Cliff McMahan said he never gets over the heartache of seeing families impacted by natural disasters.
For more than 20 years, he has seen families whose comfortable world has been altered by tornadoes, floods and earthquakes, as hungry parents and children file through food lines for several days, dirty and wearing the same clothes.
“The hardest part is to see the plight of the victims,” he said. “It kind of tugs at your heart.”
McMahan’s efforts in offering assistance to those individuals recently earned him recognition by the North American Mission Board (NAMB).
A member of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, Homewood, McMahan was recently presented with the Robert E. Dixon Award. Named for a man whom McMahan described as the “granddaddy of disaster relief” for his efforts, McMahan is the second recipient of the award — which first went to Dixon, of Texas, in 1999.
Making a name for himself
But McMahan has also made a name for himself, beginning with his involvement in establishing the Alabama Baptist State Convention’s disaster feeding unit in 1979, after Hurricane Frederic hit Mobile.
McMahan helped place electronic equipment for the 45-foot semi-trailer, relying on his professional experience during 22 years in the Air Force, followed by 24 years with the Veterans Administration (VA).
His efforts have taken him from home on many occasions to locations across the state when tornadoes have hit Huntsville to as far as away as California when an earthquake struck San Francisco in 1989, but McMahan said he has never questioned the motivation for helping others in need.
“The Lord’s provided me with the opportunity to do it,” he said, adding the VA was always good about allowing him time off. “I was always able to respond.”
Being away from home, sometimes for as long as two weeks, is the most difficult aspect of the work cited by McMahan.
“I was kind of used to that (though), being that I was in the service,” he said.
McMahan’s work in disaster relief hasn’t gone unnoticed by the State Board of Missions (SBOM).
“He has truly been the key ingredient in the success of the Alabama Disaster Relief Ministry,” said Tommy Puckett, director of men’s ministries at the SBOM office in Montgomery.
‘Gone the second mile’
“Cliff has not only gone the second mile in ministry but has passed the 20th and carried so many people with him during the journey,” Puckett said.
McMahan said he has participated in 14 disaster relief efforts, but Puckett is quick to point out McMahan hasn’t waited until a disaster strikes.
Among McMahan’s accomplishments cited by Puckett:
Development of the Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief Response organization manual.
Construction and design of disaster feeding unit equipment.
Leadership in Dawson Memorial Baptist Church’s creation of a disaster relief feeding trailer.
Training other leaders for work in disaster relief.
Development of manuals on feeding equipment setup and use.
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