and they stopped at the end of each mile where there was a marker including the name & photo of the fallen soldier being honored and read the bio, followed by saluting & hugging all the family present. Then they grabbed their flags & took off running again.
On Saturday, I had the privilege to run my brother Gary's mile south of Atkins, plus the mile before & after, with some incredible soldiers stationed in North Little Rock. It was an amazing & moving experience!
On Sunday, I got to run with all the others who signed-up to run the 5k, which meant we got to run with the last group of soldiers, and we finished on the steps of the Capitol, followed by a Memorial Service in the Capitol's Atrium. During the Memorial Service, I got to be one of the family of the fallen that read the 146 names. We each got to read the list that included our fallen family member. It was all so incredibly well done. Special thanks to founder Bubba & Angela Beason, their family, & the Patriot Guard! Y'all are awesome!
(Photos in rows of three or six can be clicked on to see a magnified view.)
Spring Break brought getting to spend some time with our kids, working on our taxes, coaching Connor's Elmwood Middle School JV soccer games, and continuing to write/edit FPG materials. The week ended with running in the Hogeye Marathon/Half Marathon!
The next day, Monday, March 30, I got to chaperone Connor's school's field trip to Crystal Bridges! That is an amazing place! We had a great time!
(Photos in sets of three can be clicked on to see a magnified view.)
Afterwards, I drove to Nashville, TN, for a First Priority Global staff meeting for the rest of the week, which included editing First Priority Global’s New School/Community Ministry Guide AND working on some of the promo plans for the movie on Rachel Scott's life called "I'm Not Ashamed" to be released April 20, 2016...the 17th anniversary of the Columbine shooting. We are really hoping & praying that Mike Huckabee will be involved in the documentary that we are going to release in conjunction with the movie!
Below is a picture & comments from the script writer for the movie
Bodie Thoene's Facebook page:
"There are people and moments and work which changed my life forever. Working with the mother of Columbine martyr, Rachel Joy Scott, to write the script for Rachel's story has been a life changing experience. Here I am with our dear friend Beth Nimmo (Rachel's mom), along with Executive Producers Robin Hanley and Pastor Benny Proffitt. Our Director is the brilliant award winning William Dear (Angels in the Outfield and Perfect Game). Actor Ben Davies of "Courageous" plays the part of Nathan in the film. We will have some wonderful news in the days ahead. I have written the novel upon which the movie is based. Filming begins early summer. Novel will be released before the movie."
The following week included numerous coaching/mentoring meetings with Youth Pastors and spending some time in Nashville, AR, finishing up our taxes, plus going through storage of my office to find all of my First Priority manuals to help in updating & editing our new FPG Ministry Guide. The week ended with helping Mike Walker at the new church he is pastoring called "Mosaic" in Siloam Springs. The photo below is of the evangelist Jon Groves & his two sons that led the Saturday night, April 11, service:
The next week included numerous coaching/mentoring meetings, helping a NWA Youth Pastor move, & meetings with two NWA Youth Pastors who were recently on the receiving end of the left foot of fellowship from their churches
(a huge blackeye on the American church for ill-treatment of staff).
On Friday, April 17, we attended the Univ. of AR School of Architecture year-end awards where our daughter Brittany stole the show! The bottom left photo is with the Landscape Architecture Dept. Chair. Click on the photo's below for more info on some of the awards she won!
(Photos in rows of three can be clicked on to see a magnified view.)
The next day, we did some waterfall exploring! What a blast!
(Photos in sets of three can be clicked on to see a magnified view.)
On Monday, I drove to Dallas to help man the First Priority booth at the
Youth Pastor Summit at Prestonwood Baptist in Plano, April 20-21! It was so awesome getting to reconnect with old youth pastor friends, former students in our various youth groups over the years, & make some new friends!! Old buddy Michael Farren of Pocket Full of Rocks led us in worship right into the very throne room of God!! All the guest speakers were also very inspirational!! Wow!! The photo below on the far left shows the slate of speakers!!
(Photos in sets of three or six can be clicked on to see a magnified view.)
On Saturday, April 25, we got to go to both the Razorback Red vs. White spring football game, and then later in the evening, the Razorback vs. Mississippi State baseball game! Such a great time with our super kids!!
(Photos in rows of three can be clicked on to see a magnified view.)
We finally got to go to WorldFest at Silver Dollar City after trying for many years!
(Photos in sets of three can be clicked on to see a magnified view.)
