The Matthew Bodine “Gift from God” Memorial Fund

We are delighted to announce the Matthew Bodine “Gift from God” Memorial Fund. This fund is more than just a scholarship: it's a beacon of hope for the children and teenagers in our community. It will support middle and high school students in their journey of spiritual growth, providing opportunities for them to learn more about God through Christian camps and other formational experiences.

Taylor Matthew Bodine, Jr. made his way into the world on October 15, 2004. After several years of struggling with pregnancy complications and after multiple surgeries to make having children possible, Cindy and Taylor felt so blessed to have Matthew. In Hebrew, Matthew means “gift from God,” and Matthew truly was a gift to his family and friends. 

From a young age, Matthew traveled through this world with unending curiosity, keen insight, joyous generosity, and dauntless love. He loved to ask questions and learn about how things came to be the way they are, and he ventured to understand the quirks of existence, distilling the whimsical nature of life into truth. Many of his questions were about religion and God. 

All throughout his childhood, his parents would receive funny and cute stories from grandparents and teachers about Matthew’s unique questions. When he was in kindergarten at The Christ School, he asked his teacher, Mrs. Dodgian, a question: “Does Satan have a mommy and a daddy?” Despite Mrs. Dodgian’s knowledge of the Bible, she didn’t know the answer. Luckily, right at that moment, the principal at that time walked in. 

Mrs. Dodgian asked Matthew to ask his question again. The principal paused for a moment, then said, “Well, no, Matthew, Satan does not have a mommy and a daddy.” Cindy says, “Matthew immediately quipped right back, ‘That’s probably why he’s Satan.’”

In middle and high school, Matthew was always excited to go to youth group. Cindy shares, “Whether or not a friend was going, he just felt so comfortable there. He loved going and would beg to go every week. He was adamant.” As a teenager, when he was grounded, he would tell his mom, “It’s not fair that even though I’m in trouble, I can’t go to church.” So, of course, he would get to go to youth group.

As one of the first of his friends to drive, he was always eager to invite his friends to come to youth group with him, happy to go around picking them up. He enjoyed some other freedoms that came with driving, too, like getting coffee with one of the student ministry leaders before his dual enrollment classes at Valencia College.

Matthew also liked going on night drives. “He was determined, oh my gosh, determined to do whatever he wanted to do. Since he’s gone to heaven, I’ve learned so many things about him. I didn’t realize how much he would sneak out of the house at night,” Cindy laughs, “He loved to take photography at night, so he would drive all over creation and take these pictures. Often, they were of him, pointing up to God.”

Before: Matthew (bottom right) and other FPCO Student Ministry kids on their way to Eagle Rock

After: Matthew lost a contest at Eagle Rock and had to dye the tips of his hair, embracing his new nickname “Frosty”

One of the greatest delights of Matthew’s life was going to church camps like Southwind and Eagle Rock. One memorable year, he went to Eagle Rock with natural light brown hair and came back with blond “frosted” tips. Shocked, his mother asked him what happened. 

Cindy says, “Apparently, there was a contest, and whoever lost had to dye their hair. He lost, and once they dyed his hair, they all called him Frosty. Everybody loved it and said, ‘You really didn’t lose because you look better. You look amazing.’” Frosty became his nickname, and he even named his beloved car Frosty to match. 

On June 3, 2023, on his way home to Winter Garden from school at the University of North Florida, Matthew got into a fatal car crash. He was on his way home for his great-grandmother’s 95th birthday party. 

After Matthew passed, his brother Luke designed a hoodie with a photo of Matthew on the back, standing next to his car and wearing his signature angel wing sweatshirt. In Japanese letters, it reads “Frosty” across the back. All of his friends wanted one, and now, somewhere around 50 kids are out there wearing them in Matthew’s honor. 

His love for church camps was one of the reasons his family chose to start the Matthew Bodine “Gift from God” Memorial Fund. “It really wasn’t until he passed away,” shares Cindy, “that some of his friends shared with me that they really wish they could have gone on these camps with Matthew in high school. And that’s what spurred us to think about this fund. We knew we wanted the money to go to student ministry, but once we found out that there were some friends who couldn’t afford to go to those camps, I wish I would have known back then.” 

Taylor and Cindy chose to name this fund the Matthew Bodine “Gift from God” Memorial Fund in part because it’s the meaning of Matthew’s name but also because they believe every child is a gift from God. This fund reflects the joyous, curious, gregarious, and gathering spirit of Matthew. Through this fund, they are thrilled to help other kids grow in their faith through the church camps and Student Ministry experiences that Matthew so loved.