
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Community \| Obits \| Editorial & Columnists \| Society \| Sports \| Education \| Classified Ads \| Calendar of Events \| Features \| Newsbriefs \| Legals \| Archives \| Subscriptions \| Photo Gallery

Community News

Potts Camp News
Dale Hollingsworth

Open house held in new home of Tommie and Gale Goode

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Christmas is a wonderful time of the year!

Thanks to friends and relatives for all the pretty birthday and Christmas cards and gifts!

Henry Tutor drove to Pontotoc for an early Christmas dinner with his three brothers and three sisters recently.

Our Potts Camp United Methodist Church delivered lovely fruit baskets to the shut-ins last week. Mary Minor and Betty Smithwick delivered them. We thank them!

A large crowd of people attended open house at the new home of Tommie and Gale Goode near Cornersville on Sunday.

A Christmas program was held at Open Door Baptist Church in Winborn on Sunday night.

Joyce Clayton and her sisters, Verla Mae Stanton and Faye Stanton, met with their sisters-in-law, Betty Smith of Southaven and Faye Smith and daughter Amanda of Byhalia, at Olive Branch for an early Christmas dinner on Wednesday.

Several women from Temperance Hill Baptist Church drive to Trinity Mission every Thursday to sing for them. Last week several of them took fruit and gifts to them.

On Dec. 16, a large crowd of relatives and friends honored me on my 91st birthday in my home. They brought food and gifts. Others sent congratulation cards including friends from the staff of The South Reporter. I thank all of them.

Austin Hardy, grade six, son of Martha Hardy, and David Greer III, son of David and Amy Greer, who are students at West Union Attendance Center, were two of the winners in the school spelling bee. They will compete in the Union County Spelling Bee. We are proud of our Potts Camp Schools. Potts Camp attendance was rated as one of the two highest in the county. We also are proud of our ball teams. I graduated at Potts Camp High School in 1936.

Thought

Christmas is a time for shouts of joy and songs of praise! God gave the gift of Jesus for each of us. Help us to never become so busy with the celebration that we forget the guest of honor, Jesus, in our lives. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace among all people.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of Jesus, Hope to the world, Bringer of love, Maker of peace. Open my heart and the hearts of all people to Christ, the priceless gift of peace. For Christ’s sake, amen.

Thoughts

1. When we pray, God listens to more than our words; He listens to our hearts!

2. Take time to express your love for God and Christ Jesus and for others every day.

3. When Christians live close to God, they grow closer to each other.

If our minds are filled with love, there is no room for hate.

Prayers: May the mind of Christ my Savior live in me today by His love and power controlling all I do and say, amen.

4. A loving person is a happy person. “And now abideth hope, faith, love, but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13.

“God is Always Near”

God is always near. I feel His Spirit around me at the dawning of the day. His smile is in the sunshine when night shadows melt away. I see Him in the noontime, in the blue sky’s sparkling glow. In every tree or flower or winter’s gentle snow. I sense His presence near me as the light of day grows dim, and all through the midnight hours I rest safely, trusting Him.

Prayer

Lord may I always do your will. It matters not how small the task. May I have a humble heart, and do whatever you ask. For Christ’s sake, amen.

Happy birthday to David Fuller on Dec. 20, to Mary Lois Gurley on Dec. 23. (She returned home from a few days in the hospital.)

Prayers: Mary Lois Gurley, Thurman Clayton, Diane Clayton, Sandy Byrd, Connie Work, Charles Henderson, Henry Tutor, Linda Theison, Mary Jarrett, Lina Mae Rhea.

Pray for the Mary Jo McCallum family in her recent death. We will miss her. She was my friend.

Potts Camp’s 100th Birthday

The last three months of 1988 was an exciting time for our town; we celebrated the 100th birthday of our town. Rev. Jim Smith, pastor of Potts Camp United Methodist Church, and the Potts Camp Civic Club planned the event. I was a member of the club. Letters of congratulations came from U.S. Senators and Representatives, State Legislators and a special one from President Ronald Reagan.

On Sunday, we celebrated the oldest church in Potts Camp for many years. The Potts Camp United Methodist Church, organized in 1889, one year later, was the only church in town for many years. Mary Potts Reid, only daughter of the first settler in this area, Colonel E.F. Potts and wife Elizabeth, gave land for a right-of-way, so the railroad would pass through this way.

The depot for the Frisco Railroad was named Potts Camp in memory of Col. Potts.

