When it comes to serving others, Sybil West will tell you the ladies of Snyder Memorial Baptist Church have been on a quest since 2019 to provide financial support for nonprofits in this community, statewide, and beyond.
Call it, if you will, their mission.
Where there’s a need, there’s a willingness to help.
“The objective is to raise money for missions and encourage ladies to join the Women’s Mission Union of North Carolina,” West, 88, said on the eve of the sixth annual “Eloise Jenkins Roundtable Mission Banquet,” which was held Monday in the fellowship hall of the church with the towering, white steeple along Westmont Drive in Haymount.
The fellowship hall was filled to capacity with what you surely can describe as a “Who’s Who” of women of faith, and all who believe in the power and joy and gift of giving.
“When we do this,” West said, “we are doing what God is asking us to do.”
She credited Beth Walters, a church member, with bringing the idea of the mission banquet fundraiser while visiting a Greensboro church.
“I said, ‘Beth, I believe we can do this,’” West told more than an estimated 200 in attendance, and all dressed to the nines.
West did confess to her doubts, but the fundraiser named in memory of the late Eloise Jenkins and her cheese biscuits she delivered to homebound church members has grown year after year. Eloise Snyder Jenkins died at age 93 on September 19, 2000.
“When we started this, I wasn’t sure we could do it,” she said. “But with all of the help from others, we did. COVID took us away for two years, but we have done it every year since, and we want to continue this. We hope young people will join us. When you pray to God for something, it is comforting to know God is there.”
Local Nonprofits Share $20,370
A retired schoolteacher, Sybil West is a tall woman, and it seemed as though she stood even taller as Meredith Stiehl announced another successful fundraiser.
“This year we had 63 sponsors, and we were able to raise $20,370,” Stiehl said. “And if you know of a mission we can be involved in, let us know.”
And, West said, the sponsorship didn’t include Monday’s Mason Jar offering that brought an additional $4,156.28.
“Our guests really stepped up,” she said.
One third of the total will be shared by 10 Cumberland County nonprofits, West said. The organizations include:
- Agape Pregnancy Center;
- Gate Beautiful, which addresses victims of human trafficking, prostitution and addiction;
- Child Advocacy Center, which addresses prevention of child abuse;
- Employment Source, which owns and operates Fayetteville Friendship House for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities;
- His Outreach Worldwide Ministry in the log home on Breezewood Avenue;
- Fayetteville Family Life Center, a ministry which provides counseling and care to the underinsured and uninsured;
- Miller’s Crew, which provides job training to adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities;
- Operation Blessing of Fayetteville, which meet the needs of women and families with young children and pregnancy related issues;
- Fayetteville Area Operation Inasmuch Lodge, which assists homeless men;
- Youth for Christ Fayetteville Area, which reaches out to young people about the hope of Jesus Christ.
Other nonprofits, West said, will also receive financial support, including the N.C. Baptists on Mission in Cary, the Baptist Children’s Home of North Carolina, and the N.C. Women’s Mission Union.
‘The Purpose in Your Life’
“We have to find joy in our day-to-day lives,” said guest speaker Amy Pardue Boone, who is executive director and treasurer for the Woman’s Missionary Union of North Carolina. “The source of joy matters. When we bring God into our lives, when we bring his presence, it is good to have God’s presence in your life. Another great way to have joy is to find out the purpose of your life.”
Boone, along with her husband, Mike Boone, spent 14 years as a Baptist missionary in Mozambique and South Africa. Her husband is a pastor in Sims, which is located in Wilson County. She said serving as a missionary wasn’t always easy, but the calling mattered in the lives of others.
“It’s wonderful to find God’s purpose for our lives,” she said. “I encourage you to go on mission trips. Do things for others and be kind. There are joyous days, and write down the things God has done. I’m reminded that God is with me. Can we repeat that? God is with me.”
Boone’s message, longtime church members said, was inspiring.
“She had good and encouraging words,” Gretta Hall said. “There was a lot of warmth here tonight, and I got to hang out with old friends.”
Carolyn Armstrong said there was a lesson in Boone’s message.
“I learned not to take the joy out of my day,” Armstrong said.
Sue Byrd is a longtime church member and retired executive director of the downtown Fayetteville Area Operation Inasmuch reaching out to homeless people.
“I learned there was a lot of love in this room,” Byrd said. “It’s who we are … the women at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church. I love the mission.”
Epilogue
For Sybil West, the evening was somewhat bittersweet as she passed leadership of the banquet fundraiser to Suzannah Tucker.
“I was thinking I can’t do this forever,” she said. “And God said, ‘Suzannah can do it.’”
West had a last message of her own.
“To date [since 2019],” she said, “this group has raised $125,000.”
But it was Tucker who had the last word.
“Your passion for serving others has inspired others,” Tucker told West. “We commend you for your vision to see it to fruition. We are truly thankful for you and your contributions to our community. And, Sybil, we love you.”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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