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Community News

Potts Camp News
Dale Hollingsworth

Poole home setting for annual Thanksgiving gathering

On Tuesday night, the road was blocked as cars entered town, and the highway patrol and officers were everywhere. Amanda Dunning wrecked her car; she and her brother operate the Quick Stop Store. We are thankful no one was injured, but her car was completely wrecked.

Betty Smith, sister-in-law of Joyce Clayton, visited her on Monday from Southaven.

On Tuesday, Joyce Clayton attended the funeral of her cousin’s husband, Ralph Thompson in Mt. Pleasant. He died suddenly from a heart attack.

Prayers to the family of Mary Jo McCallum in her recent death. She was 87 years old and a good friend of mine.

Get well wishes to Thurman Clayton who had recent surgery and to his wife DIane who has been very ill. Our prayers go out to them.

Brenda Owens is in the New Albany hospital, please pray for her.

G.R. Thompson was rushed to the hospital recently with a heart attack. Pray for him.

Annie Ruth Stone spent a week recently with her daughter, Cherrie and Tim Shaw in Waterford.

This is an exciting time of the year, as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Thoughts

The Touch of the Master’s Hand

It was battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while to waste much time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile. “What am I biddin’,” he cried, “who’ll start the biddin’ for me?”
“A dollar, a dollar and who’ll make it two? Two dollars and who’ll make it three, going for three.” But no — from the room far back a gray-headed man came forward and picked up the bow. Then wiping the dust from the old violin and tightening the strings, he played a melody pure and sweet as a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased and the auctioneer, that voice was quiet and low, said “What am I bid for the old violin,” and he held it up with the bow. “A thousand dollars and who’ll make it two, two thousand and who’ll make it three?” “Three thousand going once, going twice and going, gone,” he said. The people cheered, but some of them cried, “We don’t understand. What changed the worth?” Swift came the reply, “The touch of the Master’s hand,” and many a man with life out of time and battered and scarred with sin is cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin. A mess of pottage, a glass of wine, a game and he travels on. He’s going once, and he’s going twice, he’s going and almost gone.
But the Master comes and the foolish crowd never quite understands. The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought by the touch of the Master’s hand.

The Little Drummer Boy

When the Christchild was born, many beautiful gifts were brought to the manger, gifts of great beauty and splendor. But one little boy who was very poor had nothing to offer the Lord, and he was very sad. Then he thought, “I will play my drum for him,” and so he did. Pa-rum-pum-pum pa-rum-pum-pum! He played with all the love in his heart. As he played, the baby Jesus smiled, showing that the gift of love is the greatest gift of all.

Fifth Sunday services for the Potts Camp Methodist Charge were held at the Cornersville United Methodist Church with a large attendance. This was the first Sunday of Advent. Rev. Don Newton’s sermon was on giving thanks. A meal was served following the morning worship service.

Kyle and Melanie Poole, along with their children, Preston and Audrey, of Red Banks, hosted the annual Thanksgiving Day meal for the Deberry, Gurley, and Poole families. A large number (67) gathered for a great time of fellowship and thanksgiving.

Enjoying the Thanksgiving Day meal with Joan and Mrs. Mary L. Gurley were Mr. and Mrs. Wade Murphy and family, Mr. and Mrs. Brad Farr and family, Laura Beth and Leah Paige Goolsby, Edward Gurley, and Craig Gurley. Several other family members visited throughout the afternoon.

Birthday wishes to Ruby Churchill on Dec. 5; Jean King, Dec. 7 and her husband, Robert King, Dec. 8.

Happy birthday to Betty Greer on Dec. 11; to David Fuller on Dec. 20 and Mary Lois Gurley on Dec. 23. My birthday is Dec. 16. God has blessed me.

Get well wishes to Gussie Davis, wife of Wayne, of Hickory Flat, who is in the hospital at Tupelo.

Attending the Nutcracker Ballet at the Tupelo High School Performing Arts Center on Saturday were Jean Gurley and her granddaughter, Madisyn Cobbs, Emily Stone, Mary Minor and Jayne Rowland.

Bill and Jackie Wilson of Brandon visited Mrs. Mary L. Gurley on Saturday.

Several from the community attended the annual Christmas musical program at the First Baptist Church in Holly Springs during the weekend.

Pray for Gussie Davis of Hickory Flat, who is in Tupelo Hospital very ill.

Prayer list: Diane Clayton, Lena Faye Work, Lina Mae Ray, Charles Henderson, Mary Jarrett, Connie Work, Linda Thieson, Mary Joe McCallum, Mary Lois Gurley, Henry Tutor, Betty Fincher.

History and Memories

In 1929 the new Potts Camp two-story brick Potts Camp Methodist Church burned during the Christmas season.

It had been rebuilt with insurance money that Robert Greer, banker, and businessmen in town had on it.

The new pastor in 1930 was Rev. Lester James; he and his wife had five children. The oldest, Rosalie, was my friend.

