Over time, the church developed a system in which members could minister to Jimmy so the Stolles could attend a worship service together.
After several years of relationship development, the church now has two different “buddies” who minister to Jimmy during the service by spending time with him, playing games with him and sharing Scripture verbally with him.
Stolle said the support from the church has been huge.
“High Tide has figured out that for kids like Jimmy, if he can’t get the Gospel the conventional way, we’re going to get it to him another way and that means a lot to me,” Stolle said. “God’s not limited to any one language, so I believe even though Jimmy can’t talk, that God speaks ‘Jimmy.’ God communicates to Jimmy in the way he needs to hear from Him. There is no barrier too large for God.”
Stolle’s experience with Jimmy and High Tide has sparked a passion to help churches throughout his state convention.
“I was praying that God would open doors in churches and ministries for people who are affected by disabilities,” Stolle said, “but I realized God was saying to me, ‘Hey I gave you Jimmy and you need to do this yourself.’”
During his time on staff at the BCMD, Stolle has started and assisted with several initiatives designed to help churches reach families and individuals with special needs, including hosting camps and training more “buddies” like the ones who minister to Jimmy.
“The Church itself is actually disabled if it doesn’t include everyone,” Stolle said.
The convention’s special needs ministry inspired one church (Freedom Church in Baltimore, Md.) so much that it began a non-profit ministry that trains churches in how to minister to individuals with disabilities.
The organization, named the Banquet Network, partners with the state convention, which enables it to train churches free of charge.
Katie Matthews, executive director of the Banquet Network, said the Stolle family’s story has deeply affected her both in her work and personally.
“As a parent to a child with disabilities, my community feels small,” Matthews said. “There’s not many people that ‘get it,’ but Tom gets it. He’s the guy my husband and I can text when we’ve had a rough day with our son, and he’s the guy who will continue to fight for families affected by disability because it matters to him and it matters to Jesus.”
