THE CHURCH
Calvary Church of Naperville in Naperville, Illinois
THE CHALLENGE
Children with disabilities need a way to experience Christ.
ONE BIG IDEA
Create a program tailored to youngsters with special needs.
It was Landon Sloan who first saw the need.
As an Applied Behavior Analysis therapist, he recognized the large population of kids with special needs at Calvary Church of Naperville in Naperville, Illinois, and the fact they needed their own program. So he went to his father, Marty, who is lead pastor at the church, with the idea for Calvary Champions. The name “Champions” was selected because it is a positive, uplifting term.
Calvary Champions launched with a focus on children ages 4–12 with conditions ranging from autism, developmental delays and ADHD to physical and emotional disabilities. The ministry promotes the biblical concept of imago Dei, emphasizing how every person is made in the image of God.
Kiya Olson coordinates the program. A church member and a licensed clinical therapist who works with children with autism, she explains that the classes are run by volunteers, and the church typically has a waiting list of people who want to help share the love of Christ.
“It’s not just a day care for kids,” she says of the program. “They are actually learning the Word.”
Children are paired with trained leaders and volunteers. A typical class starts with a few minutes of free play followed by a story from the Bible and a group discussion.
“Then we follow that up with a video that goes along with the Bible story,” Olson explains, adding that research shows that kids with special needs learn better visually.
And parents are noting the results.
“Our families are seeing their children grow spiritually because of the structure of our Champions program,” adds Olson. “We had one mother share that she heard her child singing a praise song. She had never heard that before.”
The church has added Champions Nursery, which serves special needs children from birth to 4 years old in a sensory-friendly environment.
According to Marty Sloan, 65 families have joined the church since Calvary Champions started in 2024. “We’ve had kids who came to Champions, and their parents got saved. We’ve had kids whose parents were baptized all because of Calvary Champions. We’re seeing the gospel going forth in those families because of Champions.”
