BBCC Stockings of Love 2025 – Bringing Hope Home for Christmas
Bridge Builders Community Church (BBCC) is delighted to announce its annual Christmas Season of Giving: Bringing Hope Home for Christmas campaign. As the holiday season approaches, BBCC is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of those in need in our community and beyond.
The Stories behind the Campaign
Story 1: A Daughter, a Mother, and a Home Waiting for Healing
This Christmas, Stockings of Love is coming alongside a family that has been quietly carrying more than most of us could imagine.
A dear friend in our community lives with her mother in a home her mom has been building, slowly, faithfully, from the ground up for over a decade. The two of them run a small dog grooming and training business, and they spend nearly every waking moment caring for a long list of rescued animals: dogs, cats, barnyard animals… even a mule they once found wandering alone on the road. Caring is simply what they do.
But everything changed in October of 2024.
Her mother suffered a massive stroke, the kind of life-altering moment you never see coming. Overnight, the woman who had spent years building her own home could no longer feed herself. And suddenly, the weight of everything fell onto her daughter’s shoulders.
She has worked tirelessly this past year, running their grooming business (which seems to break down monthly), caring for the animals, fighting for medical care, and slowly trying to finish the home her mother dreams of returning to. Finally, after a long uphill battle, therapy is helping, and her mom is improving. Hope is returning.
But for her mother to come home, repairs and preparations still need to be made — especially to create a safe room for her recovery.
This is where Stockings of Love steps in: to ease the weight, lift their spirits, and bring Christmas joy to a family that has spent so long giving of themselves.
Story 2: A Bright Christmas for an Eight-Year-Old Girl
Through the Angels of Light Holiday Giving Program, we have an opportunity to bless a remarkable eight-year-old girl named Evelin, a child whose strength and joy shine during daily challenges most of us will never fully see.
Evelin lives with mitochondrial myopathy, a rare genetic disorder that affects how her body produces energy. For her, simple activities that other children breeze through—walking, playing, focusing in school—take enormous effort.
She tires quickly, needs frequent rest breaks, and often struggles with coordination and muscle weakness. Her care team works hard to help her maintain muscle tone, manage symptoms, and stay as active and comfortable as possible.
And yet, despite these challenges, Evelin is described as adorable, bright, and full of sweetness.
Last year, her family applied for a special grant that would allow them to give her something truly magical. They won—a trip to Disney World—and she will receive the surprise on December 7th. It’s a beautiful blessing in the middle of a hard season.
But while the trip is covered, the ongoing medical expenses are not. Specialist visits, co-pays, and consistent travel for her appointments have placed a heavy financial burden on the family. As a result, they’re unable to afford some of the essentials Evelin truly needs:
• Proper winter clothing
• Sensory toys that support her comfort and development
• And yes — some Disney gear that will help make her dream trip even more special
This Christmas, we want to help lighten their load and lift Evelin’s spirit. We want her to feel warm, supported, and celebrated — not just at Disney World, but right here at home.
A little generosity from us becomes a big moment of comfort and joy for her family.
Our Opportunity
Story 3: Bringing Christmas to a large family
This family includes four wonderful children, each with unique interests and needs. All three boys benefit greatly from sensory-stimulation items and fidgets to help them regulate, as they are on the autism spectrum.
This Christmas, we can bring light, comfort, and joy into these homes. Every gift, every dollar, every prayer helps us love these families the way Christ has called us to.
Thank you for being part of Stockings of Love and for helping us make Christmas brighter, one family at a time.
Jay Cookingham
Pastor, Bridge Builders Community Church
Our Areas of Ministry
In the spirit of giving, Bridge Builders Community Church has organized a variety of programs designed to bring joy, spread love, and make a difference in the lives of individuals and families facing challenges this holiday season:
- Stockings of Love: BBCC collects and distributes stockings filled with gifts to children in need. The Stockings of Love program aims to bring smiles to the faces of children during Christmas, ensuring that every child experiences the joy of the season.
- Blessing Bags: BBCC is assembling and distributing Blessing Bags to the homeless and those living in poverty. These Blessing Bags are filled with essential items such as food gift cards, bottled water, hygiene products, and more, providing much-needed assistance to those facing difficult circumstances.
- Medical Equipment Loan Closet Ministry: Bridge Builders Community Church has partnered with two other local churches, Hyde Park Methodist Church, and Hyde Park Baptist Church, to operate a Medical Equipment Loan Closet Ministry. This collaborative effort ensures that individuals in need of medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches, have access to them without the burden of high costs.
- Hope 4 Change Partnership: BBCC is proud to partner with Hope 4 Change, a ministry that provides sponsorships to students in the Philippines. Through this partnership, Bridge Builders Community Church is helping to provide educational opportunities and a brighter future for children in need.
- Mid-Hudson Love In the Name of Christ: BBCC supports this organization, which offers a single point of contact (a phone number) for people in need to tap into resources in the community and provides tangible opportunities for Christians to begin to meet those needs.
- Care Net Pregnancy Center of the Hudson Valley: BBCC provides financial and volunteer support to this organization, which provides free and confidential pregnancy services to women in the Hudson Valley region.
