Long time supporter of Alderson Broaddus, Reverend Dr. Archie R. Snedegar, honored
PHILIPPI, W.Va. – Alderson Broaddus University is proud to honor Rev. Dr. Archie R. Snedegar, with the 2015 Ward W. Hibbs Ministerial Award. He has been serving as interim pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Charleston, W.Va. since 2012; and it is where he celebrated his 50th anniversary of Gospel ministry in 2013.
Alderson Broaddus Chaplain Rev. Dr. Carl Gittings presented the award at the annual meeting of the West Virginia Baptist Convention held at Vienna Baptist Church in Vienna, W. Va. on October 15, 2015.
This award is given annually by Alderson Broaddus University in memory of the ministry of Reverend Dr. Ward W. Hibbs. This award is presented to an American Baptist minister who has made outstanding contribution to the ministry of town and country churches.
“Honoring the memory of Ward W. Hibbs, Alderson Broaddus University desires to strengthen the work of our town and country churches by recognizing the effective, hard-working pastors who serve small town, and open country churches,” said AB President Richard Creehan. “This year’s recipient has not only served the church, but Alderson Broaddus for several years and I am proud of his accomplishments and humbled to call him a friend.”
The Reverend Dr. Archie R. Snedegar committed to the Gospel ministry on February 2, 1954 one year before he graduated from Dupont High School in Belle, West Virginia. He graduated from Morris Harvey College, now known as the University of Charleston, in 1959 after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. He then attended Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he earned a Bachelor of Divinity in 1963 and a Master of Divinity degree in 1973.
Ordained April 23, 1963, by the Chaplain Fork Baptist Church in Chaplain, Kentucky, the Reverend Dr. Snedegar went on to serve the following churches in West Virginia: First Baptist Church in St. Mary’s; Beverly Hills Baptist Church in Huntington; Emmanuel Baptist Church in Charleston; Poca Baptist Church; First Baptist Church in Clendenin; and the Charleston Baptist Temple in Charleston. He has been serving as interim pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Charleston, West Virginia since 2012; and it is where he celebrated his 50th anniversary of Gospel ministry in 2013.
Reverend Dr. Snedegar has served as a field representative for the American Baptist Foundation and currently serves as a field representative for the WV Convention Foundation. He has served as pastor counselor for the American Baptist Men’s Ministries of West Virginia, as president of the West Virginia Baptist Ministers’ Council, as chairman of the Christian Higher Education Commission of the West Virginia Baptist Convention. He is currently a member of the Alderson Broaddus University Board of Trustees and Governors, serving on the Board since 2011, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Alderson Broaddus University in 2012.
One of the most important criteria for an individual to receive the high honor of being the recipient of the Ward W. Hibbs Ministerial Award is to be involved in the formation of and improvement of community.
Reverend Dr. Snedegar has been active in the communities where he has served as minister. His participation has included Parents Without Partners, the Charleston Police Civil Service Commission, the Charleston Rotary Club, and A. F. and A. M. Chelyan Lodge 158. He served as chaplain of the American Rose Society, president of the Kanawha Valley Heart Association, president of the Charleston Rose Society, president of the Huntington Rose Society, and Master Consulting Rosarian for the American Rose Society.
Dr. Snedegar resides in Charleston, West Virginia with his wife Linda. They are the parents of four children and 10 grandchildren. His hobbies include gardening and tennis.
The Ward W. Hibbs Ministerial Award honors the ministry of Ward W. Hibbs which spanned more than a half-century having served churches in all sections of West Virginia. As the first director of Town and Country Work for the West Virginia Baptist Convention, Hibbs inaugurated an in-service collegiate training program for ministers at Alderson Broaddus in collaboration with the West Virginia Baptist Convention. In honor and memory of Ward W. Hibbs, his legacy continues with the annual presentation of this award.