From the very beginning, this has been a non-denominational ministry.  While strongly grounded in faith in Jesus Christ, we have now been encouraged to reach beyond the Christian community, based upon 2 Corinthians 1:4 which reminds us, “God comforts us in all of our troubles so that we can comfort others in their troubles.”  

Our mission is clear:  "You’re Not Alone" is a confidential resource for parents of kids who abuse drugs or alcohol.

No family is immune.  Even the most committed Christian parents find drugs or alcohol have invaded their families through their kids.

• More than one in five Christian kids admit they use or have used drugs/alcohol.[1]
• In a nationwide survey, 17% of pastors with kids ages 10 to 30 revealed their children either currently abuse drugs or alcohol or have abused them in the past; 74% of those pastoral families do not seek professional assistance when they discover the problem in their family.[2]

Regardless of your beliefs or theology, we are committed to helping parents (and grandparents) understand where they are and where they need to get for the sake of their own health.  The Path to Parental Health – Eight Responses Many Parents Experience – is published on this site.

John Vawter has edited a book of “19 Stories of Hope, Love, and Healing” based upon talks at “You’re Not Alone” conferences.  Hit By a Ton of Bricks:  You’re Not Alone When Your Child’s on Drugs can be ordered on this site, from FamilyLife Publishers or online retailers.  It is also available through many Christian bookstores and traditional retailers.  (NOTE:  All proceeds from books obtained through this web site go to help this ministry.  Click here to order.)

If you have a high bandwidth Internet connection and Windows Media Player installed on your computer, you can view the following streaming video on this site:

• John Vawter’s sermon, “God Can Be Very Close … When Drugs Invade Your Family.” This sermon precedes a conference for parents called “Our Kids and Drugs.” To view the 28-minute sermon, click  here.
• John and Susan Vawter's condensed conference "Our Kids and Drugs" for use by church leaders who want to bring this ministry to their church or parents who want to view the material in private.  The video provides prescriptive solutions and insights to help Christian families who find drugs have invaded their families through their kids.  To view the 38 minute video, click here.  (Church leaders who want to review sermon notes, seminar notes, outlines and promotional materials posted on this site, click here.  The materials are an appropriate way to wrap up a mini-series on addiction/recovery, to launch a new support group and recovery ministries, to provide an outreach even for non-Christian friends who have children, loved ones or family members who are abusing or to have your own half-day conference.)
• An appearance by John Vawter on Robert Schuller’s “Hour of Power” television show. (To view the 10 minute interview, click here.)
• "Hope for Our Family" is an 18 minute video featuring three parents who talk about how they Regained Hope.  Together they have a combined 50 years of their kids abusing drugs before they got clean.    click here.

John Vawter also has a daily radio program on the SkyLight Radio Network, which includes 300 stations across the United States.  Not all stations carry the program, so check your local listings.  Periodically, we post program updates on this site.  To hear some recent programs, click here.

 John and Susan Vawter, founders of the “You’re Not Alone” organization, discovered drugs had invaded their family and their ministry when they learned their daughter was addicted to heroin.  (To read their personal, painful story about the struggles they faced after the realities of having a child addicted to drugs hit them “like a ton of bricks,” click here.)

The Vawters sponsored the first conference for parents in ministry whose kids abuse drugs or alcohol in Phoenix in August, 1999, where John was senior pastor of Bethany Community Church in Tempe.  That first conference drew 63 people from six states.  Many pastors and spouses who attended the conference were facing the pain of losing their children to marijuana, alcohol, and heroin.  They came in search of answers … with the hope of finding healing for themselves and their ministry.  While answers are elusive, they left with comfort, confirmation, and collective knowledge that “You’re Not Alone.”

The genesis of this ministry was an article published in the “Forum Feature” of Leadership Journal in the summer of 1999.  A photo feature article covering the first conference was distributed by Associated Press and appeared nationally in newspapers ranging from The Los Angeles Times to the Missoulian to the Las Vegas Review-Journal with headlines like these:

• “Preachers Often Held to Higher Parental Standard”
• “Ministers Struggle to Cope with Drug-Addicted Children”
• “To Save Their Own – Ministers, missionaries struggle to cope with drug-addicted children”

Since then, awareness of the ministry has been expanded with additional conferences in Portland, Orlando, St. Paul, MN, Santa Ana, CA, and Boston.  (Transcripts of these conference talks are posted on this site; to view these transcripts, click here.)  In addition to "You’re Not Alone" conferences, John has been invited to speak at conferences that include the Moody Bible Pastors’ Institute, the Robert Schuller Institute for Successful Church Leadership, Youth Specialties’ National Pastors Convention, the National Canadian Pastors Conference, Hawaiian Island Ministries Conferences, the Careforce Recovery Ministries Conference in Melbourne, Australia, Teen Challenge and The International Care and Kindness Conference.

Our Board of Reference is comprised of the following:

While we pray continuously that the need for this forum of sharing and encouragement will cease to exist, we have found the problem is more prevalent than any of us had ever imagined.

We can either continue to deny that the problem exists … or, with God’s leading, we can deal with it.

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