By Marcia Barnes
Feature Writer
It’s a few days before Christmas with a chill in the air and heavy amounts of rain falling in the mountains of North Carolina. More rain is forecast and night temperatures are expected to dip below freezing.
But inclement weather is not what is on Karen Coker’s mind. She is thinking about gifts for children, the shopping and wrapping of toys, sporting equipment, clothing and the list.
At noon on December 5, Coker had 222 children on the list. By the end of day, the list had grown and included 31 moms. These were the names of babies, toddlers and teenagers whose needs had been given to Coker from the Clay County School Resource officers, Family Connection at Union County Schools, the Safe House and Family Resources at Towns County Schools in Hiawassee, Ga.
The names naturally fell into Coker’s able hands. She is Program Director for Christmas gift-giving at Catalyst Church in Hayesville. This Christmas, Coker hopes the list of names will reach the 300 mark.
Pastor Brandon Matheson is an enthusiastic leader of the generosity he sees at the church on Highway 64. “It wasn’t always like this,” Matheson said. “Christmas of 2012 and 2013, the church body had identified the needs of about 25 to 30 children and we met those needs. Around the fall of 2014, we saw Karen working on the project all day long.”
“We wanted to continue this in 2014,” Coker said, “and the list of children was growing and moving beyond Clay, Union and Towns counties to include children in Rabun County, Ga., and Cherokee and Macon counties in N.C. Children receiving Christmas gifts that year rose to 62.
“That’s when the children still shopped with volunteers and police officers. That was before the pandemic. It seems that nothing held back the members of Catalyst Church or the support they were gaining from the community-at-large to provide gifts for needy children. In 2017, there were 76 names; two years later, 138. Last year at Christmas, 242 children received gifts from the church.
How much paper, tape, ribbons and bows are needed to wrap gifts for 222 children when each one will receive five to seven or more gifts they’ve wished for? And how many men and women will be required for the two-day shopping spree? The answer is 222 volunteers. More helpers will be needed to carefully wrap, make bows and write names on the gifts which are all given anonymously.
The cost? Matheson said cash on hand for Christmas gifts has already been raised and donated by church members and non-church members in the community who truly believe in the project.
“It starts with our June auction in Hayesville which is held at the Jacky Jones Chrysler dealership where the American Red Cross holds a blood drive and a car show is sponsored by car clubs in the area.
“Local businesses donate a lot to the auction, gifts and gift certificates, boat rentals and travel excursions. This year a hunting trip to New Zealand was auctioned off at $4000. There is an on-line raffle for hunting trips to South Africa and Argentina.
“Cakes at the auction can go for $300; and $8000 was raised with the raffle for a firearm. It all adds up to the thousands of dollars ready to be spent at the cash register when shoppers purchase gifts which the children hope to find under the tree.
“Stores have given overwhelming support for this, they have been a gracious host,” Matheson said. “It is an emotional experience. One little girl only wanted gifts for her family. When we realized that, we went back and bought a gift for her. One child wanted a ham because it was something he never had.”
David and Catherine Brown are church members who help with purchasing gifts. Catherine said, “Shopping is organized chaos. I remember a young girl about 15, she wanted sheets and blankets for her bed.
“And people were watching. I had people walk up to me and hand me $100, saying, ‘Do what you want with it.’ I’ve seen Brandon Matheson personally thank them,” she said.
David Brown said that at the end of buying and wrapping, seeing the faces of these little children is an eye-opening experience. “It’s heartbreaking,” he said. “And it reinforces your belief that others in the community share, that God is watching over. Even if you don’t have a belief system, the church is not only spiritual, it is our connection to other people.”
Catherine added that the event runs the whole year. “We never lose sight of Christmas.” Neither does Coker. “Even when Christmas 2022 ends, we have names of children we are ready to help next year,” Coker said.
After dozens of rolls of Christmas paper have concealed gifts and ribbon cutting comes to an end, Matheson said the children come to the church to receive their gifts. “We encourage the whole family to attend. It’s a Sunday presentation, we feed everyone and give the true gospel story of the birth of Jesus Christ.”
There has been a continuous and genuine spirit of Christmas flowing out from Catalyst Church since December 2012. What matters to Matheson and Coker and all those who help is that the children will have a real Christmas. They will not go unnoticed.
And what Coker had hoped for became a reality. Three hundred and four children received gifts at Christmas this year.