Guiding Light: Joel Johnson, the Oso Chaplain beyond the pulpit

Oso chaplin recalls leaning on his faith 10 years after deadly landslide

Joel Johnson's duties escalated from leading religious services in the quiet town of Oso to providing emotional support for the traumatized community following the deadly landslide in 2014.

OSO, Wash. - Joel Johnson, fondly known as "Chappy," was thrust into the spotlight in circumstances no one could have ever anticipated when disaster struck the quiet town of Oso on March 22, 2014.

A chaplain and recent new father, Johnson's duties escalated from leading religious services to providing emotional support for his traumatized community when he was the first responding chaplain on the scene of a landslide.

It began with a 9-1-1 call reporting a dislodged barn roof. Johnson quickly realized it was much more than that.

"I thought I was gonna be the liaison between the family and some resources," Johnson said. "It quickly grew from something very simple to something very complex. And then more and more agencies got involved, and then a declaration of a federal emergency. Here, you have this community. It was one of the only clusters of houses, and it had to happen there."

In the aftermath, Johnson carried out a grueling task of notifying family members about the deaths of their loved ones, offered support to first responders and spent the following 38 days assisting victims' families and members of the community, guiding them through their shared grief.

During the ordeal, Johnson leaned on his faith. "I can lean on the strength that God gives me, beyond my natural abilities, to go in and help others," Johnson said. "What I can do instead is offer the support and the promise to the first responders in the area and to the families that I'll be there for them and support them however they need."

His motivation grew by watching the Oso community rally together. Johnson's life trajectory changed after the tragedy, propelling him to fully devote his time to being a first responder. A path he never saw himself following.