John Bartholemew never wanted to spend the night in the room where his brother died from withdrawals.
“They promised me that I wouldn’t have to go to the section of the rehab that he died in,” John recounts. “But my fifth or sixth night in rehab, they put me in the room where he died, and it was overwhelming.”
So, John turned to the only option he had left.
“I cried out to God, and I said, ‘take me or fix me,’ and, immediately, I felt the presence of God,” he shares. “I laid there and cried and talked to God all night.”
That hadn’t been the first time John needed to resort to his “last option.” In twenty-six years of meth addiction, he had had plenty of “one last time” – moments that had led him, his girlfriend, and his seven children to living out of a Mazda 2300 truck.
But this “last time” was the first time John decided to include Jesus in his recovery, and sitting in the office where he now counsels others, he says that’s what made all the difference.
A Church that Loves the Unlovable
“Without Jesus, recovery doesn’t last,” John says. “In order to have long-term success, we need to be planting churches like Send Network does that love the unlovable.”
Today, that’s exactly what John is doing. With help from Send Network and their Sending Church, Splitlog Baptist Church, John and his wife, Marilyn, planted In Christ Alone Church three years ago in Fairview, Mo.—a city marked by poverty and addiction.
“I had three different pastors approach me and say, ‘Hey, you don’t want to do this. I’ve tried to start a church in the same building before. You’ll never get more than 20 people there.’” John recalls. “But I felt like God was calling me to do it.”
What began as a gathering of 12 people has now grown to a thriving church of nearly 100, with 14 people coming to know the Lord and following in believer’s baptism in just this past year. “Send Network provided a lot of spiritual support,” he says. “And having people from all over the country praying for us—I think played a big part.”
A Strange Group of People
“We’re kind of a strange group of people,” John admits with a laugh. “We’ve got people in recovery and law enforcement officers who mainly build up the body of our church.”
This unique mix of people has seen God work in incredible ways. There’s Matt, a former addict who fell into drug abuse as a teenager. He now leads the church’s youth ministry. There’s also James, who first started attending services to fulfill a recovery program requirement and ended up becoming an elder. Just a few months ago, In Christ Alone sent him out to pastor a nearby church in need.
Then there’s Dereck and Bryan, who serve in law enforcement and local government. Despite losing friends over the company they now keep, they remain faithful elders in the church.
“It’s a huge family, is what it is,” John says. “If you visited us on a Sunday, you would see people wearing badges and people with face tattoos. Lots of kids. We worship loud and proud… You would see hope.”
A Movement to Plant More Churches
For the In Christ Alone family, church isn’t just about a Sunday morning service. It’s the Scripture-based recovery meetings that fill church classrooms on weeknights. It’s the meal they share before each service. It’s the food pantry that stays fully stocked for anyone who needs to bring groceries home.
“Many people think, ‘Once an addict, always an addict.’ That there’s no hope. But that’s just not the truth,” John says, “I am seeing God raise up an army of people that have a past to reach others.”
For John and his church, planting more churches to reach those struggling with addiction just feels like the next natural step.
“We have a goal is to have one planted in the first five years and three within ten,” he shares.
Send Network is a family of churches planting churches everywhere for everyone. To discover how your church can get involved in the kingdom work of church planting, visit SendNetwork.com/Mobilize.
Published June 18, 2025