The Lutheran Camp on Petit Jean has named a new director, David Cox, who has been active in outdoor education and ministry for many years.
A journalist and former Lutheran school principal, Cox comes to Petit Jean from Paducah, KY, where he was editorial page editor of The Paducah Sun for the past seven years. “We feel very blessed to have David as our new director,” said Henry Jones, president of th camp’s board of directors. “David and his wife, Heidi, have the ability, experience and passion for outdoor ministry to lead the camp into a bright future. They will be an asset to all who use the camp and to the Petit Jean Mountain community.”
Cox said, “It is clear that God has blessed the Lutheran Camp on Petit Jean in many ways since its inception 30 years ago. Heidi and I are excited to become a part of God’s work here and to watch as His plan unfolds, changing lives through the message of salvation in Jesus Christ.”
Cox previously edited a group of weekly newspapers in Arkansas and Missouri. The Coxes owned and published the Villager Journal in Cherokee Village, Ark. David was also an editorial cartoonist for the Arkansas Democrat-‐Gazette. And he served nine years on the Arkansas Press Association Board of Directors, including one year as president.
Before editorial cartooning carried him into journalism, Cox was a Lutheran school teacher and principal in Plano, Texas, and Cedar Mills, Minn. The Coxes are both graduates of Concordia University Nebraska.
Heidi, also a former Lutheran school teacher, has more recently worked for the American Red Cross in health and safety, logistics, services to the military and disaster response. She trains CPR instructors and teaches wilderness first aid to Boy Scout leaders and others who work in the outdoors.
The Coxes have been active in four LCMS congregations in the Mid-‐South District: Holy Trinity in Rogers, Ark., Hope in Batesville, Ark., Peace in Cherokee Village, Ark., and St. Paul in Paducah, Ky. David has served as elder, congregation president and adult Bible class leader. He was a lay delegate to the 2013 national convention of the Lutheran Church-‐Missouri Synod.
