PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – A Ponte Vedra Beach church ministry that has seen some incredible breakthroughs in communicating with those with nonverbal autism is spreading the word about its efforts to change the way communities view the disorder.
Ellen Gardner, one of the founders of Special Nation at Redeemer Church, has experienced firsthand the isolation that can come with an autism diagnosis. Her 12-year-old son, Davis, is affected by profound autism.
“What we've learned over these last years in Special Nation is there's so much more than what meets the eye with autism. We're all more than what meets the eye, but when you see someone like my son or his friends, it can be a little bit confusing,” Gardner explained. “But what we've learned is there is so much more inside.”
The ministry saw rapid growth after some children at the church who are affected by nonverbal autism began communicating for the first time through typing. What they expressed revealed competence and intelligence that shifted the community's understanding of autism, Gardner explained.
Gardner said that the Hidden Nation foundation, which grew out of the Special Nation ministry, is working to help people see autism less as an intellectual challenge and more as a movement disorder.
With some studies showing that as many as one in 59 people will be affected by autism in some way, Pastor Sean Yost said Redeemer Church has seized the call to embrace the special needs community.
“Our desire was (to) create a place where they can have community, where they can belong, where they can begin to communicate, where we see these people with autism not as second-class citizens or people to be avoided or that there's something wrong with them, but we actually see them as competent individuals -- and they are,” Yost said. “They're not just welcome (at the church), they're wanted. And they're not just wanted to fit in; they belong there.”
Yost said part of creating that welcoming community is helping those not affected by special needs learn how to connect with those who are. That mutual exchange is what sets Special Nation apart as a ministry, Gardner said.
“It's not, 'Hey come over here. We're really going to minister to you or we're going to pour into you.' We've learned we receive more from these individuals, these kids, these adults than we can even offer them,” Gardner said.
She said parents involved in the Special Nation community have gone on to create a group home for women living with autism and a thriving school on the grounds of the church. A documentary is also being filmed about the community and what's spawned from it.
Among its other programs, Special Nation offers a “no-hush, judgment free” worship service on the second Sunday of every month at Redeemer Church, along with a weekly friends group at 7 p.m. Wednesdays at the church on South Roscoe Boulevard in Ponte Vedra Beach.
“We'd love for you to come,” Gardner said.
For more information, visit redeemerpv.com or specialnation.org.