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 pre-registered for FUGE 2026!
Centrifuge Camp 2026 will be here before we know it. Stay tuned for updates throughout the year!
Dates: June 8-12, 2026
Cost: TBD
Location: SBU, Bolivar, MO
Ages: Students who have completed 6th-12th grade.
Dates: June 8-12, 2026
Cost: TBD
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
No Midweek - November 26th - Thanksgiving Week - Enjoy spending time with friends and family!
Dessert Auction - December 7th - 2pm - Encourage your students to make and bring some desserts/bread/or other foods, and we will auction them off to raise money for your students to go on the mission trip in March, and to Fuge camp next summer! Have your students invite their grandparents and other friends and family to come bid on their desserts to support them and our ministry!
Midweek 11-19
This week in our Babylon series, we’re looking at the bold stand of Daniel and his friends. Leading when others are all following a different direction can feel intimidating. But, when we lead, it’s not to make an example of ourselves. Our leading and living set apart is so that others might see God through us.
THINK
Daniel and his friends show us that leading isn’t about popularity or gaining a following; it’s about remaining faithful to God’s call, even in the face of opposition and hardship. Daniel and his friends were thrown into a fiery furnace, but their faith never wavered. They were so bold in their faith that even the king of Babylon saw it and was impacted.
READ
Daniel 3:27-28 says: And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.
ASK
Use the questions below to talk to your student about the truths from our series. Look for ways to share personally, bring encouragement, and create a space for meaningful conversations.
• Have you ever felt scared to stand for your faith because of what others might think? What was that like?
• Can you think of a time when someone’s example of faith inspired you to follow Jesus? Tell me about it.
PRAY
Pray for your student this week that they would:
• Have the courage to follow God even if it means standing alone or apart from others.
• See opportunities around them to be an example for the Lord.
Sunday Morning 11-23
The Ten Commandments show us that trying to earn salvation through obedience is a pointless endeavor. It’s impossible, and either leaves us prideful about how good (we think) we are or bitter and depressed because we always fail. It’s usually some sort of a combination of the two. Receiving salvation through trusting God’s grace takes the focus off of us and puts it on God. It isn’t a burden that we have to live up to; rather, it’s a great gift we get to receive. But we aren’t saved to be careless about how we live. We are saved to be a part of God’s family and reflect Him to the world around us.
Lesson Overview: In this lesson, we are going to look at the Israelites’ journey to inherit the Promised Land. Keep in mind that the Promised Land represents God’s faithfulness to His covenant with Abram. God kept His promise to make Abram the father of a great nation, but that nation needed a home. And that nation needed to know how to act as a nation set apart by God. The pathway to helping them know how to live as God’s people started with the Ten Commandments. This lesson shows students why the Ten Commandments were necessary and how we see God’s grace and love threaded through His giving of them.
What We Want Your Teenager To Learn: Realize that by following the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Law, the Israelites would be set apart as God’s people. Understand that through grace, not law, all who will believe in Jesus are welcomed into God’s family and are made holy in God’s sight.
What We Want Your Teenager To Do With What They’ve Learned: Gauge their attitude toward serving God, specifically in sharing the Gospel with those around them.
Scripture Passages: Exodus 19:1-6; Exodus 20:1-17; Titus 2:11-14
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:
• You talked a lot about the commandments that God gave Moses to give to the Israelites. What do you think about the commandments? Do you think they were necessary? How do you feel about the Ten Commandments God gave?
• After a while, it was pretty obvious that the Israelites couldn’t keep all of the commandments all the time. And it’s clear that we can’t do it either. But why is this a big deal to God? Why do you think He can’t just move past it?
• So, the awesome thing is that even though we couldn’t live up to our side of the covenant, God sent Jesus to pay our penalty and provide a way for us to still be a part of His family. What do you think about this? Do you think we take this for granted? Or do you think it motivates us to do what God has called us to do and share it with others?
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
No Midweek - November 26th - Thanksgiving Week - Enjoy spending time with friends and family!
Dessert Auction - December 7th - 2pm - Encourage your students to make and bring some desserts/bread/or other foods, and we will auction them off to raise money for your students to go on the mission trip in March, and to Fuge camp next summer! Have your students invite their grandparents and other friends and family to come bid on their desserts to support them and our ministry!
Midweek 11-19
This week in our Babylon series, we’re looking at the bold stand of Daniel and his friends. Leading when others are all following a different direction can feel intimidating. But, when we lead, it’s not to make an example of ourselves. Our leading and living set apart is so that others might see God through us.
THINK
Daniel and his friends show us that leading isn’t about popularity or gaining a following; it’s about remaining faithful to God’s call, even in the face of opposition and hardship. Daniel and his friends were thrown into a fiery furnace, but their faith never wavered. They were so bold in their faith that even the king of Babylon saw it and was impacted.
READ
Daniel 3:27-28 says: And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.
ASK
Use the questions below to talk to your student about the truths from our series. Look for ways to share personally, bring encouragement, and create a space for meaningful conversations.
• Have you ever felt scared to stand for your faith because of what others might think? What was that like?
• Can you think of a time when someone’s example of faith inspired you to follow Jesus? Tell me about it.
PRAY
Pray for your student this week that they would:
• Have the courage to follow God even if it means standing alone or apart from others.
• See opportunities around them to be an example for the Lord.
Sunday Morning 11-23
The Ten Commandments show us that trying to earn salvation through obedience is a pointless endeavor. It’s impossible, and either leaves us prideful about how good (we think) we are or bitter and depressed because we always fail. It’s usually some sort of a combination of the two. Receiving salvation through trusting God’s grace takes the focus off of us and puts it on God. It isn’t a burden that we have to live up to; rather, it’s a great gift we get to receive. But we aren’t saved to be careless about how we live. We are saved to be a part of God’s family and reflect Him to the world around us.
Lesson Overview: In this lesson, we are going to look at the Israelites’ journey to inherit the Promised Land. Keep in mind that the Promised Land represents God’s faithfulness to His covenant with Abram. God kept His promise to make Abram the father of a great nation, but that nation needed a home. And that nation needed to know how to act as a nation set apart by God. The pathway to helping them know how to live as God’s people started with the Ten Commandments. This lesson shows students why the Ten Commandments were necessary and how we see God’s grace and love threaded through His giving of them.
What We Want Your Teenager To Learn: Realize that by following the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Law, the Israelites would be set apart as God’s people. Understand that through grace, not law, all who will believe in Jesus are welcomed into God’s family and are made holy in God’s sight.
What We Want Your Teenager To Do With What They’ve Learned: Gauge their attitude toward serving God, specifically in sharing the Gospel with those around them.
Scripture Passages: Exodus 19:1-6; Exodus 20:1-17; Titus 2:11-14
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:
• You talked a lot about the commandments that God gave Moses to give to the Israelites. What do you think about the commandments? Do you think they were necessary? How do you feel about the Ten Commandments God gave?
• After a while, it was pretty obvious that the Israelites couldn’t keep all of the commandments all the time. And it’s clear that we can’t do it either. But why is this a big deal to God? Why do you think He can’t just move past it?
• So, the awesome thing is that even though we couldn’t live up to our side of the covenant, God sent Jesus to pay our penalty and provide a way for us to still be a part of His family. What do you think about this? Do you think we take this for granted? Or do you think it motivates us to do what God has called us to do and share it with others?
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
