FCA Today Fall 2023

TODAY

Volume LXVIII No.3 www.frenchcamp.org FALL 2023

In this Issue: • Family Time • The Power of Cooking • Summer 2023 Recap

French Camp Academy, a Christ-centered home and school, exists to serve young people and families for the glory of God.

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Family Time

By lunchtime the temps had spiked to 99 degrees, but by supper the mercury dropped to a bearable 91. The chargrilled smell of hamburgers wafted through the air signaling “chow time.” But the giant, juicy hamburgers had to wait.

An important wiffle ball game was happening, and the smallest batter was up at the plate. Weighing in at maybe 60 pounds, he had the ‘eye of the tiger.’ House parents, and other children and teenagers were spread on the lawn. Some were standing.

Others were in lawn chairs. But they were all rootin’ for him. His ear-to-ear smile stretched across his face when he connected with the ball, and the cheers erupted! Finally, he touched home plate! And it’s time to eat!

After giving thanks to God for the delicious meal in the newly renovated and air-conditioned Moriah Home, the house parent asked each boy to talk about the best part of their day. All were quiet as each described their favorite part. Taking turns reminiscing about the past few hours, some nodded in agreement or gave the best verbal affirmation they could with a bite of hamburger in their mouth. For some, it was the home run at the wiffle ball game, for others, it was the hamburger they were eating! If you looked closely and knew each boy, you could tell that a few wanted to say that being back at French Camp enjoying family-time fun and safety was the best part.

French Camp Academy, One Fine Place for Family Time! v

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President's Perspective

French Camp TODAY

The Comforts of Home

It is always good to come home. Even if we have had a grand time away, it is a good and comforting feeling to arrive safely at home. This year we welcomed many more young ones to their homes here at French Camp.

We are thankful the Lord has sent them, and we look forward to the opportunities of challenge and growth that will occur in us and them!

Over the past few years, many of us have experienced a great deal of hardship and loss. It seems that the world we have known will never be the same. Something I truly enjoy in my role as president of French Camp Academy is the opportunity to get to personally know those who support the mission of French Camp.

Over the years, these relationships have grown, and many have moved to deeper levels of heart-felt friendship and care for one another. Recently many of our dear friends have departed for Heaven. We have felt and experienced that loss, and it hurts.

Dr. Joe Martin came off the Brazilian mission field in 1988 to lead Belhaven University’s ministry program. This was my freshman year at Belhaven and Joe and I hit it off! Over time Joe became so much more than a professor and friend. He took on the role of being a spiritual father to me. We enjoyed trips to Brazil, many hunts (including jaguar), fishing in the Amazon, and two-man volleyball. We called ourselves “Thunder and Lighting” on the court. Joe, too, went to Heaven this year after a battle with lung issues.

God created us for relationships—a relationship with Him and others. In so doing we F. Stewart Edwards, Jr. fulfill Jesus’ command in Matthew 22:37-38—Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength and your neighbor as yourself. Seeking meaningful relationships with others without a relationship with God is difficult. The fullness that can be experienced with others cannot be realized without God. When we first seek to establish a relationship with God, He gives us Himself. With Him in our lives we now have a guide and coach that leads, corrects, and trains us how to have real meaningful relationships with others. His power invades our being and by His indwelling Spirit, He gives us the capacity to love, care, and truly serve others from a pure heart.

This is what is happening at French Camp! Staff have been loved by God and now want to love others through Him! Maybe you have experienced hurt from a past relationship. Like me, you may be selfprotecting in the way you relate or choose not to relate. I do not remember who said this, but I heard a statement that goes something like this— If it is by relationships we are broken, it is by relationships we will be healed. This statement, in the view of Jesus living in me, is certainly true! It is also true that God desires to encourage, comfort, protect, and grow us through relationships with others. He never meant for us to live this life on our own. We need each other. This is one of the beautiful aspects of His body—the church.

Through this loss and pain, God has been merciful to reveal to me that I had a fearful and self-centered heart. I was stepping back from entering meaningful relationships because of self-protection of being hurt As we welcome 38 new residential students to their again. Through a crazy chore of removing a holly bush new home away from home, please continue to lift stump for a friend, God showed me that roots are vital us in prayer! Pray that He would be pleased to grant for growth even though some of my larger roots were many a new eternal home with Him in Heaven. earthly severed. There are young people at FCA that need relationships (roots) they have never experienced.

That hit me like a ton of bricks! After this realization, I asked for God’s forgiveness and for Him to provide what I need to start building roots again with those He brings into my life.

French Camp TODAY (USPS 210-100) is published quarterly in March, June, September and December each year by French Camp Academy, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. Periodical postage paid at Hattiesburg, MS and all additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to French Camp TODAY, One Fine Place, French Camp, MS 39745-9703.

There is no subscription charge for French Camp TODAY; it is financed by voluntary contributions from friends of the Academy and is printed by Roberson Advertising Services LLC, Bogalusa, LA. Graphics/photographs/text by FCA staff and students. The mailing list of French Camp TODAY is confidential and is not shared with other organizations.

To receive French Camp TODAY, send names and complete addresses. To change or correct your address or to be removed from the mailing list, tear off the mailing label (needed because of code numbers) and return it with the correct address. You may use the enclosed envelope OR call 1-800-565-7132.

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Reporting in French Camp TODAY is intended to inform readers of the life and work of French Camp Academy, a Christ-centered home and school serving young people and their families for the glory of God. French Camp Academy is accredited by the State Department of Education, Jackson, MS. We desire to hear from you. Please direct correspondence to Lance Ragsdale, Vice President of Development.

French Camp Academy One Fine Place French Camp, MS 39745-9703 662-547-6482 or 662-547-9464 www.frenchcamp.org BOARD OF TRUSTEES Sharkey Burke..................................Brandon Scott Castleman..................... Ocean Springs Dave Fair............................................ Oxford Vivian Farris....................................... Oxford Glenn Galey, Secretary............... Hattiesburg Toxey Hall III..................................... Canton G. Carey Hauenstein........................... Laurel Lee Lampton, Vice Chairman........... Jackson Chuck McBride................................Madison Brooks Mosley.................................. Jackson Tommy Peaster, Vice Chairman............ Flora Hugh Potts, Jr., Chairman.............Kosciusko F. Stewart Edwards, Jr., FCA President

Mission Statement

French Camp Academy, a Christcentered home and school, exists to serve young people and families for the glory of God.

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Peter Reid (General Director of Torchbearers International) was the keynote speaker for FCA’s “Spiritual Emphasis” week in August. His biblically grounded messages were just what our staff and students needed to kick-off a new academic year. Approximately, ten students professed faith in Christ. PTL! Pictured here with Peter Reid is his encouraging wife Gaby, along with Stewart and Rebecca Edwards. Torchbearers International has 25 centers around the world providing biblically sound, gospel rich discipleship for those interested in growing in their faith. v

Kawsu Sillah, FCA Class of 2010, spoke to our residential students on Sunday night, August 20th. Kawsu is from Sierra Leone, West Africa, and has lived in the United States for the past twenty years. After graduating from FCA, hee enrolled at Mississippi College and graduated with a Kinesiology major. Today, he sees himself as an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ and finds great joy in serving the Lord by giving back to his community in Memphis, TN where he serves as a dorm parent at Binghampton Christian Academy.

Pictured left: Fellow FCA classmates now on staff—Nathan Stevens, Chris and Ahna Mooney along with Cindy and Dennis Cox, on staff when Kawsu was a student

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The Power of Cooking!

