At St Johns Church Knotty Ash, whose vision is “Inclusive without exception ” a simple church room has been transformed into something life-changing for local families.
Following a successful national church grant application, the church has created a dedicated sensory-friendly space for children and adults who are neurodivergent, helping more people feel welcomed, comfortable and able to fully take part in church life. Recent studies showed that 1/6 people will have sensory processing and integration challenges that significantly affect their lives.[1]
The room has been thoughtfully redesigned with calming colour-changing lights, blackout blinds, therapeutic lighting and sensory resources to create a peaceful environment for those who may find bright lights, loud sounds or busy church spaces overwhelming. A specially designed sound system also allows people to listen to services at a comfortable volume through headphones, helping reduce sensory overload from organs, choirs and background noise often found in worship settings.
The space is also creative and interactive. Each week, themed sensory activities help bring Bible stories to life. One recent display used sand, water, silk and weighted sea creatures to tell the story of Jesus calming the storm – creating an engaging way for children to explore faith through ways better suited to their needs.
This was an important thing for the church to include as recent studies showed that 61% of people who took part in survey said they avoided church because of sensory needs.[2] Many parents who came to the church had mentioned to the church team that they’d love to bring their children to church but didn’t think they’d be able to sit through the full service without distracting the rest of the congregation due to their special needs. Many parents raised this desire with the team at St John’s Knotty Ash. St John’s is keen to introduce more children and young people to Jesus and they knew that by developing this room, more families could attend church as one and share church memories together.
Katherine Donnelly, Sensory coordinator at St John’s Knotty Ash said:
“We have worked very hard as a team to create a space that encourages safe, comfortable and inclusive worship for all. Whether you want a quieter room, a comfier chair, or even a wiggle chair, you are welcome and we will endeavour to grow as a church family to continue being welcoming and inclusive to all. As a mum of 3 neurodivergent children and also neurodivergent myself, it has been an honour and a pleasure to work with St Johns to create and develop our sensory room. It is wonderful to see it used each week, inviting more children, adults and families to worship together in a space where they feel comfortable, safe and included.”
By listening to those voices and reimagining how their building could serve the community, St John’s have opened their doors wider than ever before.
Importantly, this room also demonstrates something many churches across the diocese could explore themselves. The space still functions as a meeting room when not being used as a sensory area, showing that churches do not necessarily need large amounts of unused space to become more neurodivergent-friendly. Existing rooms can often be adapted creatively to serve multiple purposes while making a lasting difference to families who may otherwise feel excluded from church life.
With support from the Diocese of Liverpool’s Buildings Team, churches across the diocese have an opportunity to rethink how their buildings can become more welcoming and inclusive for everyone.
Something as small as transforming a single room can help transform someone’s experience of church entirely and result in more children and adults being welcomed into the congregation.
If you want to find out about how St John’s created this room and how you can too, get in touch with them today on sjkachuchwardens@gmail.com
