Celebrate Fayetteville: Exploring the Greater Fayetteville Region

To Fayetteville and Cumberland
County residents, Snyder is probably
best known for the Singing Christmas
Tree. For the past thirty-five years,
the church has presented the Singing
Christmas Tree as a gift to the community.
With over 200 performances, the
presentation of music and drama has
been seen by close to 150,000 people
from all over the Carolinas. Admission
to the event is canned goods that are
later distributed to those in need.
A local nonprofit, Fayetteville Area
Operation Inasmuch (FAOIAM), started at
the church. FAOIAM helps provide meals
and job training for the homeless as well as
a housing program to get the homeless back
on their feet. Church members volunteer by
the hundreds for Operation Inasmuch Blitz
Day, an event that focuses on home repairs
for those in need, communion services at
nursing homes, ministry visits to homes,
Christmas stockings being stuffed, sewing
projects and care boxes for soldiers, among
other projects. Snyder members have helped
build eight Habitat for Humanity houses and
refurbish three more.
Snyder’s music academy started in January
2002 and has matured to an enrollment of 600
students. The academy enhances the music
ability and appreciation of students of all ages
and provides training for lay music leadership
for churches. Lessons are offered in voice,
dance, piano and many other instruments,
as well as Kindermusic for preschoolers.
The church offers one of Fayetteville’s few
five-star child care centers. The center
provides care for children age one through
kindergarten. After school care is also provided
for children in grades one through six
in the gym and surrounding classrooms.
Hundreds of children have come through
these ministries which speak to the church’s
commitment to families in the community.
The Fayetteville Family Life Center is a
faith based counseling program initiated
by Snyder through Baptist Hospital School of
Pastoral Care. The program started in 1974,
and in 2008, Snyder donated a rent-free
house for the expansion of the service.
The church’s military ministry ministers
to both church members and non-Snyder military
families and individuals. Care packages
are sent to deployed troops, free babysitter
service is provided during the Christmas
season for military parents and recognition
has been given to veterans through
worship services and dinners. Free
meals on Wednesday night have been
given to families of deployed soldiers.
The ministry also helps military families
who need various kinds of assistance.
Last but not least, the church is
very proud of its Back Pack Buddies
program that provides needy children
in Fayetteville and Cumberland County
with food on weekends when there is no
school lunch or breakfast. The church packs
137 back packs a week with breakfast bars,
canned pastas, dried fruit and milk.
These ministries are only the tip of the
iceberg. Anyone wanting to learn more about
Snyder can log onto www.snydermbc.com
or, better yet, attend a morning worship
service on Sunday at 8:40 or 11 a.m. The
church website details many other opportunities
to get involved at Snyder Memorial
Baptist Church.
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Above: Singing Christmas tree.
Left: Operation Inasmuch
Roof Replacement.
F A Y E T T E V I L L E P A R T N E R S
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