Life-on-life ministry is something we talk a lot about at FCA. Connecting relationally to students provides openings for deeper conversations about life, the things of God, fleshing out faith and practice, and next steps.

Preparing meals in the kitchen offers opportunities for house parents to unpack the emotional baggage some of our young people bring. The sweet smell of oven baked cookies, the warmth of the oven or stove, the sizzle of bacon frying in the pan, the aromas of a variety of recipes that we sometimes make up together, are often exactly what is needed to open the mind of a young person.

When students ask a house parent to bake alongside of them, this may be a signal that something deeper is going on. Relationships and counseling can certainly happen in a kitchen. v

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”— Psalm 91:1-2

Staff Member Spotlight

Faith Lawson graduated from French Camp Academy in 2017 and began serving in its Maintenance Department three years ago after graduating from Hinds Community College with a degree in plumbing. Faith attends Bethsaida Baptist Church where her father, Alex Lawson, also an FCA graduate, serves as pastor. Faith is described as helpful, willing, and has the heart of a cheerful servant. FCA is grateful for her influence and sacrificial work with young people which is why her peers at FCA chose Faith to receive “Staff Member of the Year” in August. FCA Alumni earlier in the summer at Alumni Day in May chose Faith as its “Young Alumnus of the Year.” v

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Bedtime Stories

By Hannah O'Brien

My husband (now FCA bread baker) and I served as houseparents for 4 years when we first began our work at French Camp Academy 16 years ago. It didn’t take us long to realize that bedtime can be chaotic in a student home.

Laughter is infectious and feels like it spills out of the rooms and down the hallway, regardless of if it’s a boy’s home or girl’s home. Sleep! It’s so important, isn’t it? So how did we get our home full of teenage girls to sleep at night?

For many 15, 16, and 17-year-olds, a father reading a fairy tale was something they missed out on in early childhood. They didn’t have a father around to read bedtime stories. The soothing, deep voice spinning a story, was something that every child needs to hear! We set a tradition in our student home, just like with our own biological children, who are now adults. Every evening a story was told, sometimes dramatically, but always calmly. The cricket-quiet silence would set in providing just what was needed to get the needed 8 hours of sleep.

of these games. Trust was built, conversations began, and the stuff of life was fleshed out as the young people in our home experienced the grace of God in fresh new ways.

Never underestimate wholesome childhood play and activities in the life of a child. We learned early in our work at FCA that sometimes lifechanging experiences start in some of the simplest of ways. v

What a privilege to help teenagers discover a deep part of themselves Hannah O’Brien, former house parent, serves as graphic designer for French Camp Academy. Her husband, Kevin, bakes that had been lost. Many young people at FCA must grow up fast and delicious homemade bread that FCA is known for. take on adult responsibilities at an early age. They miss out on childhood experiences that help shape their character, or even the way they interact The rain came down, the streams rose, and the with other teenagers. Childhood games like Flashlight Tag, Capture the Flag, and Double Dutch Jump Rope are not bedtime prep activities, but winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, beafter dinner we had the best time introducing our young people to some cause it had its foundation on the rock.— Matthew 7:25

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Summer Music Fun!

The summer air was filled with the sound of music! FCA young people were each on a team. All 4 teams created their own music video from start to finish. Students either picked songs from a musical to recreate, or they picked a song (or 2) of their choice from a different genre. Each music video had to include every member of their team, a story line/plot, lip-syncing/acting, and some level of choreography.

The first 2 weeks of summer classes focused on the team brainstorming together and planning videos. Student teams delegated roles to each member of the group, getting costumes and props at the local thrift store, creating and learning choreography, plotting where scenes would be recorded. The next 2 weeks focused on music and video recordings.

Music videos were filmed all around campus from the FCA gym, tennis courts, softball field, music building, Camp of the Rising Son, hiking trails through French Camp, and the FCA Dining Hall.

Leah Bentley, Choral Director, had a blast filming students as they danced, sang, and acted. It was a collaborative project and team effort. Students were able to take ownership over their project, learn how to work together as a team, step up and be a leader when needed, experience a different expression of music, and have fun creating a major project.

At the end of the summer, completed projects were celebrated by having a viewing party. Staff and students gathered in the music building to watch each music video. Each group had to pick 1-2 members of their team to introduce and present their video. Videos were scored by 3 judges and students had the opportunity to win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place. v

Off to a Great Start!

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Summer Fun!

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Orientation 2023 On the first 2 days of school, students and staff spend time together at the Rising Son Retreat Center building relationships through team building games, the ropes challenge course, and for the brave-of-heart, a trip up the climbing tower and down the zip line.

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Athletic Team photos courtesy of Holly Wright

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Space Art and Astrophotography!

Exhibition French Camp Academy’s new Main Street Art Gallery is hosting an exhibition titled Space Art and Astrophotography! This exhibit is free, located at the Welcome Center in downtown French Camp, MS and can be seen from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Monday through Friday. It features some of the most spectacular astronomical images taken at Rainwater Observatory by talented astrophotographers from around the country. Their highly skilled, amazing, and complex work spans several years. It also features the artwork of space artist and lecturer Edwin Faughn, director of Rainwater Observatory in French Camp, Mississippi.

For more information contact Edwin Faughn at Rainwater Observatory: 662-547-7283 or info@rainwaterobservatory.org. Log onto www.rainwaterobservatory.org to learn about this unique window into the night sky. v

CROSS COUNTRY

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Refer a Child to French Camp Rubbing shoulders with families or work colleagues or volunteering around town to do this and that may give you opportunities to hear personal stories of parenting or grandparenting. Some stories are not easy to hear, but in the back of your mind, you know French Camp Academy just might be what is needed to bring healing and restoration to a family in need.

Children, young people, and adults, all have a need to be loved and valued. All of us need to know that someone is on our side, has our back, and will walk with us through thick and thin.

FCA is working hard to provide resources for children and teenagers to give them opportunities to thrive. Many of these young people have been exposed to demoralizing experiences causing life to be a fight for survival.

Hearing stories like this from friends and acquaintances, you may find yourself wanting to help. When you do, please keep FCA in mind. Leading young people and families to a place of well-being, security, and peace, is our mission. We want them to enjoy life as God meant it to be, which involves showing them their value from God’s point of view. v

If you know of a family with a child or teenager that may need the residential and academic services of French Camp Academy, please refer them to www.frenchcamp.org/referral. You can also watch two of our latest videos featuring current FCA residential students by scanning the QR code to the left with your smart phone.

A slice of French Camp bread, toasted with butter and jam­, what a delicious Christmas gift!

For a donation of $25 or more, family and friends share in the joy of your gift! Along with a loaf of bread, we send a personal letter wishing them a Merry Christmas and sharing the news of your thoughtful gift to French Camp Academy.

To order bread, e-mail Kathy Bentley at kbentley@frenchcamp.org or call 662-547-9464.

November 1st deadline for Christmas orders.

Honor Gifts

Honor gifts show appreciation to a living person­–such as teachers, pastors, parents, etc., while helping students at FCA. To make an Honor Gift, you may use the form/envelope provided, designating the type of gift you are making. The honoree will be notified of your thoughtfulness. Amounts of gifts are never divulged.