On April 28, we had a Skype call with Barry St. Clair and Youth Pastors from all over the state of AR who are Trainers in the Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry Strategy! It was so encouraging! I also found out that a Youth Pastors Network is finally forming in Little Rock called "501!"
I got to spend some time with Ken Freeman, who Cross Church brought to NWA for the past few weeks doing school assemblies, worship services, dodgeball tournaments, etc., with over 500 professions of faith!!! What a blessing!!!
Below are photos of Ken speaking to Cross Church Pinnacle Students on Wednesday, April 29!
On Thursday, April 30, we combined the two NWA Youth Minister Networks of
Benton & Washington counties at Modern Mission Indoor / Outdoor Lazertag!! Yes, I know what you're thinking...it's a tough job but somebody's got to do it!!
(Photos in sets of three can be clicked on to see a magnified view.)
Prayer Needs:
FIRST PRIORITY GLOBAL
We are working hard trying to complete the re-writing/editing of the new First Priority Global Ministry Guide to make the wording more international or global. So please pray for Benny, Brian, & myself as we go through this tedious process. In fact, May 11-15, we are meeting in Nashville, TN, for the week to try to finish!! Pray for Greg, as he is trying to finish the new website, while at the same time working a job up north for 3 weeks at a time & then 1 week home with his new bride. Click here for more info on our FPG Staff.
Also, pray for Benny as he is spending most of his time coordinating the production & funding for a movie on the life of Rachel Scott, entitled "I'm Not Ashamed," who was martyred at the Columbine High School shooting on April 20, 1999. The plan is to have the opening on April 20, 2016 (17th anniversary of the shooting), with the goal of having 10 million in attendance & make the Guinness Book of World Records!!
FIRST PRIORITY OF AMERICA - ARKANSAS
Pray for guidance as to how to encourage and equip the Youth Pastors in the two main NWA Networks of Benton & Washington counties in implementing the First Prioritystrategy. Also, pray for Pea Ridge Middle School First Priority club & the Youth Ministers that are coaching it...plus, the FCA clubs in the Pea Ridge schools because they are planning on partnering together to do See You at the Pole & Fields of Faithin the Fall!
EXAGO / NNYM HEARTLAND REGION - ARKANSAS
Be praying for Melanie Brady. She is the Administrative Developer and is raising her support like me, and she is stuck at about 70% of her salary raised like me. So pray for us both to get to 100% asap!
REACHOUT'S JESUS-FOCUSED YOUTH MINISTRY STRATEGY
Also, be praying for all of our Arkansas Trainers, as we coach/mentor other Youth Pastors in the Jesus-Focused Strategy, which also involves scheduling & leading training events.
Pray for Brittany as she graduates from the Univ. of AR with a Landscape Architecture degree and will be doing her first face-to-face interview with a Firm in Nashville, TN on May 12. Pray especially for her that she would have the right God-honoring words to say as she gives the Valedictorian address at the School of Architecture Graduation on May 9 at 1:00 p.m.!!
Pray for Candace as she prepares to leave the end of May for her 6-week study abroad on Shakespeare in London!
Pray for Connor & his Elmwood Middle School Soccer team. They are 2nd in the league right now with only 1 loss. The Season Ending Tournament is May 11-16. Oh, and by the way, did I mention I am the coach! I am so proud of him and the team, but boy, are they serious about Soccer here in NWA!
Pray for Windy as we continue to search for just the right house to buy! Because you know, "if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"
Pray for me as I prepare to teach the Campus Ministry / First Priority class at the Mexico Baptist Theological Seminary in Mexico City the first week of June, 8 hours per day for 5 days...in spanish!
Thanks again so much for all of your continued support both prayerfully and financially! God bless you and your family in all you do!
Raising Leaders & Reaching the Next Generation 4 Christ,
Phil (1:20) Brown
MERRY CHRISTMAS
from the Browns!!!
Phil
Windy
Brittany
Candace
Connor
As 2016 comes to a close & we focus on the “real” meaning of Christmas (Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, born in a humble stable, the greatest gift ever given to mankind), I am reminded of the “real” story of the “real” Santa Claus…St. Nicholas, born to wealthy parents in Patara, Turkey in 270 AD. His parents died when he was young, & after becoming a pastor, he spent his life giving away his family fortune to help needy children…not just one day a year, but all year long! Diocletian imprisoned him for his faith in 303, but after his release, he attended the Council of Nicaea in 325 where he forcefully argued for the doctrine of the Holy Trinity to be included in the Nicene Creed.