Bishop Robert Morgan, a relative of Flick Ash (his mother was a Morgan), brought the message on that day at our church. Other former church members and pastors took part. My late brother, Rev. Charles (Lindy) Potts, told the history of the church. Others said special prayers. The church was crowded with many former church members who had moved away. Gifts were given to the church. Dinner was served to the big crowd. I helped serve the visitors.

On Halloween night, a party was held downtown for the children with free candy.

On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, vets they were honored with a special service at the church and post office.

The Potts Camp veterans of World War II were Dallas King, John Hugh King, T.M. Stone, Harvey J. Gurley, Jeff Overton, J.R. Thompson and George Dickey. (Mr. Dickey and Jeff Overton received a Purple Heart.)

A platform was set up in town on Front St. for the speakers. The Civic Club had decorated the town.

At 11 a.m., Cary Mayer, town mayor, welcomed the crowd and said the proclamation.

A train stopped on the railroad tracks nearby, and the crew came to the platform; the train-master spoke to the crowd. He said that Potts Camp had always been a railroad town. Many of the others on the platform spoke about the town’s history. Mitch Stone Jr. and others sang during the day, the museum was opened and an antique car show came to town.

Later that afternoon, Rev. Jim Smith got the highway closed, and a parade came through this way. After the bands and go-carts, the large limousine with Dallas King as the grand marshal and wife Louise behind him led a group of decorated floats.

They threw candy to me in my front yard.

Did you know?
Richard Simmons

The spirit of Christmas

I retired from administrative work about seven years ago and have since worked for three different companies as a part-time employee. All of these jobs since retirement (I would have to qualify retirement) have exposed me to environments not previously experienced. I have for the past three years worked for one of our neighboring cities as a school crossing guard. I first chose this occupation because of the benefit of being off during the summer months and the winter schedule was also favorable. I have had some exciting moments dealing with drivers on their cell phones doing 40 mph in a 15 mph school zone oblivious as to where they are. But that is for another article and has nothing to do with the subject of Christmas.

Today was the last day of school until after the New Year arrives. What I am leading up to began on Thursday of this week. As I went about doing the responsibilities of my post, mothers and fathers began to stop their autos and hand me gifts. They would say thank you for what you do. The children, as they crossed, would also hand me gifts; some would have their hand-written notes of thanks or maybe art work they had done. When you receive one or two gifts it is appreciated and remembered. But when the gifts keep on coming, and they came in overwhelming abundance, I could not help but think of the greatest gift ever.

Some 2000 years ago God gave a gift of love in His Son Jesus Christ. The receiving of gifts I experienced caused me to recognize and relate the abundance of God’s gift. Never ending love, grace upon grace, the greatest gift ever. I didn’t earn the gifts from the school children and the parents. I am paid for the work I do. The gifts were given to me. All I had to do was receive them. It is the same with Jesus. He will bring the gift to wherever you; are all you have to do is take it. This week I have experienced the Spirit of Christmas. From my house to yours; I wish for you the most blessed Christmas ever.

Did You Know On

Dec. 23, 1823 – “Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Clement C. Moore was published.

Dec. 24, 1923 – Was the first electric lighting of the national Christmas tree on the White House grounds.

Dec. 25, 1776 – George Washington’s army crossed the Delaware River in a surprise attack against the Hessian forces at Trenton.

Dec. 26, 1941 – Winston Churchill became the first British prime minister to address Congress.

Dec. 27, 1947 – The children’s television program “Howdy Doody” premiered.

Dec. 28, 1945 – Congress formally recognizes the “Pledge of Allegiance” as the national pledge.

Dec. 29, 1851 – The first Young Men’s Christian Association was organized in Boston, Mass.

This Week’s Quiz

When did the Western “The Roy Rogers Show” debut?

Where and when was the first public demonstration of the incandescent light bulb?

What is the name of the island that was used to process immigrants into the United States?

What president signed legislation to limit highway speeds to 55 mph?

Which state has the least coastal shoreline?

Answers to Last Week’s Quiz

Plymouth, Mass., was the second successful English settlement in America.

The Boston Tea Party was held on December 16, 1773.

There were 10 amendments to the original Bill of Rights.

Ben Franklin was the first to publish “Poor Richard’s Almanac.

James Mason held the first patent for the coffee percolator.

Send answers, comments or questions to richardps@centurytel.net

Report News: (662) 252-4261 or south@dixie-net.com
Questions, comments, corrections: south@dixie-net.com
©2004, The South Reporter, All Rights Reserved.
No part of this site may be reproduced in any way without permission.
The South Reporter is a member of the Mississippi Press Association.

Web Site managed and maintained by
South Reporter webmasters Linda Jones, Kristian Jones
Web Site Design - The South Reporter

Back | Top of Page