April

B. B. BARTHOLEMEW FAMILY Mr. and Mrs. Rusty Jabour BOLER, JOEY, Vaiden, MS Mrs. Wynelle H. Sciple CANNADA, PEGGY B., Madison, MS Mr. and Mrs. Greg Matheny CHUCK BENTLEY FAMILY, French Camp, MS Mr. and Mrs. John Hutchinson CHUCK CARROLL AND FAMILY Mr. and Mrs. Rusty Jabour COCKHART, TEGAN, Jasper, AL Mr. Joey Clingan DAVIS, LYN, Jackson, TN Mrs. Amy Galyen DICKSON, THOMAS F., Germantown, TN Dr. and Mrs. Dee J. Canale HARPER, WAYNE AND LINDA, Southlake, TX Mr. and Mrs. Bill Kray KENNY, JOHN AND LYNN, San Antonio, TX Mr. and Mrs. Rusty McMillan KINSEY, PETER AND SHARON, Brookhaven, MS Mrs. Dale Eatman Glover MCDOWELL, MARY KATHRYN, Inverness, MS Mr. John D. McDowell MCNEELY FAMILY Mr. Louis Tehan

O’BRIEN, KEVIN, French Camp, MS Mr. and Mrs. Samuel C. Kemp PAYNE, JR., W. A., Hattiesburg, MS Mr. and Mrs. John T. Barton SORENSEN, KEVIN, French Camp, MS Mr. Doug McAllaster STANFORD, BILL AND MARGARITA, Clinton, MS Mr. and Mrs. Bennie R. Nutt THE CHILDREN Mr. Charlie Holland

May

ALLEN, GABRIEL PAUL, Bertrand, NE Mrs. Polly Allen ARNOLD, JOE PACK, Hattiesburg, MS Mr. James B. Arnold, Jr. CHUCK BENTLEY FAMILY, French Camp, MS Mr. and Mrs. John Hutchinson GRIFFIN, LEONARD EDWARD, McComb, MS Mr. and Mrs. Tom Coward, Jr. ICELLETON, JAN, Nauvoo, AL Mr. Joey Clingan JOHNSON, JAMES AND BRENDA, Philadelphia, MS Mr. and Mrs. Larry Fulton KIMBROUGH, NANCY STONE, Coffeeville, MS Mr. John E. Kimbrough, IV Mrs. Karen Arrington MCGOUGH, PATRICIA, Nauvoo, AL Mr. Joey Clingan

MILLER, CHRIS, Kosciusko, MS Ms. Sue S. Nowell O’BRIEN, KEVIN AND HANNAH, French Camp, MS Mr. David L. Allen SAMUEL, MR. AND MRS. T. NORRIS Mr. Thomas N. Samuel SHADDIX, SUZANNE, Eupora, MS Mr. Samuel Clemons SORENSEN, KEVIN, French Camp, MS Mr. Doug McAllaster STONE, JOHN B., San Antonio, TX Mr. John E. Kimbrough, IV THORNTON, DENISE Ganier Planting Co TURNER, WILLIAM ENIS, Madison, MS Mr. and Mrs. Richard B. Flynt WHICKER, KARMEN LONG, Collierville, TN Mr. Samuel Clemons

June

ALLEN, GABRIEL AND GEORGIA Mrs. Polly Allen BARLOW, GLEN, French Camp, MS Mr. and Mrs. Jason Geiser CHESSER, JANICE, Mathiston, MS Mr. and Mrs. Todd Chesser CHUCK BENTLEY FAMILY, French Camp, MS Mr. and Mrs. John Hutchinson

CUMMINGS, BRENDA, Nauvoo, AL Mr. Joey Clingan CURTIS, JIM, Spring Hill, FL Ms. Dorann O. Winch EDWARDS, JR., F. STEWART, French Camp, MS Mr. and Mrs. Philip R. Faughn EVERETT, BILL AND LINDA, New Albany, MS Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Capaning FAIR, DAVIS, Oxford, MS Dr. Kitty Mann FCA STAFF Mr. and Mrs. Carson M. Hughes HATCHER, LES, Carson Hill, AL Mr. Joey Clingan HEAD, EMILY, Lynn, AL Mr. Joey Clingan JOHNSON, BETTIE, Jackson, MS Mr. Charles G. Johnson JONES, DEBBIE, Spring Hill, FL Ms. Dorann O. Winch LOVELACE, ROBERTA C. TURNER, Madison, MS Mr. and Mrs. Richard B. Flynt LUBER, DR. AND MRS. KURRE, Oxford, MS Dr. and Mrs. Joe D. Pegram MILLER, JOSHUA, Nauvoo, AL Mr. Joey Clingan MOORE, KAREN S., Mount Washington, KY Ms. Dorann O. Winch RAGAN, ROBERT, Cleveland, MS Rev. James A. Breland

ROOS, SHARA, Ethel, MS Mr. and Mrs. William McKinley SINCLAIR, DALE, Louisville, MS Mr. and Mrs. John D. Mitchell SORENSEN, KEVIN, French Camp, MS Mr. Doug McAllaster THE CHILDREN Mr. Charlie Holland THOMPSON, FULTON, Tupelo, MS Mr. and Mrs. Larry Noblin VANCE, MARTHA, Ridgeland, MS Mr. and Mrs. Gary D. Brown WICKS, ELIZABETH, Ocean Springs, MS Mrs. Dorothy C. Blanton WILLIFORD, EDWARD, Brookhaven, MS Rev. and Mrs. Charles S. Carroll Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Dixon

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Memorial Gifts

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We strive to answer memorials and notify relatives as quickly and accurately as possible after they are received. When you send in a memorial, please include the name of the deceased, the complete address of the person you wish notified and your complete address. Important: IF YOU DO NOT INCLUDE A NAME and ADDRESS OF A RELATIVE OR FRIEND OF THE DECEASED, WE WILL BE UNABLE TO NOTIFY ANYONE OF YOUR GIFT. Follow the same procedure for honor gifts. (A blank form and envelope appear in this issue.)

