LEading Students to know and follow JEsus
Whoever you are, everyone is welcome at First Students! First Students gives 7th-12th grade students the opportunity to get connected with a group of people their own age who are growing closer to the Lord each day. We want to see students know and follow Jesus Christ! First Students is a place for teenagers to deepen their relationship with Christ while simultaneously growing their relationships with others!
We're going back to FUGE 2026!
Centrifuge Camp 2026 is here! Check the link below for more details!
Dates: June 8-12, 2026
Cost: $385
Location: SBU, Bolivar, MO
Ages: Students who have completed 6th-12th grade.
Dates: June 8-12, 2026
Cost: $385
Location: SBU, Bolivar, MO
Ages: Students who have completed 6th-12th grade.
FIRST STUDENTS - WEEKLY PARENT EMAIL
We send out an email to our parents each Wednesday! If you would like to be added to the email list, send a message to tim@fbcsiloam.com! Here is the latest edition:
Upcoming Events
High School Graduate Recognition - Sunday May 17th - If you have a high school senior, please send me a recent photo, and let me know where they are graduating from and what their plans are after graduation! Please make sure that your student is there on May 17th so we can recognize them!
May 17th is the final Sunday Morning small group meeting until we start back on July 12th.
Midweek Services for First Students will continue through May 27th!
June 3 - Pool Party - Details TBD
FUGE Camp - June 8-12 - Let me know if your student wants to go!
All details and registration link are available at fbcsiloam.com/fuge.
June 17 - Outdoor Games and Bible Study - Details TBD
June 22-26 - VBS - If you’re student is serving in VBS (or interested in serving), please make sure they attend the VBS Training in the Fellowship Hall tonight at 6pm! For students not serving, we will still be having normal Midweek tonight. Students at the training are welcome to come join us after the training ends!
Midweek 5-13
This week, we’re talking about how pursuing Jesus leads us to a joy-filled life. Following Jesus isn’t a one-and-done type of thing; it’s something we do every day of our lives. I hope this session encourages your students to keep their eyes on Jesus every day.
THINK:
In Philippians 3, Paul explains that joy doesn’t come in an instant; it comes through a lifelong pursuit of knowing Christ. As he writes this letter, he reflects on his former life, looking at all the things he once boasted about that were not of God and calling them “rubbish.” The tension for us all is that it is easy to celebrate our personal accomplishments, but we must be guarded so that they don’t pull us away from knowing Christ more.
READ:
Philippians 3:12-15 says, “But I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
ASK:
Use the questions below to ask your student questions about the truths from our series.
-What are distracts you from pursuing Jesus with all you have? Why?
-What does it mean to pursue Jesus in your life? What are the ways you are pursuing Jesus?
PRAY:
Pray for your student this week that they would:
-Take time daily to pursue Jesus, and not let distractions get in the way.
-See that chasing after Jesus is a far greater reward than chasing after the things of the world.
Sunday Morning 5-17
This is our last Sunday small group meeting for all FBC Sunday small groups until we start back again on July 12th! We will still be having 10:45 services on Sundays even while our small groups are on pause.
This lesson, "The Resurrection,” is the final lesson of our study of the big-picture story of the Bible called The Thread. This lesson focuses on learning about the historical reality of Jesus’ resurrection as well as helping our students define what it means for them to be alive in Christ. God has placed each of us in unique circumstances (in families, on teams, in classrooms, as part of friend groups) where we can share and show His love to those around us. Too often, though, we get bogged down in the things of this world and lose sight of how we can live for God each and every day when what we should be asking is, “How can I use my circumstances to share and show the love of God?”
Lesson Overview: Jesus arose from the dead. Just think about that for a minute. Jesus is more powerful than death. His ability to do this is awesome. Based on His power over death, we can have great confidence that He will preserve our lives and reconcile us to God. But the fact that His reason for doing it was to save us…that leaves us speechless! Jesus died to prevent us from eternal death and, more importantly, restore us to a proper relationship with God. Our lives were redeemed to serve as a fragrant offering, lived out through daily worship of our God.
What We Want Your Teenager To Learn: Understand that after three days of being dead, Jesus miraculously arose from the dead, and if we have come to faith in Christ, we are dead to sin and alive in Christ.
What We Want Your Teenager To Do With What They’ve Learned: Define what it means to be “alive in Christ” and how they can practically live this out in their day-to-day lives.
Scripture Passages We Studied: John 20:1-18; Romans 6:5-11
Please Take A Few Minutes This Week To Read These Passages.
Next Steps. . .
During the next week, as you engage in conversations with your teenager, remember that one way that will help them to understand and apply what they have learned is to explain it to someone else. Use the following questions to guide your conversation:
-Can you sympathize with how Mary must have felt before she recognized Jesus? Why or why not?Is the idea of the resurrection hard for you to get your mind around? Explain.
