One local Christian organization could have made a venerable beef Tower of Babel in Odessa High's parking lot on Monday.

The 1,800 beef patties, assuming a height of about 1/2 inch if stacked without buns, would have reached about 75 feet toward the heavens.

First Priority, a new Christian ministry in Odessa, hosted Monday's burger feed to get the word out to students that there's an alternative to the traditional adult-led student ministries so prevalent in schools.

As a student-led ministry, First Priority differs from other student ministries in Odessa in that it offers an alternative to the adult-geared, rigid formula for spreading the word of God to teenagers, organizer and youth pastor at Odessa Bible Church Luc Ashley said. Instead of taking control of the daily operations of the group, youth ministers and pastors from 15 different local churches oversee the group's campus involvement, but they leave the day-to-day decisions up to the student leadership at each campus.

"We kind of just help lead the students in the right direction," Ashley said. "We're just there to help. It's students teaching students how to lead, how to love."

Monday's burger feed at OHS was the second of its type for a new Christian ministry, he said. In March, the group hosted a similar event at Permian.

Prior to the feed at Permian, about 10 people attended the group's weekly gathering at the school, Ashley said. The morning after the feed that number increased to more than 100.

He said the group prepared more than 1,800 burgers for the OHS event and spent more than $680 for cookies and chips alone. The event was funded through donations from individuals and businesses from across town.

There were no leftovers, he said afterward, so the event seemed successful. 

The idea of the event, essentially, is to get the word out about First Priority, to show high school students that the ministry exists and is available to all students looking for a place to belong, Ashley said.

"It goes to where the kids are instead of waiting for them to come to your church," explained Youth Pastor Jonathan Horton with Grace Christian Fellowship on Monday as he handed out bottled water and soda.

Today's generation of high school students craves acceptance, Ashley said, adding that they frequently feel unappreciated at home and even at school. First Priority is an opportunity for them to fill the gap dug by rejection or emotional solitude, he said.

"It shows the students that somebody cares," he said about the feed. "For a group of people to come out and do something for completely free, no strings attached - it blows their mind."

When it comes to getting a message through to teenagers, Horton said the key is handing leadership over to the students.

"It means so much more when a student is talking to a student than when an adult is," he said. "It just seems to be more effective because it's their peers."

And several members of the OHS group agreed.

Sophomore Kourtney Baber participated at the event by handing out T-shirts to her peers.

She said the event was aimed toward "just letting them know there is somewhere they can go at school to pray."

Tiffany Gardner, also a sophomore who helped dole out the light blue T-shirts, chimed in.

"Just getting the word out there," she said, adding that the magic of a student-led campus ministry is the heightened comfort and accessibility of a group of peers - not adults who, despite their best intentions, are out of touch with the struggle of modern teens.

"It's easier to connect with it," she said.

OHS sophomore and First Priority member Kortney Roeder agreed.

"We're all going through the same stuff right now," she said.

Ashley said he hopes to expand the organization's reach to the area's junior high schools by the end of the year.

"We just wanted to start at the high schools and work from there," he said.

Ashley said he looks forward to the organization growing deep roots at local schools for local students.

"In other words, if we were to leave," he said, "I would want the campus to miss us."

PARTICIPATING CHURCHES

>> Agappe Ministries.
>> Belmont Baptist.
>> Central Baptist.
>> Chapel Hill Baptist.
>> Crescent Park Baptist.
>> Crossroads Fellowship.
>> First Baptist.
>> First United Methodist.
>> Golf Course Road Church of Christ.
>> Grace Christian Fellowship.
>> Grace Point.
>> Harvest Time.
>> Immanuel Baptist.
>> Latter Rain Worship Center.
>> Life Challenge Church (UPC).
>> Mid-Cities Church.
>> Mission Dorado Baptist.
>> New Life Chapel.
>> New Life Church.
>> Northside Baptist.
>> Odessa Christian Faith Center.
>> Odessa Bible.
>> Second Baptist.
>> Sherwood Baptist.
>> St. Luke's United Methodist.
>> Terrace Hills Baptist.

 IF YOU GO

>> What: First Priority campus ministry meetings for Permian and Odessa High students.
>> When: 8 a.m. Tuesdays at OHS; 7:45 a.m. Thursdays at Permian.
>> Where: Room 224 at OHS; fieldhouse at Permian.
>> E-mail: Luc Ashley at luc@odessabible.org.