April ALBRITTON, SARAH Mr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Lotterhos ALEXANDER, SAMANTHA, SKYLAR AND KAYLEIGH, Ethel, MS Ms. Sue S. Nowell ANDERSON, GRAYSON W., Houston, TX Mrs. Speight W. Anderson ATWOOD, JEAN C. PETTIT, Kosciusko, MS Mr. Jimmy Atwood BALLARD, FRED, Leland, MS Mr. and Mrs. John Terry Gibbs BISHOP, JOY M., Brandon, MS Mrs. Cassandra Bass BLACK, DOCHE, French Camp, MS Mr. J. Lane Greenlee BONDS, JR., ALBERT EARL, Chelsea, AL Mr. and Mrs. Randy R. Tindle Ms. Anne Hines BORGANELLI, IMOGENE JOHNSON Mr. and Mrs. George Weaver BOSTWICK, DOUGLAS L., Mandeville, LA Mrs. Judith Pamela Bostwick BRASWELL, DENTON GRAHAM, Meridian, MS Mr. and Mrs. James T. Eubanks Mr. and Mrs. Warren Henning BUNCH, BOB, Greenwood, MS Mr. and Mrs. David H. Morgan BUTTERFIELD, MICHAEL, Macon, MS Mr. and Mrs. William F. Lacey BYERS, LEE AND LOU ELLA Mr. and Mrs. George G. Byers CALK, ANN ELIZABETH JONES, Atlanta, GA Mrs. Nora Deen Link Maloy CARDEN, JOE E., Starkville, MS Mrs. Wynelle H. Sciple CARTLEDGE, M. CLYDE AND GOLDIE, French Camp, MS Mr. and Mrs. David Stotts CHAPMAN, AILEEN R. GRAFTON, Madison, MS Mr. William James Chapman CHATHAM, JR., GERALD, Hernando, MS Mrs. Elizabeth Jenkins COLLIER, ARLENE, Louisville, MS Mr. and Mrs. Warren Henning COOK, ANNIE WADE, Kosciusko, MS Mr. and Mrs. David Stotts COOK, SR., KELLY GENE Mrs. Patsy Ann Cook COOK, WAYNE AND BEATRICE Mr. and Mrs. David Stotts COUVILLION, WARREN, Starkville, MS Mr. and Mrs. David H. Morgan CULPEPPER, ANNIE RUTH, Sallis, MS Mr. Paul M. Culpepper DONALD, JR., JERRY L., San Juan Capistrane, CA Mrs. Jeanette Donald DONALD, SR., JERRY L., Louisville, MS Mrs. Jeanette Donald DOZIER, WILLIE M., Toomsooba, MS Mr. and Mrs. Tim Shurden Rev. and Mrs. William B. Everett Mrs. Betty Warren Mr. and Mrs. Louis Duthu John, Melissa and Olivia Freeman Mrs. Regina Phillips Mr. and Mrs. Waymon Tigrett Mrs. Beverly Estes Mr. and Mrs. Jesse E. Leverette, Jr. Mrs. Rita Mashburn, Monica and Carmen Mr. and Mrs. Dennis N. Carpenter Mr. E. Phillip Cook Dr. and Mrs. Robert B. Swayze Ms. Velma Ruth Culpepper Ms. Venita Ann Eshleman Mr. and Mrs. David Powe Mrs. Sandra Dabbs Mr. and Mrs. William McKinley Dr. and Mrs. Alfred P. Chestnut Mr. and Mrs. Warren Henning FCA Development Staff EIDSON, CORA BELLE, Eupora, MS Ms. Linda E. Chase Mr. and Mrs. John D. Eidson FOXX, CORA BAILEY, Coffeeville, MS Mr. Jeffrey Mark Scobey GINN, MORRIS AND OPAL Mrs. Elizabeth McKinley Ms. Libby Johnson

HALL, NORMA JEFFERIES, Greenville, MS Mrs. Ethel Nunnery Mr. and Mrs. John L. Turner, III HAMMOND, HELEN T. Mr. and Mrs. George Kuykendall HART, IRMA NEWELL, Yazoo City, MS Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Bond HARTLEY, WILL, Grenada, MS Mrs. Ida M. Shinall HILL, OLIVIA MARION, Tupelo, MS Mr. and Mrs. Michael Lunceford Dr. Marianne Barnes HILLHOUSE, JOY B. Ms. Linda E. Chase HOLMAN, RAYMOND E. Mr. and Mrs. Lee Paris HUTTON, BETH PITTMAN Mrs. Elizabeth Jenkins INMAN, CHRISTOPHER SHANE, West Point, MS Mr. and Mrs. Joe H. Smith Ms. Reta G. Washam JENKINS, SWEP Mrs. Elizabeth Jenkins JONES, BERNARD BRYAN, Tchula, MS Mrs. Nora Deen Link Maloy JONES, LEONE BREWER, Florence, AL Mrs. Jacqueline R. Jones JONES, PARKER MCMINN Mr. and Mrs. John W. Underwood KEA, DORIS Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Kea KILLOUGH, KEITH A., Jackson, MS Mrs. Claudine Burkes KOONCE, KATHERINE, Brentwood, TN Mrs. Amy Galyen LEWIS, BUBBA, Double Springs, AL Mr. Joey Clingan LINK, MINNA DEEN JONES, Yazoo City, MS Mrs. Nora Deen Link Maloy LYELL, LOUIS JAMES, Jackson, MS Mrs. Jan Mounger Mr. David C. McNair Mr. and Mrs. R. Fulton Thompson Ms. Lynn Wall Mr. and Mrs. Walker L. Watters Mr. and Mrs. Donald A. White Mr. Elbert Hilliard MADDOX, CHRISTINA, Slidell, LA Mr. Kenneth E. Manis and Pamela MAGGIO, SR., JOHN V., Indianola, MS Mrs. Anne Moore McKee MASON, III, DICK BRADFORD, Jackson, MS Ms. Carla M. Gilbert MCGEHEE, BETTIE PAYNE PHIPPS, Jackson, MS Mrs. Nora Deen Link Maloy METCALF, LESLIE, Madison, MS Mr. and Mrs. William M. Link, Jr. MIDDLEBROOK, NANCY CAROLYN, Meridian, MS Mr. A. K. Middlebrook MINOR, CHARLES AND ROSE Mr. and Mrs. Gary Minor MITCH, JOHN TIMOTHY, Chattanooga, TN Ms. Mary Mack Leonard Jones MONROE, CURTIS RYAN, Fulton, MS Mr. and Mrs. Donny Mitchell Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Bennett Mrs. Ginger Jones Clegg Mrs. Rebecca Jones West MORTON, JOSEPH MOODY Mr. David C. McNair MURPHY, DONNA PATTERSON, Columbus, MS Mr. and Mrs. Gregory N. Smith NATIONS, DANIEL KENT, Sontag, MS Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Kent Nations NUNAN, T. RUSSELL, Decatur, GA Mrs. Virginia Johnson O’MARA, ENID, Carthage, MS Dr. and Mrs. Max R. Taylor PETTET, RON AND TRACEY, Simpsonville, SC Mrs. Shirley R. Egger PRATT, BETTY Mr. and Mrs. Larry Fulton RANDOLPH, BILL AND MARTHA, Jackson, MS Mr. and Mrs. Doyle B. Moorhead ROGERS, KHRISTI LYN LONG, Holly Springs, MS Mr. Ralph W. Rogers ROSS, ANNA ELISABETH, Isola, MS Mr. Emmitt Fred Ross RUCKER, ILENE MANN, Brandon, MS Ms. Linda N. Williams

SERIO, DONNA HOWARD, McCarley, MS Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Jordan Huntsville Church of Christ Mr. and Mrs. Thad Wilkes North Winona Baptist Church, Small Group Mr. and Mrs. Will Bond SIGNA, DOE Mr. Robert L. Koestler SIMPKINS, AUDEN JUBILEE, Madison, MS Mayor and Mrs. Gene McGee Dr. and Mrs. Alfred P. Chestnut Mr. and Mrs. Gerald McCaffery SMITH, MARY FRANCES, Jackson, MS Mrs. Lottie E. Boggan STEVENS, ESTHER Mr. and Mrs. Paul R. Downing STOTTS, DEWEY AND GOLDIE Mr. and Mrs. David Stotts THOMAS, ANNETTE, Clinton, MS Rev. and Mrs. Billy W. Stanford THORNTON, TOMMY Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Webb TRAPP, FELTON Mr. and Mrs. William F. Lacey VANTREASE, JR., DAVID Mrs. Irene M. Vantrease VOLLSTEDT, ELIZABETH Mr. Charles E. Williams WARD, DOROTHY MARGUERITE AUSTIN, French Camp, MS Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Ward WEST, LOUISE W., Tupelo, MS Mrs. Cindy B. Ballard WEST, MACK, Paragould, AR Mr. and Mrs. Philip R. Faughn WHITE, POLLY MASSEY, Ethel, MS Mrs. Polly Allen WILLIAMS, RUTH ANN ORR, Raymond, MS Ms. Julie Lampley WILLIAMSON, MIKE CONNER, Kosciusko, MS Mr. and Mrs. Carl Sims YATES, BONNIE SUE HOLT, Conroe, TX Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Yates