Eventually, he became the Bishop of Myra and later died in 343 on Dec. 6. The Catholic Church declared Dec. 6 Boxing Day, which is an annual collection for the poor in honor of the selfless life of St. Nicholas. So whenever you see a Santa Claus, let it remind you of one of the greatest examples of what it means to be a Christian!! Let’s not let our society steal away any of the “real” meanings behind our Christmas traditions!
For more on the meaning of our Christmas traditions, go to: http://www.phil120brown.com/bible-studies.html#XMAS
SOME 2016 HIGHLIGHTS
FIRST PRIORITY GLOBAL: Hopefully, you got to see the movie we made last summer (2015) about the Columbine High School shooting (4-20-99) that hit theaters Oct. 21 called “I’m Not Ashamed" (www.imnotashamedfilm.com)! It's the story of Rachel Joy Scott who was the first student shot that day & arguably the first American christian martyred on American soil. There were ¼ million people that got to experience the movie on the big screen with over 2,000 decisions for Christ that we know of!
Pray that the special Church Edition release in early 2017 will continue the huge impact for the Kingdom. The goal is to help churches use it as an outreach for their community, and to give them a chance to invest in global missions through a Coalition we have put together of all the major youth ministry organizations that are ministering around the world. Together, we can make a dent in reaching the 2.7 billion young people around the world who have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Also, pray for the Youth Leaders we are working with in implementing the First Priority strategy in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Togo, Liberia, Sierra Leon, India, Nepal, Spain, & Mexico. It has been really great to "coach" them, but it gets overwhelming oftentimes communicating with them by Skype, email, text, & phone. Beginning in January, I will be doing a couple videos a month to provide further coaching insights through our website & Facebook page.
JESUS-FOCUSED YOUTH MINISTRY: What a blast to get to co-lead a JFYM Conference in Searcy for 75 Youth Leaders in the spring with the founder Barry St. Clair! And what a pleasure it has been to train 6 Youth Pastors one-on-one in the JFYM strategy this year that live in the NW AR area.
NAT'L NETWORK OF YOUTH MIN.: I have really enjoyed working with the coordinators of our 15 Youth Pastor Networks around AR! I have been working feverishly to update all the information for each Network for the NNYM website reboot we will be releasing in January.
FIRST PRIORITY OF AMERICA: At the beginning of the year, I got to train Youth Pastors & students in starting another First Priority club at Pea Ridge High School! Plus, there are about a dozen other Youth Pastors I've helped equip that are implementing the FP strategy around the state!
FAMILY: Windy is the Supervisor of the Bookkeeping Dept. of the Circuit Clerk's office in the Benton County Courthouse in Bentonville; Brittany is in her 2nd year working as a Landscape Architect for the Page Duke firm in Nashville, TN; Candace graduated in May from the Univ. of AR with a degree in English/Creative Writing and a double minor in History & Medieval/Renaissance studies. She did her student teaching this past semester at Bentonville High School and will graduate next May with her Master of Arts in Teaching; Connor is an 8th grader at Elmwood Middle School in Rogers where he plays Soccer, plays the trumpet in the band, & is a leader in the youth group at Lakeview Bapt.
Thank you so much for being so supportive of this ministry! I am so grateful for your faithful prayers, because, truly, you are helping us in the equipping and empowering of a generation to reach a generation with the message of salvation only found in Christ! You have enabled us to make a significant impact around Arkansas & the globe!
Please pray about making a special “end-of-the-year” contribution to help us make 2017 the best yet! You can mail a check to the address in red below made out to First Priority Global or go to: https://my.simplegive.com/g3/. Thanks again! God bless you and yours in the coming year!
Equipping Leaders & Reaching the Next Generation 4 Christ,
Phil (1:20) Brown - www.phil120brown.com
Phil (1:20) Student Ministry is about training & mentoring Youth Pastors in 3 strategic areas:
1) CHURCH strategy = Jesus-Focused Youth Min. - Mentor/Trainer
- www.reach-out.org/youth-leaders
2) CAMPUS strategy = First Priority Global - Lead Coach & Spanish Coord.
- www.firstpriorityglobal.com
3) CITY strategy = Nat'l Network of Youth Min. & First Priority of America - AR Coord.
-www.nnym.org & www.fpoa.org
1410 S. 11th St., Rogers, AR 72756 - 870-451-4446 cell - phil@phil120brown.com
For more news of what's happening,
JULY / AUGUST / SEPT. 2015
After getting to attend the Purple Heart Ceremony at the State Capitol as a Gold Family member followed by our family vacation in Missouri,
I spent the week in Nashville, TN helping with the filming of "I'm Not Ashamed - The Rachel Joy Scott Story." Here are some pics:
Merry CHRISTmas from the Browns 2015
We want to wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas!
