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Hear why Birthday Gift for Christ Matters!
What is Birthday Gift for Christ?
Birthday Gift for Christ (BGFC) is St. Matthew's United Methodist Church's signature local ministry. Each year we provide Christmas gifts and food to local families through partnerships with Madison Countians Allied Against Poverty (MadCAAP) in Canton and Trinity Mission Center in Forest.
Each family receives a box of food, blankets, towels, and each child receives Christmas gifts including clothing, toys, and bicycles. We also provide other personal or family items as needed.
How can you help?
Our church mission is to reach out and share the life-changing love and grace of Jesus with everyone around us. This mission is just one way we do this.
You can adopt a family either as an individual, on behalf of your own family, or alongside members of your Sunday School class or small group.
If you aren't able to shop for a family, we also encourage you to donate directly to the BGFC fund. BGFC is funded entirely by our members and donations; there is no line-item in the church budget. Each year, we purchase boxes and packing supplies, bikes, and other large gifts, and we rent a U-Haul to transport gifts to Trinity Mission Center. We cannot do all of this without your help!
We also collect food donations for our boxes and present those as a gift on St. Nick Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent. You can find a copy of the requested food items at the church, or reach out to us directly.
What do I do once I've adopted a family?
Review the list that will be emailed to you. If you've adopted a MadCAAP family, contact the family member listed on the information sheet to confirm requests and arrange a delivery time for Saturday, December 20th. If you've adopted a family from Trinity and have questions about your family's needs, please contact Melissa Ragazzi (601-540-7336).
Shop for your family. Bring your items to the church on Wednesday, December 17th to wrap them and place them in the boxes labeled with your family's number. Wrap each gift and tag them with the child's first name only.
On December 20th, you will deliver your wrapped gifts, food boxes, and other items to the MadCAAP families. The church will be open from 8 a.m. to noon that day so you can pick up your gifts and food box. If your MadCAAP family wants to pick their gifts up from MadCAAP in Canton, please let a BGFC coordinator know so we can assist you in making those arrangements.
If you have adopted a family from Trinity, please come to the church on Saturday, December 20 to help load all Trinity items into a U-Haul. A group will travel to Forest on Sunday, December 21 after church to deliver the gifts and celebrate with the adopted families.
If you are unable to deliver on December 20, we encourage you to consider adopting a Trinity family.
What is Wrap Night?
On December 17 during our usual Wednesday Night Live time, we encourage you to bring your unwrapped items to the church---along with your wrapping paper, tape, and scissors---to wrap these gifts with our church family. If you want to wrap your gifts ahead of time, feel free to do so! We will have a special activity for children in the South Building.
We ask that you have all gifts wrapped and in your family's box by the end of the night. At the end of the evening, we will place a special blessing over the boxes, gifts, volunteers, and families we have adopted. We encourage you to attend this special night of food, fun, and fellowship.
When does this all happen?
November 16, 2025 -- Adoptions go live. Sign up at church or online at the link on this page
November 30, 2025 -- St. Nick Sunday. Leave your food, monetary donation, and prayers at the altar as we bless our donations and the families who will receive them.
December 7 , 2025 -- Children will pack food boxes during Sunday School
December 17, 2025 -- Wrap Night
December 20, 2025 -- MadCAAP delivery day and Trinity packing day
December 21, 2025 -- Trinity delivery day
Contact Us!
If you have any questions or want to know more, please contact our BGFC coordinators, Casey Farmer (601-303-0044) or Kate Gibbs (601-810-9664). If you have specific questions about Trinity Mission Center, please contact Melissa Ragazzi (601-540-7336).