May

ALBRITTON, SARAH Mr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Lotterhos ALEXANDER, SAMANTHA, SKYLAR AND KAYLEIGH, Ethel, MS Ms. Sue S. Nowell ANDERSON, GRAYSON W., Houston, TX Mrs. Speight W. Anderson ATWOOD, JEAN C. PETTIT, Kosciusko, MS Mr. Jimmy Atwood BALLARD, FRED, Leland, MS Mr. and Mrs. John Terry Gibbs BISHOP, JOY M., Brandon, MS Mrs. Cassandra Bass BLACK, DOCHE, French Camp, MS Mr. J. Lane Greenlee BONDS, JR., ALBERT EARL, Chelsea, AL Mr. and Mrs. Randy R. Tindle Ms. Anne Hines BORGANELLI, IMOGENE JOHNSON Mr. and Mrs. George Weaver BOSTWICK, DOUGLAS L., Mandeville, LA Mrs. Judith Pamela Bostwick BRASWELL, DENTON GRAHAM, Meridian, MS Mr. and Mrs. James T. Eubanks Mr. and Mrs. Warren Henning BUNCH, BOB, Greenwood, MS Mr. and Mrs. David H. Morgan BUTTERFIELD, MICHAEL, Macon, MS Mr. and Mrs. William F. Lacey BYERS, LEE AND LOU ELLA Mr. and Mrs. George G. Byers CALK, ANN ELIZABETH JONES, Atlanta, GA Mrs. Nora Deen Link Maloy CARDEN, JOE E., Starkville, MS Mrs. Wynelle H. Sciple CARTLEDGE, M. CLYDE AND GOLDIE, French Camp, MS Mr. and Mrs. David Stotts CHAPMAN, AILEEN R. GRAFTON, Madison, MS Mr. William James Chapman CHATHAM, JR., GERALD, Hernando, MS Mrs. Elizabeth Jenkins COLLIER, ARLENE, Louisville, MS Mr. and Mrs. Warren Henning

COOK, ANNIE WADE, Kosciusko, MS Mr. and Mrs. David Stotts COOK, SR., KELLY GENE Mrs. Patsy Ann Cook COOK, WAYNE AND BEATRICE Mr. and Mrs. David Stotts COUVILLION, WARREN, Starkville, MS Mr. and Mrs. David H. Morgan CULPEPPER, ANNIE RUTH, Sallis, MS Mr. Paul M. Culpepper DONALD, JR., JERRY L., San Juan Capistrane, CA Mrs. Jeanette Donald DONALD, SR., JERRY L., Louisville, MS Mrs. Jeanette Donald DOZIER, WILLIE M., Toomsooba, MS Mr. and Mrs. Tim Shurden Rev. and Mrs. William B. Everett Mrs. Betty Warren Mr. and Mrs. Louis Duthu John, Melissa and Olivia Freeman Mrs. Regina Phillips Mr. and Mrs. Waymon Tigrett Mrs. Beverly Estes Mr. and Mrs. Jesse E. Leverette, Jr. Mrs. Rita Mashburn, Monica and Carmen Mr. and Mrs. Dennis N. Carpenter Mr. E. Phillip Cook Dr. and Mrs. Robert B. Swayze Ms. Velma Ruth Culpepper Ms. Venita Ann Eshleman Mr. and Mrs. David Powe Mrs. Sandra Dabbs Mr. and Mrs. William McKinley Dr. and Mrs. Alfred P. Chestnut Mr. and Mrs. Warren Henning FCA Development Staff EIDSON, CORA BELLE, Eupora, MS Ms. Linda E. Chase Mr. and Mrs. John D. Eidson FOXX, CORA BAILEY, Coffeeville, MS Mr. Jeffrey Mark Scobey GINN, MORRIS AND OPAL Mrs. Elizabeth McKinley Ms. Libby Johnson HALL, NORMA JEFFERIES, Greenville, MS Mrs. Ethel Nunnery Mr. and Mrs. John L. Turner, III HAMMOND, HELEN T. Mr. and Mrs. George Kuykendall HART, IRMA NEWELL, Yazoo City, MS Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Bond HARTLEY, WILL, Grenada, MS Mrs. Ida M. Shinall HILL, OLIVIA MARION, Tupelo, MS Mr. and Mrs. Michael Lunceford Dr. Marianne Barnes HILLHOUSE, JOY B. Ms. Linda E. Chase HOLMAN, RAYMOND E. Mr. and Mrs. Lee Paris HUTTON, BETH PITTMAN Mrs. Elizabeth Jenkins INMAN, CHRISTOPHER SHANE, West Point, MS Mr. and Mrs. Joe H. Smith Ms. Reta G. Washam JENKINS, SWEP Mrs. Elizabeth Jenkins JONES, BERNARD BRYAN, Tchula, MS Mrs. Nora Deen Link Maloy JONES, LEONE BREWER, Florence, AL Mrs. Jacqueline R. Jones JONES, PARKER MCMINN Mr. and Mrs. John W. Underwood KEA, DORIS Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Kea KILLOUGH, KEITH A., Jackson, MS Mrs. Claudine Burkes KOONCE, KATHERINE, Brentwood, TN Mrs. Amy Galyen LEWIS, BUBBA, Double Springs, AL Mr. Joey Clingan LINK, MINNA DEEN JONES, Yazoo City, MS Mrs. Nora Deen Link Maloy LYELL, LOUIS JAMES, Jackson, MS Mrs. Jan Mounger Mr. David C. McNair Mr. and Mrs. R. Fulton Thompson Ms. Lynn Wall Mr. and Mrs. Walker L. Watters Mr. and Mrs. Donald A. White Mr. Elbert Hilliard

MADDOX, CHRISTINA, Slidell, LA Mr. Kenneth E. Manis and Pamela MAGGIO, SR., JOHN V., Indianola, MS Mrs. Anne Moore McKee MASON, III, DICK BRADFORD, Jackson, MS Ms. Carla M. Gilbert MCGEHEE, BETTIE PAYNE PHIPPS, Jackson, MS Mrs. Nora Deen Link Maloy METCALF, LESLIE, Madison, MS Mr. and Mrs. William M. Link, Jr. MIDDLEBROOK, NANCY CAROLYN, Meridian, MS Mr. A. K. Middlebrook MINOR, CHARLES AND ROSE Mr. and Mrs. Gary Minor MITCH, JOHN TIMOTHY, Chattanooga, TN Ms. Mary Mack Leonard Jones MONROE, CURTIS RYAN, Fulton, MS Mr. and Mrs. Donny Mitchell Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Bennett Mrs. Ginger Jones Clegg Mrs. Rebecca Jones West MORTON, JOSEPH MOODY Mr. David C. McNair MURPHY, DONNA PATTERSON, Columbus, MS Mr. and Mrs. Gregory N. Smith NATIONS, DANIEL KENT, Sontag, MS Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Kent Nations NUNAN, T. RUSSELL, Decatur, GA Mrs. Virginia Johnson O’MARA, ENID, Carthage, MS Dr. and Mrs. Max R. Taylor PETTET, RON AND TRACEY, Simpsonville, SC Mrs. Shirley R. Egger PRATT, BETTY Mr. and Mrs. Larry Fulton RANDOLPH, BILL AND MARTHA, Jackson, MS Mr. and Mrs. Doyle B. Moorhead ROGERS, KHRISTI LYN LONG, Holly Springs, MS Mr. Ralph W. Rogers ROSS, ANNA ELISABETH, Isola, MS Mr. Emmitt Fred Ross RUCKER, ILENE MANN, Brandon, MS Ms. Linda N. Williams SERIO, DONNA HOWARD, McCarley, MS Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Jordan Huntsville Church of Christ Mr. and Mrs. Thad Wilkes North Winona Baptist Church, Small Group Mr. and Mrs. Will Bond SIGNA, DOE Mr. Robert L. Koestler SIMPKINS, AUDEN JUBILEE, Madison, MS Mayor and Mrs. Gene McGee Dr. and Mrs. Alfred P. Chestnut Mr. and Mrs. Gerald McCaffery SMITH, MARY FRANCES, Jackson, MS Mrs. Lottie E. Boggan STEVENS, ESTHER Mr. and Mrs. Paul R. Downing STOTTS, DEWEY AND GOLDIE Mr. and Mrs. David Stotts THOMAS, ANNETTE, Clinton, MS Rev. and Mrs. Billy W. Stanford THORNTON, TOMMY Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Webb TRAPP, FELTON Mr. and Mrs. William F. Lacey VANTREASE, JR., DAVID Mrs. Irene M. Vantrease VOLLSTEDT, ELIZABETH Mr. Charles E. Williams WARD, DOROTHY MARGUERITE AUSTIN, French Camp, MS Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Ward WEST, LOUISE W., Tupelo, MS Mrs. Cindy B. Ballard WEST, MACK, Paragould, AR Mr. and Mrs. Philip R. Faughn WHITE, POLLY MASSEY, Ethel, MS Mrs. Polly Allen WILLIAMS, RUTH ANN ORR, Raymond, MS Ms. Julie Lampley WILLIAMSON, MIKE CONNER, Kosciusko, MS Mr. and Mrs. Carl Sims YATES, BONNIE SUE HOLT, Conroe, TX Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Yates