May God bless you as you celebrate the birth of the Savior of
the world!
Do something to make this Christmas season special: make
a birthday cake for Jesus, sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus, or
watch special Christmas movies or videos that focus on
Christ (like this one of Jordan Smith singing "Mary Did You
Know?" www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7Ux80jK3bI).
Thanks so much for blessing us with your support this past year!
Merry CHRISTmas!
The Browns - Phil, Windy, Brittany, Candace, & Connor
www.phil120brown.com
Phil (1:20) Brown
FPOA - Trainer/Consultant; FPG - Trainer/Lead Coach/Americas Rep.; JFYM - Trainer
____________________________
FEB / MARCH 2014 e-News
Kenya & Uganda Highlights
Since there are only 4 of us on the First Priority Global staff at present, even though I am the point-man for the Spanish-speaking countries, we are all having to help with the English-speaking ministry around the world. In February, Benny Proffitt (Pres./Founder of First Priority) & I went to Kenya & Uganda.
The trip was incredible & heart-breaking at the same time. The incredible part was that we got to train about 150 Youth Pastors, Pastors and student leaders in networking & implementing this multi-denominational, Church-based, Campus-focused, Great Commission strategy called First Priority! Plus, we got to preach to about 1000 students total to encourage them in their walk with Christ! We also got to preach to about 1,500 in various worship services! And, we got to lead at least 61 students to faith in Christ!! And, wow...to get to see the body of Christ united (John 17:20-23) and their amazing sacrifice & commitment (Matthew 28:18-20) just blew us away!! They do soooo much with soooo little!
The heart-breaking part was to see the unbelievable poverty & living conditions of so many, especially in the largest slum in Africa called Kibera, in the city of Nairobi, Kenya. Two million people live in that slum in the worst conditions imaginable. There are 600 high schools in that slum alone, and the Youth Leaders saw 450 students come to Christ in just 10 of those schools in the past year!!! We trained 11 more Campus Coaches while we there, so they are planning to double their number of schools that they are implementing First Priority in very soon!
In Kampala, Uganda, they saw 350 students come to Christ this past year in the 6 High Schools that they are doing First Priority!!! They are expanding into numerous other High Schools soon as well. They are also piloting FP Kids in about a dozen elementary schools in the next month!!
Here is an amazing opportunity for us in America to partner with these amazing African Christians! For only $10 PER YEAR, here's what they can provide for a student: 1) Hear the Gospel & the opportunity to be saved, 2) Discipleship Booklet, 3) Weekly snack meal, & 4) Leadership Training! ADD $5 for a Bible!
If you are interested in investing financially in this amazing opportunity, go to: https://my.simplegive.com/g3/nu/& choose from the drop-down menu FP Kenya or FP Uganda!
In the picture above, I am training over 100 student leaders at Glory High School, Nairobi, Kenya.
First Priority Club at St. John's High School, Kampala, Uganda.
&
Arkansas Happenings
On Thursday, March 13, I had the privilege to be the keynote speaker at the Benton Co. Youth Leaders Network at Oakley Methodist in Rogers to present an overview of the First Priority strategy and the reception was fantastic! The next step will be to do a training for the Youth Ministers of NWA sometime in the next couple months!
When a Youth Minister's Network works through the 4 core values recommended by the Nat'l Network of Youth Ministries (#1-praying together, #2-building relationships, #3-sharing resources, #4-strategizing) and is ready to tackle #4, that's when we help them implement this multi-denominational, Church-based, Campus-focused, Great Commission strategy called First Priority!
Above, the Student Leadership University's LIFT Student Conf. at Cross Church Springdale, January 24-25.
Above, the NNYM table at the GENESIS Student Conf. at Harvest Time Tabernacle, Ft. Smith, Feb. 7-8.
Above, Outdoor Laser Tag with the Washington, Co. Youth Ministers Network at Modern Mission in Fayetteville, March 20.
Above, NNYM table at the DARE2SHARE Student Conference, St. Louis, MO, March 21-22.
Thank You!!
I want to thank all of you who are diligently praying for this new ministry and partnering with us financially, so that I can serve with First Priority / Nat'l Network of Youth Min. in Arkansas and around the world! You are such a blessing! I am so grateful for your investment in me & my family and in this Great Commission Ministry God has called & equipped me to do.
