We’re Will and J.J. Olson, and this is how we are learning to live deeply -and thankfully- with Jesus.
J.J.: “So, we got about as far as the ramp just outside the church foyer before our son Noah completely melted down. It was last fall, our first Sunday at CSPC, and we were hopeful, but nervous. Noah has autism and is legally blind, so church can be… challenging. Will stayed outside with him, while I slipped into the church, but I couldn’t focus on the service, not with Will and Noah struggling outside.”
Will: “Meanwhile, Noah was curled up in the fetal position, screaming. It was a new church, and he was so anxious. During all this I met Abby Fennell, CSPC’s director of connections, who was incredibly kind. By this time, we were in the lobby with Noah lying flat on the ground… and still screaming. Several people came up to make sure we were okay, and they were all so understanding. It was overwhelming in the best way.”
J.J.: “I’ll never forget this sweet lady, Kathy Smith. By this time, I was back in the lobby, and she smiled and said, ‘Don’t worry about it. We’re fine with it. You’ll be fine.’ In that moment, I realized we were somewhere different… somewhere safe. We were welcome here, not just tolerated, but actually welcome.”
Will: “We had just moved to Knoxville from Washington State. Even before we knew for sure that we were moving, we contacted Joni & Friends Knoxville to start looking for a church with a special needs ministry for Noah. We looked at several online, but settled on two: CSPC and another church further out. Initially, we thought we’d live closer to the other one, but every time we tried to visit, something went wrong; either we got sick or some other obstacle popped up. When we found an apartment near CSPC, we decided to go, and we were hopeful, but we’ve moved a lot and visited many churches, and most of them didn’t know what to do with families like ours. Noah, 21, is our middle child. All three of our children had special needs, so we were often seen as disrupting things. At one church, while I was on a business trip, the pastor told J.J. that it didn’t seem worth her making the effort to come. I was ‘gob-smacked.’ Like other families with special needs, we just wanted to be part of the church.”
J.J.: “When we got to CSPC, we found something totally different. The people at CSPC didn’t just accept us- they were ready for us, and Will and I are not the only ones who know it. Noah knows it. Noah loves going to church, even though he still feels anxious sometimes. At a typical service, he makes it through the music and announcements before heading to the Wiggle Room. But at this year’s Inclusive Service, it was different. This time, he stayed for the entire service.”
Will: “He sat between us; first he put his head on my shoulder, then on J.J.’s. He even raised his hand during some of the songs. He has a stim, but we figured he was just praising. It was a ‘Jesus moment’ that other people may not recognize. But I guarantee you every special needs family gets it… and Kathy got it. The very same lady who met us on day one was actually seated, as Jesus would have it, in our very same pew. We all knew that Jesus had showed up big time.”
J.J.: “All three of us -Will, Kathy, and me- had tears in our eyes.”
Will: “I wasn’t crying. I just had dust in my eyes.”
J.J.: “I am sure… it was so dusty in the sanctuary that evening! But seriously, a few months earlier, Noah couldn’t even step inside without melting down. This was something completely different.”
Will: “It’s hard to explain unless you’ve lived it, but these ‘baby steps’ are monumental.”
J.J.: “And every ‘baby step’ that Noah takes testifies to the intentionality of CSPC to include people and families with special needs.”
Will: “The church accepts Noah as a person and as a child of God. People and families with special needs are involved in the life of the church, reading Scripture, fellowshipping, and serving in ministry. We’re part of the community. It’s not, ‘Hey, you’re part of the church. Let us take care of you.’ It’s, ‘Hey, you’re part of the church. How can you serve the church with everybody else?’ Just seeing that inclusivity is… I don’t have the right words. It feels like home. And it’s great, and we love it.”
Will: “Noah’s always kept us on our toes. From his early days as a little runner escaping into the unknown to more recent adventures that have us holding our breath, one thing is clear: Jesus has had His hand on Noah all the way.”
J.J.: “One time he slipped off a playset and through the bushes at the Disney World Village. He was just gone. I’ll never forget it, but before I was a Christian, and even before I was married, Jesus had plans to take care of Noah. As soon as I learned Noah was missing, I had a flashback to a something I’d heard from neighbors as an adolescent: ‘If you ever have a problem at Disney World, call Disney security.’ Jesus planted that memory in me years before I knew Him, and when Noah disappeared, I knew exactly what to do. Sure enough, Noah was found wandering, completely unfazed and without supervision, near the lake. Another time, we discovered he was missing from his room late at night; he had escaped out the bedroom window. Will found him wandering up from the creek in the dark. Both of those episodes happened when Noah could see.”
Will: “As Noah grew, so did his challenges. At nine, he lost his sight during a course of seven infections. On the fifth one, J.J. saw him feeling his way down our hallway. Soon after, in broad daylight, he said, ‘It’s dark. When will it be light?’ Our hearts sank. His optic nerves had atrophied, leaving him completely blind… but undeterred. At one point, I realized he was out of the house again, only to find him strolling -blind- across the roof of our two-story home! At these times, and at so many others, we’ve seen God’s protection over him, often in ways we can’t explain. It’s a good thing, too, because even without sight, he would climb, explore, and run. He’s always finding new ways to adapt, even when he is scared. When we moved to Knoxville, Noah had a lot of anxiety. Everything was unfamiliar, and he was nervous all over again about moving from the apartment we’d temporarily rented to our new house. In Noah’s mind, if we switched where we were living, then we were switching churches… but we didn’t. We stayed at CSPC, and as soon as he understood we were going to what he calls ‘the same church,’ he was okay with moving to the new house. He loves going to the Lighthouse gathering once a month. He hasn’t made it through an entire Lighthouse yet, but he loves going and seeing Mary Kendall Akers and her wonderful helpers. Other young adults come up and say hello to him, and he says hello back. He may not fully participate yet, but he knows he’s welcome.”
J.J.: “Our journey isn’t just about Noah finding his place; it’s about Jesus placing us where we are neither just tolerated nor outright rejected. It started years ago with Joni & Friends Family Retreats, which introduced us to a community that loves and supports families like ours. Jesus has carried us on a journey through different states, heartbreaking choices, unexpected challenges, countless adventures, and unforeseen victories to bring us to CSPC, where we have been blessed with a season of growth and restoration. As Noah repeatedly says, ‘It’s the same church.’ And for that, we are overwhelmingly grateful.”