June

ALLEN, JOHN SAMUEL, Ethel, MS Mr. Samuel Clemons

www.frenchcamp.org

French Camp TODAY FALL 2023 • 13

3 reasons

to use French Camp Bed & Breakfast gift certificates to check off your gift giving list this Christmas:

Give the Gift of Getting Away...

The French Camp Bed & Breakfast is located in the Historic District of the quaint and peaceful town of French Camp, MS. It is a perfect place for disconnecting, resting, and being refreshed.

...Get One for Yourself...

When you purchase a gift certificate for two nights you will receive a complimentary night for yourself at the B&B, redeemable in December 2023 or January 2024.

... Give to FCA

French Camp B&B is a support ministry of French Camp Academy. Proceeds help make it possible for FCA to continue ministering to children and families.

Swing by the Log Cabin Gift Shop to get a gift certificate or call 662-547-6657.

ANDERSON, GRAYSON W., Houston, TX Mrs. Speight W. Anderson ASHFORD, JIM AND JACQUE Mr. and Mrs. Bill and Diane Denton BARLOW, DEBBIE DEE DOSTER, French Camp, MS Mr. and Mrs. Jason Geiser BLACK, DAVID DOTSON Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Black BOLES, JOHN, Jackson, MS Mrs. Dora Lee Clark BRANCH, CHARLES Mr. and Mrs. Wayne E. Walker BROWN, BARRY, Moss Point, MS Dr. and Mrs. James A. Megehee BROWN, ROSEL SEIPP, Harlem, GA Mr. Edward L. Brown BURT, SR., JOHN Mrs. Helen Thomasson BUSH, RUTH JOHNSON Mr. and Mrs. Howell N. Gage BYERS, LEE AND LOU ELLA Mr. and Mrs. George G. Byers CADE, BETH, Kosciusko, MS Mr. and Mrs. Lewis S. Freedman CAMPBELL, JOSEPH COOPER AND VIRGINIA, Madison, MS Mr. and Mrs. James Michael Taylor CAMPBELL, LOIS JEANNETTE Dr. and Mrs. George Yancey Gillespie, III CARTWRIGHT, JR., CECIL JOHN, Yazoo City, MS Mrs. Martha W. Hogue Mr. and Mrs. Shane Leath Mrs. Dora Lee Clark CHANDLER, LILA ANN DEMPSEY, Weir, MS Mrs. Ellouise Bane Mr. and Mrs. Warren Henning CHATHAM, JR., GERALD, Hernando, MS Mrs. Elizabeth Jenkins CHESSER, ARCHIE, Mathiston, MS Mr. and Mrs. Todd Chesser CHITTOM, LARRY, Tupelo, MS Mr. and Mrs. Bill Manning COLE, ANN DEVER, Hattiesburg, MS Bro. Bill Dever Family COLEMAN, DEBBIE, Oxford, MS Mr. and Mrs. Thomas G. Smith COLLINS, CATHERINE, Martinsville, VA Mr. and Mrs. Bill Manning COPELAND, DOROTHY, Jackson, MS Mr. F. Dean Copeland CORBIN, HELEN The Graeber Family of Marks, MS CURRIE, JAMES HECTOR, Oxford, MS Mrs. Rachel C. Martin

CURRIE, RODES Mrs. Rachel C. Martin CURRIE, WARNER, Atlanta, GA Mrs. Rachel C. Martin CURTIS, ABNER, Winona, MS Miss Bobbye C. Curtis DOZIER, WILLIE M., Toomsooba, MS Mr. and Mrs. Randy Smith FOUNTAIN, RUBY RONE Mrs. Julie Cunningham FULCHER, JR., LUTHER HARRISON, Jackson, MS Mrs. Joyce J. Long Ms. Louise L. Lampton Mr. and Mrs. John R. Pieklik Mr. and Mrs. Larry Noblin Mr. and Mrs. York Craig Dr. and Mrs. William Franklin Sneed Rev. and Mrs. Richard K. Swayze Mr. and Mrs. Steve M. Edwards Ms. Rita Morrison FULTON, CHARLES RAY, Oxford, MS Ms. Sarah A. Rosen GINN, MORRIS AND OPAL Ms. Libby Johnson Mrs. Elizabeth McKinley GOODWIN, AMY GALLIGAN Mr. Michael S. Galligan GRAY, HENRY DEAN, Coffeeville, MS Mr. Jeffrey Mark Scobey GREENE, CAROL, Houston, TX Mr. and Mrs. Thomas G. Smith GRESSETT, VIC, Greenwood, MS Mr. and Mrs. Al Ray GRIFFIN, VIRGINIA TAYS, McComb, MS Mrs. Hope Howell Thompson Mrs. Mary Alta Clark Mr. and Mrs. Balfour Lipscomb Mr. and Mrs. Jim Nash Mr. and Mrs. Ward G. Stokes Dr. and Mrs. William H. Meyer Mr. and Mrs. Gary L. Jacobs Mrs. Nancy F. Soyars Coach and Mrs. J. Larry Ladner Mr. and Mrs. S. Craig Robinson Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Bond Mr. and Mrs. Jim Coleman Mr. Joey Alleman HALEY, BOOTHE LESTER AND NELL RICHARDSON, Tupelo, MS Mr. and Mrs. Ronald A. Haley HAUN, FREIDA B., Brandon, MS Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher Paul Adams, Sr. HEARD, ALLAN P., Ormond Beach, FL Mr. and Mrs. Jerry D. Johnson