If you are not already one of our prayer and financial partners, we would love to have you pray about joining our team (http://www.phil120brown.com/donate.html). It would be an honor to share with you in more detail about this incredible ministry! For more info, checkout the rest of this website, then give me a call & we will talk more (870-451-4446)!
Phil (1:20) Brown, 1410 S. 11th St., Rogers, AR 72756 USA phil@phil120brown.com 870-451-4446
April / May 2014 e-News
If you haven't bought the book "Jesus Hates Religion" yet, let me encourage you to do so asap! The author was in our College ministry at First Baptist Bossier when I was the Student Minister there back in the early 1990's. I am SO proud of how God is using him!
He is now founding/senior pastor of one of the fastest growing churches in America (theChurch.at) with three campuses in Tulsa & one in Chicago, and has grown from 120 to 6,000+ in 10 years! He is also the founder of an international orphan care ministry called Adopt(ed). His story of growing up half-Egyptian and being Coptic, Catholic, Episcopalian, & Baptist will inspire you and point you in the direction of experiencing just what biblical religion is really all about - Jesus!
Alex states that "Jesus was not just another great teacher. He was not just a motivational speaker. He certainly did not come to start a religion. Jesus did not come to earth to lead people to create their own paths to finding God. In fact, He would've hated being given the title 'religious leader.' Jesus' purpose was to provide the only path to God." Alex puts the focus on Jesus by reminding us that we need to trust the Lord and His Word & let Him speak for Himself!
This is not only exciting because of getting to see how God is using Alex to get out this message, but also because this is the foundation of what FPG, FPOA, & NNYM are all about: uniting the body of Christ in order to point the world to Jesus!! As John 17:20-23 emphasizes, uniting around pointing people to Jesus is the greatest evangelism foundation on the planet!!
FPG Highlights
The FPG Staff meeting in Nashville, TN, April 24-25 and in Birmingham, AL, June 4-6, really fired us up! After spending considerable time working on a more "global-friendly" verbage of the FPG Mission Statement, Vision Statement, etc., the FPG Board of Directors joined us in Birmingham on June 6.
In fact, the photo above depicts Benny Proffitt (on the right - Founder of First Priority with Darren Tyler on the left - Board membe & Pastor of Conduit Church, Nashville, TN) sharing the inspirational story of how First Priority began in the early 1980's in Irving, TX, along with the incredible things that happened on THE TOUR of 1999, which included being at Columbine High School just a couple hours after the shooting & how God used them to minister to the hurting families!
Brian Waters (FPG Staff) gave us a very insightful report of his time in Africa in May with First Priority leaders in Kenya & Uganda!
First Priority Birmingham City Director, Matt Wilson, reported some incredible year-end statistics: 1000+ Youth Ministers involved in 198 FP Clubs w/ 12,000+ students in weekly attendance w/ 914 professions of faith!!!
Joey Proffitt also shared with us some exciting news about what is happening with elementary students in Birmingham with FP Kids! They piloted it this past year in 40 schools with over 7,000 in weekly attendance!!
FPOA AR Highlights
The FPOA Spring Conference (picture above) at the Climax Gun Club in Climax, GA, April 28-30, was a great time to get together with key leaders from areas all over the USA, share stories, & encourage one another. Some fantastic statistics were shared for the year 2013: With only 60% of First Priority Clubs reporting, there were an average of 190,000 students attending weekly in 2,571 Clubs in 30 different states with 8,500 professions of faith!!!
I led the First Priority Training for 27 NW AR Youth Ministers at the Catalyst Church in Bentonville (picture above) on May 8. I cannot wait to see how God uses this strategy to bring about revival on secondary school campuses from Fayetteville to Pea Ridge (Washington & Benton counties) come this next year!!
The next thing in the process is to form a First Priority NWA Initiation Team composed of the key Youth Minister leaders for the two networks, 1-2 pastors, 1-2 business / community leaders, 1-2 school administrators / teachers, 1-2 parents, & 1-2 student leaders. Then we will schedule Brad Schelling from FPOA to come do a 2-hour training, so that this Initiation Team can accomplish what is needed in order to launch the strategy.
National Network of Youth Ministries
NNYM AR Highlights
The Youth Pastor Summit at The Church at Battle Creek in Tulsa, OK on April 7-8, was a great experience with almost two dozen AR Youth Ministers in attendance! The three keynote speakers (Jay Strack, Ed Newton, & Brent Crowe) were fantastic!
