Noah entered the children’s room at church with eyes wide open, full of five-year-old exuberance and wonder. He smiled. I smiled too as I leaned over and gathered him into my arms to hug him. Then I encouraged him to join the other children in a time of play with bouncy balls before Kids’ Club began. And I remembered.

I remembered when I first met him. He was out-of-control. Angry. Sad. Confused at his surroundings with its strange rules and expectations – expectations which he had little capacity to fulfill. He struck out at other children and teachers. Not just once, but often over a period of weeks. He didn’t fit in to the way we did things. We needed to change. I needed to change.

Every child has special needs. Every person, really. God made us each unique and special, designed in his image. The imprint of his character and creativity is indelibly encoded into the whole of who we are by virtue of his loving, creative design.

While many children function well in activities designed to meet the needs of the average child, some children have needs which require uniquely tailored expressions of nurture. Noah is such a child, one of several in my church. Noah needs unique attention, as he possibly will for the remainder of his days.

The doctors are still working on understanding the complex details of his medical needs. According to the physicians, he exhibits characteristics of autism, mental retardation, drug effects, and cerebral palsy. Currently they are preparing to test him for cerebral palsy and autism. Noah’s foster mom informed me he is what doctors call a splinter child. They simply are not sure how to diagnose him at this point.

I realized early on that I was out of my element. Indeed, we all were. By engaging Noah’s foster parents in conversation, we began to develop strategies to nurture him while also meeting the needs of the entire group of kids.

While we are far from having it all figured out, we have made substantial headway. Noah now loves coming to church. He thrives in an environment where special focus is placed on his need for loving attention and gentle guidance. He loves to place his hand on my shoulder while I teach the Bible story, just to make sure I don’t go wild in a fit of zaniness. He loves to help erase the white board during memory verse time, or to bounce the balloons during song time. He loves being a part of the action, rather than a part of the crowd. He thrives to the best of his God-given capabilities with mature, accountable personal attention. And in the process, we thrive with him. I thrive. And I learn.

Ask yourself: what adjustments might you make to cooperate with the parents of special needs children in your ministry so that the little ones might thrive in your nurturing environment, thus coming to know God and serve him?

Glen Alan Woods serves as a part-time volunteer Children’s Pastor at Portland Open Bible Church in Portland, Oregon. He supports himself by working full-time in a local business. His passion is to reach into the margins of the culture, both locally and abroad, to minister to children, their families, and other children’s ministry leaders. You may find more of his writings on the web at www.glenwoods.net.