HEARON, SR., T. ROSCOE, Hattiesburg, MS Mrs. Anita T. Hearon HERRING, DOUG, Louisville, MS Mrs. Marion Stoute HERRING, MARION, Louisville, MS Mrs. Marion Stoute HILL, MAURICE, Tupelo, MS Mrs. Mary M. Hill, Maury, Tom and Sandra HILL, OLIVIA MARION, Tupelo, MS Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Liddon Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Howell HOLLAND, ETHAN, Cleveland, MS Ms. Sue S. Nowell HOLLOWAY, JOAN Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Bond HORTON, JACK, Huntsville, AL Ms. Lenora Gray R. Lott INGRAM, MARGARET, Leland, MS Mrs. Leet Maggio IVEY, PAULA, Starkville, MS Mr. Carl E. Ivey, Jr. JENKINS, SWEP Mrs. Elizabeth Jenkins Mrs. Kristine E. Owen JOHNSON, ELIZABETH, Prattville, AL Mrs. Dorothy M. Weathersby JOHNSON, MAYLON Mr. and Mrs. Jerry D. Johnson JOHNSTON, CHARLES TERRY, Carrollton, MS Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey W. James KEA, DORIS Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Kea KUTAS, JERRY Mrs. Amy Galyen LINK, WILLIAM MARTIN, Bentonia, MS Mrs. Nora Deen Link Maloy MANGUM, JR., J. W., Hattiesburg, MS Mrs. Anita T. Hearon MCCARTY, SR., PHIL R., Clinton, MS Mr. and Mrs. Albert P. Grantham MCINTYRE, CHARLES, Canton, MS Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Kilgore MCSPADDEN, JR., GILBERT R., Ridgeland, MS Mr. and Mrs. S. Craig Robinson METTS, PRISCILLA Mrs. Dora Lee Clark MITCHELL, JUNE FOX, Brandon, MS Ms. Bettye May Mrs. Susan Lipscomb Mrs. Suanne Holland Williamson Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Hunter Mrs. Sarah A. Allen Mr. and Mrs. John R. Tichy Mr. and Mrs. Marion B. Truitt

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Rowan Floyd Mr. and Mrs. Floyd VanDeburgh Ms. D`Ann Boos Ms. Kathryn N. Burwell Ms. Kathy Van Veckhoven MONROE, CURTIS RYAN, Fulton, MS Bill and Diane Denton Mr. and Mrs. Alan C. Hurdle MONTGOMERY, SR., CHARLES JOSEPH, Greenwood, MS Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey W. James Mr. and Mrs. Eugene A. Stansel, Jr. Planters Bank & Trust Mr. and Mrs. Ben Wessman Mr. and Mrs. Wayne E. Walker Itta City Presbyterian Church MORGAN, JOHNNY, Oxford, MS Mr. and Mrs. Thomas G. Smith MULLINS, TONYA ROCHELLE Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey W. James NASH, QUAY, West Point, MS Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Bond NUNAN, T. RUSSELL, Decatur, GA Mrs. Virginia Johnson OLIVER, ROBERT C., Winona, MS Mr. and Mrs. George Weaver PERRY, HAROLD Dr. and Mrs. Alfred P. Chestnut PERRY, SR., GEORGE C. , Sarasota, FL Ms. Edith L. Perry PETERMANN, JOHN W. AND PAULINE Ms. Luticia Johnson PIERCE, JOSEPHINE COX, North Wilkesboro, NC Mrs. Athena B. Davies POWELL, MARY KATHERINE AUSTIN Mr. Michael A. Grimmett PRICE, ALFRED L., Flowood, MS Mr. and Mrs. Richard G. Porter RAWLS, LIZETTE L., Hattiesburg, MS Mrs. Anita T. Hearon ROGERS, KHRISTI LYN LONG, Holly Springs, MS Mr. Ralph W. Rogers ROUGHTON, TONY, Indianola, MS Mrs. Leet Maggio ROUSE, OTTO, Union, MS Mrs. Gayle Luke ROWELL, JOYCE FRAZIER, McCool, MS Mr. and Mrs. Willie M. Blaine RUSSELL, ANN MARTIN, Germantown, TN Mr. and Mrs. Balfour Lipscomb Mrs. Amy Galyen SCOGGINS, MURRAY, Starkville, MS Mrs. Wynelle H. Sciple

SEAY, CLANT Mrs. Virginia C. Steadman SHIELDS, BEVERLY B., West Point, MS Mrs. Lenore Griffin SMITH, WESLEY, Shenandoah, TX Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lynn Taylor SMITH, WILLIAM, Greenwood, MS Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Dick Delashmet SNIDER, MONROE, Waveland, MS Mr. and Mrs. Thomas G. Smith STANLEY, DANNY, Marks, MS The Graeber Family of Marks, MS STOKES, BOBBIE, Ridgeland, MS Mrs. Betty R. Stokes and Family SULLIVAN, PAUL, Ridgeland, MS Mr. and Mrs. Jerry L. Orr Mr. and Mrs. Doyle Tommy Love TAYLOR, MR. AND MRS. JOE, Southaven, MS Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Bond TOLAR, TOMMIE DALE, Hattiesburg, MS Mr. and Mrs. Carl Voss TURNER, CHARLES MONROE, Moss Point, MS Mrs. Kim Blackwell Mrs. Maxine Turner VINSON, COURTNEY HOLLAND Dr. and Mrs. Charles E. Holland VOLLSTEDT, ELIZABETH Mr. Wallace H. Russell WALDROP, ELIZABETH ANN Mr. and Mrs. Lake W. Waldrop WALDROP, MAX L., Aiken, SC Mr. and Mrs. Lake W. Waldrop WALLACE, ROBERT HUE, Jacksons Gap, AL Mr. and Mrs. David Evans WEBB, PATRICIA WILSON Mr. and Mrs. Dan M. Morgan WEBB, SYLVIA Dr. and Mrs. Alfred P. Chestnut WHITWORTH, ANN, Panama City Beach, FL Mr. and Mrs. Thomas G. Smith WILLIAMS, RUTH ANN ORR, Raymond, MS Ms. Julie Lampley WILLOUGHBY, JODI, The Colony, TX Mr. and Mrs. Mike Catchings YATES, BONNIE SUE HOLT, Conroe, TX Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Yates

Scan to Donate to French Camp Academy

14 • French Camp TODAY FALL 2023

www.frenchcamp.org

Simply Giving

French Camp Academy’s Support Ministries

Online Giving is a popular option at www.frenchcamp.org.

Easy Steps: 1. Select the Help FCA heading which gives a menu of options.

2. Click Donate and you are on your way to sending your gift to FCA. Or use a smart phone to scan QR code to go directly to the Online Giving Page.

3. To set up bank drafts, contact the Development Office at 662-547-6482 or email us at fcainfo@frenchcamp.org.

4. As always, you can write your check, put it in the enclosed postage paid envelope, and drop it in the mail to us.

Whichever way you choose to give, we thank you for your faithfulness to the students of French Camp Academy.

www.CampoftheRisingSon.com 662-547-6169

www.RainwaterObservatory.org 662-547-7283

Bed & Breakfast Council House Restaurant Log Cabin Gift Shop Children of God Pottery Double Blessings Thrift Shop

www.WFCA.FM 662-547-6414

www.frenchcamphistoricvillage.com

NON-DISCRIMINATORY POLICY French Camp Academy admits students of any race, color, national, or ethnic origin.

Find out more about employment opportunities at www.frenchcamp. org/contact#employmentpanel or scan QR code to explore more. v

Harvest Festival – How you can help?

Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 14th because you don’t want to miss Harvest Festival this Fall! Make it a day in the country with family and friends!

