Scan the faces of those serving at the Camp of Champions (see story, page 1) and you’ll see smiling faces, eager to serve. Each of them carries out his or her task like clockwork, whether it be teaching, leading a game or handing out snacks.
Barry Mann is one of those faces that stands out from the crowd. He’s been serving at the Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries (ABCH) camp for 12 years now, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
Mann, who was trained for TeamKid by LifeWay Christian Resources during its developmental stages, was a natural recommendation to serve with the camp. Leading the fifth- and sixth-grade students’ TeamKID sessions is now something he looks forward to every summer.
“The Baptist Children’s Home has an excellent group of people to work with,” Mann said.
“I really appreciate them inviting me to come back, because they have so much talent, they don’t really need me to come back.”
Yet Riley Green, camp director and ABCH vice president of administration, knows Mann is an invaluable resource.
“He is organized and he knows how to relate to the children. We’re very grateful for that,” Green said.
During Mann’s years of serving with the camp, one memory stands out in his mind. When he returned to a room where a dry-erase board had been set up for lessons, a few campers had left a note of appreciation.
“It meant a lot to me to see the children love me the way that I love them,” Mann said.
Despite his long-term involvement with the camp, he is quick to point the attention toward the families who attend.
Mann recalls hearing a couple discussing some hardships that come with foster parenting and noted, “These are the true heroes, because they often face these troubles and ridicule because of what God has called them to be as foster parents.”
After all of his years serving with ABCH, he urges “anybody to get involved in anyway they can,” whether it be raising money for the ministry or becoming a foster parent.
Mann goes back home to his job as an electrician after the camp, but his dedication to serving children doesn’t stop. He is a member of Good Hope Baptist Church, Eclectic, where he leads the TeamKID program on Wednesday nights. He also has led Bible Drills at his church since 1982.
For more information about ABCH, visit www.alabamachild.org.
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