‘I’m ready:' How Forest Park graduate Olivia Oliver made the biggest decision of her life

Understandably, it was a lot for the 18-year-old crew standout to process on the evening of July 19 as they sat on a dock at Lake Montclair.

Whenever Oliver and Pederson got together here to fish, their conversations always went deep. This one, though, would change everything. And it started with a nudge.

For the longest time, Pedersen had felt a desire to share the ABCs of salvation with Oliver since the 2026 Forest Park High School graduates started dating two years ago.

The steps were simple in form, but life-changing in act, and Pedersen knew them by heart:

A: Admit what you have done wrong and ask for forgiveness.

B: Believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again as payment for your sins.

C: Confess that Jesus is now in charge of your life.

Pedersen waited until he felt God telling him to proceed. But then halfway through Oliver and his three-hour talk on the dock, Pedersen heard God speak. The wait was over.

In a loving and patient tone, he told Oliver he’d lead her through the salvation prayer and that there was no harm in letting him do this.

It was a biblical concept, after all, based on Jesus’ own words from Matthew 18:19-20, where He said, “If two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

But first things first. Pedersen emphasized to Oliver that he’d only move forward if she was ready. There was no pressure. This was her decision. If she wanted to continue, fine; if not, that was fine as well. Then he stayed quiet and waited for her response.

Oliver thought about it for a moment, her chest still tight with uncertainty. And then, she experienced a release like no other.

“I’m ready,” she said.

After Oliver gave her life to Jesus, the heaviness in her chest lifted. A burden was gone, and joy took its place. She cried, and so did Pedersen—only the second time she had seen him shed tears.

Everything flowed and she had no words. Only relief.

“When everything happened, it stopped the stress,” Oliver said.

A journey toward faith

A quiet, but thoughtful person with understated determination and a grounded personality, Oliver had been headed toward making the most important decision of her life. It was just a question of when. She was open to knowing God better but was unsure how to do it or if she had time.

As a freshman, Oliver attended a youth group a few times at Chapel Springs Church in Bristow until her schedule became too busy and she stopped going.

Oliver only began attending church again when she and Pedersen started dating as high school juniors. Pedersen invited Oliver to his home church, All Saints’ in Woodbridge. Her first service with him there was on Christmas Eve 2024.

At the time, she only went because of Pedersen. Quickly, though, something began to take root. She remembered coming back to the church a few weeks later and how friendly people were and how they remembered her name. That made an impression.

Pedersen’s steadfast influence made an impression, too. He had grown up in a Christian family where life in the church was a given, and he wanted Oliver to know Jesus in a personal way while respecting the pace of her own journey.

She was anxious about preparing for college and being apart from Pedersen for a long stretch: Oliver was headed to Rutgers University in New Jersey on an athletic scholarship for crew and Pedersen was going to the Georgia Military College, where he will spend a year before heading to the United States Military Academy.

Oliver felt overwhelmed at times and Pedersen recognized this.

“I was constantly thinking how hard life was for her without God guiding her, and I thought it was really important that she knew Him in the midst of all the stress,” Pedersen said.

To ease her concerns, Pedersen met Oliver where she was. He gave her his Bible, encouraged her to go deeper and prayed, trusting that Oliver’s decision to give her life to Jesus would happen on God’s timetable, not his or anyone else’s.

In a way, this was new to him. He’d led younger kids to Jesus as crew leader at Vacation Bible School. But he’d never led an adult to Jesus.

Still, Pedersen refused to let any fears stand in his way of what he believed God was calling him to do. Their relationship was important, but one with Jesus was the most important.

“He made me feel comfortable without feeling forced,” Oliver said. “He’s not doing this for himself. He’s caring and it was a selfless act.”

The decision on the dock did not end Oliver’s questions. Instead, it gave her a new foundation for answering them — and for considering what public step of faith should come next.

Choosing baptism

As Oliver processed this experience following her profession of faith, Pedersen explained that more awaited her. If she was open to it, he encouraged her to take the next step and be baptized as an outward way to symbolize her new commitment.

This too was her decision. It always had been based on how her parents raised her. Thomas and Christina Oliver wanted their daughter to come to this point on her own. It’s an approach she appreciated.

“I was able to grow myself,” Oliver said.

Nine days after her talk with Pedersen on the Lake Montclair dock, Olivia decided she was ready to be baptized.

The impetus came at the end of the second day of working as a preschool assistant at All Saints’ Vacation Bible School.

Helping at VBS was a new experience for Oliver as well. She had worked with young kids before as a swimming instructor. But this was a different setting. And that unnerved her.

Could she handle any spiritual questions that came her way? Would she even have time to do it? She left for college in less than a month and she still worked, while training for crew in the morning and evening three days a week in the basement of her home.

Oliver's decision on the dock marked a personal commitment to faith, and she soon realized it could also be expressed publicly. As she continued growing in her relationship with God, she began considering how to share that commitment with others.

When a preschooler at VBS asked whether God is a person, Oliver felt ready. She told the girl He is someone who is always there, and the girl accepted the answer. The brief exchange gave Oliver a needed boost of confidence.

The experience was one of many that touched her heart. She loved how the kids grew in their faith, learned God’s word from the Bible and opened their minds to understanding Him in a way they had not done before.

By week’s end, the experience had moved her so deeply that she volunteered to assist again next year before anyone asked.

“Helping those kids really impacted me,” Oliver said. “I realized how much God meant to those kids.”

A public declaration of faith

Baptism is a pivotal moment for anyone, especially someone Oliver’s age about to begin a new season of life where it’s easier to either pull away or stay away from God.

In the Anglican tradition, of which All Saints’ is a part of, baptism is usually done when people are infants. But it’s not a prerequisite. They can be baptized at a later date and when they feel ready.

Oliver had the option of waiting until later to be baptized, but she wanted to do it before she left for Rutgers so she could share the moment with family and friends who helped make this all possible.

She saw no reason to wait. She’d waited long enough.

“I feel like I was missing a part, but now I feel closer to God,” Oliver said.

On Aug. 16, Thomas and Christina, who fully supported Oliver’s decision, presented their daughter for baptism during the 11 a.m. service at All Saints’. Oliver’s two older sisters watched from the first pew, where they were joined by Oliver’s best friend Madeline and Madeline’s family. A 2026 Woodbridge High School graduate, Madeline has, like Pedersen, been by Oliver’s side throughout her journey.

“Madeline was there for me whenever I had a rough patch or I was just stressed and she would tell me that she was praying for me and that God is there with me every step of the way and will lead me to the right path,” Oliver said.

In Georgia, Pedersen could not be at All Saints’ in person. But he went to church early Sunday so he could watch All Saints’ 11 a.m. service livestreamed.

"I was sad I couldn't be there, but I was happy watching it," Pedersen said. "I was celebrating all day." 

As she stood in front of the altar, Oliver was nervous. Thinking she was done, Oliver mistakenly walked off the altar only to be called back by the rector to finish the ceremony. She was also emotional, shedding a few tears as she looked down at her parents, while the congregation stood and applauded once the ceremony finished. Her emotions only increased when she took her first communion.

“I’m happy now,” Oliver said. “I feel more connected to God.”