NEEDS LIST

Not only come out and enjoy the day but help FCA by donating handmade items (quilts, furniture, birdhouses, picture frames, etc.) that we can auction on the Harvest Festival auction stage. The proceeds go to support French Camp’s ministry to young people. Call Lance Ragsdale at 662-547-6482 if you have items in mind and would like to discuss. v

Please call Lance Ragsdale at (662) 547-6482 to let us know if you can help with any of these:

Maintenance Needs • Car Wash Supplies and Detergent • Water Hoses • Sponges and Towels

Pantry Needs

Don't miss out on the opportunity to bid on a piece of FCA's breadmaking past! A limited number of boards were created from the bread table from the bakery. The table had more than 400,000 loaves of bread, kneaded and shaped on it and now—you can own a part of history!

• Breakfast Cereals & Granola Bars • Peanut Butter & Jelly • Meal Seasonings (salt, pepper, etc.)

• Condiments & Sauces • Chili, Soups, & Snack Crackers • Unsweetened Applesauce, Canned Fruits • Personal Hygiene Items and Supplies (shampoo/conditioner, body wash, hand soaps, razors, etc.)

• First Aid Supplies

Vehicles • ¾ ton 4x4 Truck with 5th Wheel • Sedan for Driver’s Education

Scan the QR code with your smart phone and make a donation online through the FCA website.

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.— Proverbs 24:3-4

www.frenchcamp.org

French Camp TODAY FALL 2023 • 15

Got an old yearbook?

Letter from FCA Alumni President In the Mid 1950s a man named Douglas Johnston moved from Tulsa, Oklahoma to French Camp, and took up residence at French Camp Academy. He had been in the oil business and prospered well. He wanted to come to French Camp and become a friend of the Academy, including the students, the French Camp Presbyterian Church, and people in the French Camp neighborhood.

In the summer of 1959, just before my senior year at the Academy, Mr. Johnston came to me one day and told me about a car in Tulsa. He asked me to go with him and help him drive it back to French Camp. I had gotten to know Mr. Johnston quite well since his arrival in French Camp and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to be helpful to him. I asked my dad for permission to go with Mr. Johnston, and after his conversation with Sam Patterson, the President of French Camp Academy, my dad said yes. I had absolutely no idea as to the adventure I was about to have.

Mr. Johnston and I boarded the train in Winona, MS, and went to Memphis, where the adventure began. I soon found out, to my complete surprise, that Mr. Johnston had decided for me to stay in a room in a dorm at Southwestern College in Memphis while he continued to Tulsa. Since it was summertime, there were no students on the campus at Southwestern, and I had the dorm entirely to myself. Mr. Johnston gave me some cash and told me that he would like me to stay there for a week, ride into the city on the bus, eat in restaurants, go to movies, walk around the city, and enjoy myself. Then he gave me this advice. “Don’t ever hesitate to ask questions of anyone about locations or directions.”

He handed me a bus ticket for the trip from Memphis to Tulsa and said he would be at the bus station when I arrived on Saturday.

I spent those several days in Memphis, TN, doing what Mr. Johnston had recommended. I had an enjoyable time. I learned to practice his advice about asking questions and have done that ever since. On Saturday, I boarded the bus, took the trip to Tulsa, where he met me at the bus station. We stayed with his sister for two or three days, and he drove the car all the way back to French Camp.

What was his purpose in all of this? He was “breaking me out,” so to speak, and teaching me how to navigate life on my own when the need arose to do so. It was intimidating, but it was very effective in reducing my intimidation factor and building my confidence.

I have other stories to share, and in the next edition of FCA Today I’ll explain why I’m sharing them.

Follow FCA Alumni Association Lynn Downing, President French Camp Alumni Association on Facebook for more News!

Averie Gundy represented Choctaw County in the Mississippi Distinguished Young Woman State Finals in Meridian in July. Averie won Top 5 in Self-Expression and Top 5 in Fitness, earning $800 in college scholarships. Averie is forever grateful for the opportunity to represent her school, town, and county in this amazing program!

Got an old yearbook and don't know what to do with it? Please consider gifting it to the FCA Welcome Center! Every year many FCA Alumni drop in for a brief visit. We would love to have yearbooks from each year to share in a stroll down Memory Lane together!

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.— Isaiah 32:18

2023 FCA Class Reunions YA'LL COME TO Harvest Festival 2023, Saturday, October 14, 2023!

Spend the day at Harvest Festival enjoying activities all day long! See the listed itinerary below. Reunions, reminiscing, and relaxing will take place at the annual Soup Supper at Camp of the Rising Son Lodge after Harvest Festival. The FCA classes celebrating this year are: 2018 2013 2008 2003 1998 1993 1988

1983 1978 1973 THE BIG 50 REUNION!!!

1968 1963 1958 1953

Call Lisa Edwards Henning Class of 1987 at 662547-7231, to let her know you will be joining us.

This will help in preparing food.

Annaleigh Bain, FCA Class of ‘23, received a college scholarship from the North Jackson Exchange Club. Ken Sullivan, President of the NJEC is seen here awarding the scholarship to Annaleigh, who will be majoring in biology at Mississippi College. Annaleigh Bain is from Kosciusko, MS.

16 • French Camp TODAY FALL 2023

www.frenchcamp.org

Camp of the Rising Son Update Summer is always a place of happy faces and energetic youth running around having a great time at Camp of the Rising Son. Again in 2023 we were able to squeeze a few more campers into our limited space, allowing us to have the highest number of campers ever attending CRS! This year our theme was “Brave” with much of our content being based on the story of Daniel and how he stood braving in his faith. Campers heard the Gospel through these teachings and the passion play.

What was incredible was that one of our staff, Josh Hamilton, wrote an original song entitled, Brave (the song of Daniel). This song chronicled the book of Daniel in a way that was fun and easy for the campers to learn about Daniel and his life. This was a huge hit with the campers and staff. So much so that, at the end of the summer, the staff recorded the song live and it has now been published on all the major online music apps. Just go to Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite place. Search for the artist, Camp of the Rising Son, or the song, Brave (the song of Daniel), and enjoy it with us!

rienced creation up close—hiking into the woods to enjoy CRS’s famous camp stew cooked on a campfire followed by everyone’s favorite treat—s’mores! The older campers spent the night hammocking in the trees and going to sleep with the sounds of the crickets and frogs!

Once again, this summer, we heard from campers who were asking their parents as they left on Friday if they could come back for the folAs always, campers got to choose five of their favorite activities to do lowing week of camp. No one ever wants to leave CRS and it is because at camp each week. Twenty different activities were offered from rock of your support and prayers that we can operate such a fun and exciting climbing, zipline, kayaking, horseback riding, and pottery to archery tag. summer camp.

There was always something to fit each type of camper, from the most energetic to We host retreat groups during the school year and we would love to the quietest. host your gathering. If you have an upcoming youth, men, or ladies retreat, we would love to talk to you about how we can host your group at One of the favorite parts of the week at Camp of the Rising Son. CRS is the weekly theme events like Camp Comes Alive, Olympics, Stars and Stripes, or If you would like to support Camp of the Rising Son, please check out Anything Can Happen. Campers also expe- the donate link at campoftherisingson.com or scan the QR code below.

Donations for scholarships or facility improvements help CRS continue to reach more campers and give them a terrific camp experience!

Camp of the Rising Son is a ministry of French Camp Academy.

Stay connected on the web: www.frenchcamp.org

See our latest videos by scanning this QR code with a smart phone. (http://bit.ly/2phU7zI)

Keep up with us on Social Media! Search for French Camp Academy, One Fine Place or go to our website to link directly.