A Visit to French Camp
On Friday, a group from Raymond Presbyterian Church drove the Natchez Trace to mile marker 181, to the historic town of French Camp. Once founded by a Frenchmen and known for its trade on “The Devil’s Backbone,” French Camp is now known for the French Camp Academy. Settled on 90 acres, French Camp Academy formerly housed a girls finishing school and a men’s military academy. Under the leadership of Sam Patterson, French Camp Academy shifted their mission to focus on boys and girls from problematic circumstances of which the children are not responsible nor able to overcome alone. Today, French Camp houses 120 students, faculty, staff, and a wide assortment of opportunities.
French Camp’s mission is fourfold: Home, Education, Work, and Christ. The campus houses 12 dorms (6 boys/6 girls), holding ten students each. Within each dorm is a set of Christian house parents. These parents model faith and repentance within the context of a Christian marriage and family. For many of these children, the house family is the first functional family that they have experienced. It models for them what a healthy marriage and family life should look like upon graduation. One unique aspect of French Camp is the tenure of these families. In similar institutions, these families stay for 1.5 years on average. At French Camp, families average around a 7-8 year tenure. These deep roots within the life of French Camp have born much fruit over the years.
Their second mission is a Christian education. This is more than opening and closing each class in prayer; instead, the teachers seem to enfold the very core of the Christian faith into the heart of their lessons. In today’s terminology, they seek to build a “Christian worldview.” Due to the size of the campus, the classrooms are smaller, allowing the teachers to devote individual attention to students and to pray with them as needed. Partnering with this aspect of the mission is the third - work. Each of the students have a job after school and on Saturdays. These jobs range from yard maintenance to radio broadcasting to hospitality and so forth. Each student works nine weeks at a certain job before rotating to a new location, giving them a breadth of experience before they decide on career advancement opportunities. Lastly, the fourth aspect of French Camp’s mission is Christ. The students worship at French Camp Presbyterian Church, attend both local and international mission trips, and are enveloped into the devotional lives of their house parents. If it is not readily apparent, this aspect of the mission spills over into the prior three. French Camp is a Christ-centered institution.
Alongside French Camp Academy comes other joint ventures - the Rainwater Observatory, the Bed and Breakfast, the Council House, the Camp of the Rising Sun, the bakery, and more. Not only do these provide a place for the students to be employed, but these also raise funds to support the main mission of French Camp Academy. These additions have helped foster a sustainability in French Camp for many years to come.
Now, you may be asking yourself, “How can I support French Camp?” First, would you pray for them? Many of these children leave broken situations, and French Camp has counselors on-hand to help them through the many changes of life. Students, counselors, teachers, and house parents all bear a heavy load together. Second, would you consider donating to their Harvest Festival in October? Only handmade items are accepted, but all the proceeds support to work at French Camp. Third, would you make room during the Christmas season if opportunities arise to support some of these dorms? Fourth, would you consider supporting the missions of our church that we may together contribute to the work of French Camp Academy? If you have any questions about ways that you can support French Camp Academy, feel free to reach out to me at z.byrd@raymondpresbyterianchurch.com.
