Amy Bambera: Rooted in family, grounded in faith

By Cara Pridemore
Amy Bambera, affectionately known as “Miss B,” says she has three families: her own family of fourth-generation teachers and preachers, her school family at Clinton Christian Academy (CCA) and her church family at Celebrate Church (Celebrate).

“Everybody at CCA knows my kids, protects my kids, cares about my kids, and I feel the same way about their kids,” Miss B said. “I love the fact that I can speak into students’ lives with the word of God and the truth of the gospel and have those deep discussions. There’s nothing like it; it is a privilege. Celebrate is also really like a family. I found a home in both places.” She has worked at CCA for eleven years and attended Celebrate for twelve years.

Miss B grew up in Jackson, attending Southside Assembly of God church and school. After moving to Amory at age eleven, she attended Amory Middle and High School before finishing her education at Pontotoc High School. Twenty-six years later, her parents still live in Pontotoc.

Miss B went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Mississippi College in 2003.

“I got a good scholarship, so I came to MC and just really enjoyed it and had great memories here,” Miss B said. One of her fondest memories was becoming the first sweetheart of Shawreth, a men’s social club at Mississippi College that honors a woman who supports and represents the group.

After graduating, Miss B moved to south Mississippi to begin teaching. During a summer mission trip to help Hurricane Katrina victims, she met Dexter Bambera from New Jersey.
“He likes to tell people that he found me homeless on the side of the road after Hurricane Katrina,” she said.

Shortly after, the two married and moved to Clinton.

Her teaching career began with preschoolers, kindergarteners and first graders, until 2015, when CCA asked her to teach sixth grade.

“I was so scared, because I had never taught big kids before; but I love it,” Miss B said. She still teaches CCA sixth graders, calling their age the “sweet spot,” in which students are young enough to still enjoy recess but old enough to work independently and think deeply.

She sees her students as outgrowths of her ministry, aiming to nurture and encourage them.

“I had two girls come to my room, who were previous students, just yesterday asking for prayer,” Miss B said. “That’s such a blessing to be able to do that.”

She says she also enjoys being surrounded by her own family at CCA every day, with her two daughters, Madeleine (16) and Brighton (14) attending CCA, and her husband serving as the school chef.

“He’s been connected to the school for all of these years,” Miss B said. “He’s taught Bible for a couple of years, he subbed, but he came this year as a chef on campus, and he’s a fantastic cook.”

In 2013, the Bamberas found Celebrate Church, where Dexter Bambera now serves as pastor.

“We love it, love it, love it,” Miss B said. “It’s my favorite church I’ve ever been to in my life, and I’ve been to a lot of churches. It’s just a really precious group of people.”
Miss B and her husband complement each other well, with his strong preaching balanced by her empathetic, personable spirit. Their family always welcomes CCA students into their church, creating a safe space for all.

From her time at MC to her work at CCA, Celebrate and in raising her family in the close-knit town of Clinton, Miss B’s life has been shaped by family. Wherever she goes, she builds community: finding family, creating it, and filling every space with warmth and empathy. Even during her brief stint in New Jersey, she always felt Clinton calling her home.

“It’s just such a sweet place to raise your family,” she said. “I know that everybody at our Main Street association works very hard, but I just hope that as it grows that we can be a place where people can find home. You can’t even go to Salsa’s without meeting people that you know.”