We accomplished much w/ the NNYM nat'l leaders at the planning meeting that took place at Oakley Methodist, Rogers, April 14-15 for the "Accelerate Campus Evangelism Conference" that will be held in Dallas, November 10-13. Plus, the NNYM nat'l leaders attended the Support Raising Boot Camp at Grove Church, Fayetteville, April 16-17.
We showed them what good ol' southern hospitality is all about by having them stay in our homes, eat home-cooked meals, visit the Crystal Bridges Museum, (pictures above) etc. A great time was had by all!
Above, the Faith & Family Night at the NWA Natural's Baseball Game, May 9, featured the band Sidewalk Prophets! What a great picture it was of the unity that we are seeing in the body of Christ in NWA!
OTHER KEY MEETINGS:
Siloam Springs Youth Ministers Network meeting at the Siloam Springs Cafe on April 1. Pray for this Network for more commitment to one another in their unity, common vision, attendance, etc.
"Echo" Benton County Youth Ministers Network meeting at Grace Point Church on April 10. The leaders shared their commitment & those present responded unanimously to implement First Priority!
River Valley Network meeting at Harvest Time Tabernacle, Ft. Smith, on May 15. Greg Cultra talked about 10 Things Needed for Spiritual Freshness.
"Advance" Washington County Youth Minister Network meetings: April 17 at Keypoint Church in Springdale, featuring guest speaker Josh Wisdom who dealt with Red Flags in Accountability; & May 22 at Cross Point Church Springdale where the focus was on First Priority & a NWA Fall Retreat at Camp Siloam!
First Priority & Nat'l Network of Youth Min's Collaboration
When a Youth Minister's Network in Arkansas works through the 4 core values recommended by the NNYM (#1-praying together, #2-building relationships, #3-sharing resources, #4-strategizing together) and is ready to tackle #4, that's when we help them implement this multi-denominational, Church-based, Campus-focused, Great Commission strategy called First Priority!
Since there are only 4 of us on the FP Global staff at present, & even though I am running point for the Spanish-speaking countries, we are all 4 working together on the English-speaking ministry around the world! In fact, Lord willing, over the next year I will be helping in India & China, in addition to Central/South America & Spain!
Thanks so very much!!
I want to thank all of you who are diligently praying for this new ministry and partnering with us financially, as I transition from part-time to full-time, to be able to serve with First Priority & the Nat'l Network of Youth Ministries in Arkansas and around the world! You are such a blessing!
I am at present at about 60% of support raised for a full-time salary, so let me know if you have a friend that you think might be interested in supporting this kind of state-wide, global, Great Commission ministry. I am so grateful for your investment in me, my family, and this ministry that God has called & equipped me to do.
If you are not already one of our prayer / financial partners, we would love to have you pray about joining our team (http://www.phil120brown.com/donate.html). It would be an honor for me to share with you in more detail about this incredible ministry opportunity & then give you time to pray and see if God wants you on our Team! For more information, checkout the info on this website, then give me a call & we will talk more (870-451-4446)!
All financial contributions to us, go through First Priority Global. First Priority Global is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
PRAISE THE LORD FOR...
* We sold our house in Nashville finally!
* Both NWA Youth Ministers Networks have committed to implement the First Priority strategy!
PRAY FOR...
* Guidance in buying a house in NWA;
* Phil: (1) as he speaks weekly over the summer about First Priority to all the Youth Ministers in attendance at Camp Siloam, plus
(2) the opportunities he will have to share with friends about this ministry & invite them to join our Support Team by investing financially monthly/annually;
* Windy at her job in the Circuit Clerk's office at the Benton Co. Courthouse;
* Candace while she serves at Camp War Eagle this summer;
* Brittany for her internship this summer at CEI Engineering in Bentonville;
* Connor and his summer activities: Soccer Camp, VBS, Church Camp, etc.;
* NNYM Heartland Region Staff (Aaron Babyar-Coord., Melanie Brady-Adm.);
* Marque Babyar (Aaron's wife) & her extreme health challenges;
* The First Priority NWA Initiation Team;
* Benny Proffitt while he is in Indonesia in June;
* Those going to Spain in July to help us initiate First Priority, which include so far: Benny & Marilou Proffitt, Mark Cassady, Candace Brown, & myself;
* The Accelerate Campus Evangelism Conference in Dallas, Nov. 10-13 & the Youth Ministers that need to be there;
* The Youth Minister Networks around the state of Arkansas;
* First Priority around the world!
Phil (1:20) Student Ministries
1410 S. 11th St., Rogers, AR 72756 USA
phil@phil120brown.com 870-451-4446