She would wait for her son to leave the house for Jesus Club. Then without him knowing, she would follow him to make sure he arrived safely in church. While he was at Jesus Club, she would wait patiently in the shadows of the church building for him to finish, then secretly follow him again as he made his way back home. This would continue for weeks until she was confident her son could travel independently to Jesus Club.

This is just one of many stories of amazing caregivers we’ve met at Jesus Club. Every year, Jesus Club Singapore organises a gathering for the caregivers of our members with special needs. Although our goal is to encourage our caregivers, we always end up being encouraged by them instead. This year was no exception.

On Saturday 26 August, about 60 caregivers and Jesus Club volunteers gathered at Bethesda Church Bukit Arang. We heard a talk from Lucy Pou on the developmental journey of individuals with special needs from childhood through adolescence and into adulthood. The Q&A segments were especially insightful, as Lucy responded to heartfelt questions such as these: “What if my child’s ‘sense of self’ is deemed socially inappropriate e.g. my daughter’s tendency to give even strangers warm hugs or my son’s inclination to say hi to everyone at the expense of focusing on his work?” Or “How do I respond when my child expresses her desire to date and marry?”

There are no easy answers to these questions. But we pray that Jesus Club will be a place where our friends with special needs experience the love of God among His people, where they can express themselves without judgment, and where we can find comfort in life’s struggles and a deep contentment and joy in Christ as we learn together from God’s Word.