-How does it make you feel when you read in Romans to consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God? What does it look like? Does our family live like a family that is alive together in Christ? Explain. How can we do better?
Thank you for all you do. As a parent, you are the primary spiritual influence in the life of your teenager, and they desperately need you. I’m praying for you! If you have any questions or if I can help with anything, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Tim Conley
Student Minister
FBC Siloam Springs
tim@fbcsiloam.com
High School Graduate Recognition - Sunday May 17th - If you have a high school senior, please send me a recent photo, and let me know where they are graduating from and what their plans are after graduation! Please make sure that your student is there on May 17th so we can recognize them!
May 17th is the final Sunday Morning small group meeting until we start back on July 12th.
Midweek Services for First Students will continue through May 27th!
June 3 - Pool Party - Details TBD
FUGE Camp - June 8-12 - Let me know if your student wants to go!
All details and registration link are available at fbcsiloam.com/fuge.
June 17 - Outdoor Games and Bible Study - Details TBD
June 22-26 - VBS - If you’re student is serving in VBS (or interested in serving), please make sure they attend the VBS Training in the Fellowship Hall tonight at 6pm! For students not serving, we will still be having normal Midweek tonight. Students at the training are welcome to come join us after the training ends!
Midweek 5-13
This week, we’re talking about how pursuing Jesus leads us to a joy-filled life. Following Jesus isn’t a one-and-done type of thing; it’s something we do every day of our lives. I hope this session encourages your students to keep their eyes on Jesus every day.
THINK:
In Philippians 3, Paul explains that joy doesn’t come in an instant; it comes through a lifelong pursuit of knowing Christ. As he writes this letter, he reflects on his former life, looking at all the things he once boasted about that were not of God and calling them “rubbish.” The tension for us all is that it is easy to celebrate our personal accomplishments, but we must be guarded so that they don’t pull us away from knowing Christ more.
READ:
Philippians 3:12-15 says, “But I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
ASK:
Use the questions below to ask your student questions about the truths from our series.
-What are distracts you from pursuing Jesus with all you have? Why?
-What does it mean to pursue Jesus in your life? What are the ways you are pursuing Jesus?
PRAY:
Pray for your student this week that they would:
-Take time daily to pursue Jesus, and not let distractions get in the way.
-See that chasing after Jesus is a far greater reward than chasing after the things of the world.
Sunday Morning 5-17
This is our last Sunday small group meeting for all FBC Sunday small groups until we start back again on July 12th! We will still be having 10:45 services on Sundays even while our small groups are on pause.
This lesson, "The Resurrection,” is the final lesson of our study of the big-picture story of the Bible called The Thread. This lesson focuses on learning about the historical reality of Jesus’ resurrection as well as helping our students define what it means for them to be alive in Christ. God has placed each of us in unique circumstances (in families, on teams, in classrooms, as part of friend groups) where we can share and show His love to those around us. Too often, though, we get bogged down in the things of this world and lose sight of how we can live for God each and every day when what we should be asking is, “How can I use my circumstances to share and show the love of God?”
Lesson Overview: Jesus arose from the dead. Just think about that for a minute. Jesus is more powerful than death. His ability to do this is awesome. Based on His power over death, we can have great confidence that He will preserve our lives and reconcile us to God. But the fact that His reason for doing it was to save us…that leaves us speechless! Jesus died to prevent us from eternal death and, more importantly, restore us to a proper relationship with God. Our lives were redeemed to serve as a fragrant offering, lived out through daily worship of our God.
What We Want Your Teenager To Learn: Understand that after three days of being dead, Jesus miraculously arose from the dead, and if we have come to faith in Christ, we are dead to sin and alive in Christ.
What We Want Your Teenager To Do With What They’ve Learned: Define what it means to be “alive in Christ” and how they can practically live this out in their day-to-day lives.
Scripture Passages We Studied: John 20:1-18; Romans 6:5-11
Please Take A Few Minutes This Week To Read These Passages.
Next Steps. . .
During the next week, as you engage in conversations with your teenager, remember that one way that will help them to understand and apply what they have learned is to explain it to someone else. Use the following questions to guide your conversation:
-Can you sympathize with how Mary must have felt before she recognized Jesus? Why or why not?Is the idea of the resurrection hard for you to get your mind around? Explain.
-How does it make you feel when you read in Romans to consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God? What does it look like? Does our family live like a family that is alive together in Christ? Explain. How can we do better?
Thank you for all you do. As a parent, you are the primary spiritual influence in the life of your teenager, and they desperately need you. I’m praying for you! If you have any questions or if I can help with anything, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Tim Conley
Student Minister
FBC Siloam Springs
tim@fbcsiloam.com
