Funeral Consumers Alliance
of the Mid-South (FCAMS)
​
FCAMS President - Pastor Furniss Harkness
​
Since May of 1996, Pastor Harkness has been full-time pastor of Bethany Christian Church in Eads, Tennessee, just outside Memphis.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​


Funeral Consumers Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting a consumer's right to choose a meaningful, dignified, affordable funeral. ​To accomplish that goal, FCA:
​
-
offers pamphlets and newsletters on funeral choices to increase public awareness of funeral options, including how to care for your own dead without using a funeral home.
-
monitors funeral industry trends and practices nationally and exposes abuses.
-
serves as a consumer advocate for legal and regulatory reform, giving advice on or lobbying for necessary changes locally, state-wide, or nationally.
-
serves as a credible source of information for media covering death and dying.
-
works with national organizations sharing similar concerns to expand families' choices and control over funeral options.
-
gives advice and guidance to local memorial and funeral planning societies.
-
refers people to local funeral planning societies and regulatory agencies.
-
Helps 100 funeral planning societies stay in touch with each other and exchange ideas.​
To see a copy of our Form 990, which documents our income and expenditures to the IRS, please visit Guidestar.
​
The FCA Board of Directors comes from all around the United States, and has adopted these Bylaws governing FCA's operations.
​
​"Our affiliates are nonsectarian, nonprofit, educational organizations. They were first started in the late
1930s (known then as Memorial Societies) because of two influences: the depression and the increasing
cost of funerals due to the use of embalming and more elaborate manufactured caskets. There are now
about 90 nonprofit funeral-planning groups across the US."
​Many FCA affiliates, with the help of their volunteers, do a price survey of area mortuaries. Some have been able to negotiate a discount at participating funeral homes, sort of like a cooperative buyers' club. Some focus on education and advocacy only. Joining and supporting a local FCA group will help you save thousands of dollars on unnecessary funeral costs while ensuring we can protect a consumer's last rights in your neighborhood and around the country.
​
It always pays to plan ahead. It rarely pays to pay ahead.
​
As the only organization monitoring the funeral industry for consumers, your support is absolutely vital. Please consider becoming a Friend of FCA by making a tax-deductible gift.
​
Copyright for material on this web site is held by FCA unless otherwise noted. You are free to store and reproduce this information for your personal use. When sharing this information with others, please display the notice: Copyright © FCA. It would be helpful if you would include a link or reference to our home page at www.funerals.org.​
​
The Funeral Consumers Alliance of the Mid South (www.funeralcams.org) is a national nonprofit consumer education and watchdog group that has advocated for consumers’ rights and has provided free educational materials to the public.
​