Times were hard back then, so they let Bro. James teach school to help them. He was my seventh grade forestry teacher. He would take us on field trips to study the trees about a mile from town at old Eagle Springs; we really had fun. He also took us to the cotton gin to teach us how it worked.

The church was rebuilt but was empty. Each family bought a pew. They have been renovated and are still in use.

The Greer family donated a Hammond organ in memory of their mother, Cordelia Greer. Faye V. Peel and Miss Eason, music teacher, played in a concert that day.

Other things were donated, but we still needed chairs and tables.

That summer Bro. James planned a play to make money for the church; it was fun. We showed it twice at our school and took it to Ashland School and Waterford School. (There were no TVs.)

The young son of the James family, Les James, had a paper route. He was waiting for the paper in front of the Baptist Church one day, when he saw a truck in front of my granddad J.A. Potts’s store next door. He saw a dog and went over to look at it in the truck. He saw a machine gun on the back seat. A man and woman came running out of Grandpa’s store.

They had sacks of food with them. The woman yelled, “I’m going to kill you!” but the man stopped her. He said, “If you do, they will find us.” As they jumped in the truck and rode away, Grandpa came out on the porch waiving some bills. He said, “You forgot your change!”

Later we heard that famous gangsters of the time had been in this area, before being captured. They called them “Bonnie and Clyde” (a true story).

Four years later the James family moved to Myrtle Church. We missed them. My grandfather was the grandson of the first settler of this area, Col. E.F. Potts.

Did you know?
Richard Simmons

The Christmas bicycle...

It was 1946 on Christmas morning that I got a new bicycle. It was a beautiful blue and white with whitewall tires.

It wasn’t long before I had gathered my friends to show them my greatest Christmas present ever. Albert and Junior joined me and away we went to Fifth Street hill. I’m telling you this hill was 5,000 feet high and four miles long. Well, it looked like that to 9- year-old boys about to sail down on their boy-powered, two-wheeled machines.

Albert didn’t have his own bike so it was the handle bars for him. We had placed playing cards on the fender supports so they would hit each spoke as the wheel turned, giving each bike extra power. At least it seemed so. When we had gathered our nerve, away we went. Starting between Sixth and Fifth streets heading north, we had good speed by the time we passed Fourth Street. Usually all automobiles (cars to us) kept a good watch for such events in our small town. But suddenly at Third Street, a car pulled away and into the path of two faster-than-sound bikes. Somehow Junior made it through untouched. Albert and I weren’t so blessed.

I had no choice but to take the path into the lawn that separated the east- and west- bound streets. Problem was, the lawn had a curb and then a row of hedge. I don’t remember if we screamed or were frozen silent by fear. I can remember getting a glimpse of Junior continuing on at great speed. The results of our impact were a destroyed front wheel of my new blue and white bike.

Credit our guardian angels for allowing Albert and myself to escape with only a scratch and some shattered nerves. I had great dread and fear knowing I had to face Dad with the evidence. He looked at the bike and me. Albert ran for cover. He asked if I was OK and never punished me for the behavior. I guess he was once a boy too.

I had a new wheel in a few days. The blue and white bicycle eventually was crushed by a pickup truck. Fortunately, I escaped the truck. This is one Christmas I can remember and there are many others that were as exiting, but not so close to my demise. I am blessed. Got a story you want to share? Send it to me via email (below) or call me at 662-895-6616.

Did You Know On

Dec. 9, 1907 – Christmas Seals first went on sale in Wilmington, Delaware, to help fight tuberculosis.

Dec. 10, 1817 – Mississippi became the 20th state.

Dec. 11, 1882 – The Bijou Theatre became the first theatre lit by electricity.

Dec. 12, 1925 – The first motel, the Motel Inn, opened in San Luis Obispo, California

Dec. 13, 2003 – U.S. forces captured former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, pulling him from a “spider hole” under a farmhouse near his hometown of Tikrit.

Dec. 14, 1799 – George Washington died at his home, Mt. Vernon in Virginia.

Dec. 15, 1939 – “Gone With the Wind” premiered in Atlanta, Georgia.

This Week’s Quiz

How many states are named for U.S. Presidents? What is the name(s) of the state(s)?

The state of Texas gets its name from the Indian word “tejas.” What does it mean?

Which state is named after the Cherokee village “Tanase?”

Queen Elizabeth I, of England was known as the “virgin queen.” Which state was named in her honor?

Which state is named for the Ute tribe whose name means “people of the mountains?”

Answers to Last Week’s Quiz

Thomas Jefferson said no power over the freedom of religion is delegated to the United States by the Constitution.

James Madison helped write the Constitution of Virginia and wrote many of the Federalist Papers.

President Obama said the U.S. of America is no longer a Christian nation.

President Truman said the U. S. of America is a Christian nation.

Daniel Webster said God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it.

Note: Do you have a favorite Christmas memory you would like to share? I would like to have two or three memories to share in my article that will run on December 23.

Send them and any questions or comments to richardps@centurytel.net.

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