
John, with his wife, Jo Ann, led the Green Meadow Church of God in Alcoa, Tenn., for 20 years. In 1995, they developed a foster care ministry out of that church. The Sweet's have been involved in recruiting and training caregiving parents for 20 years. In 2002, the foster care program moved to the Smoky Mountain Children's Home in Sevierville, where he became Program Director in 2007. The program served about 180 children daily and nearly 500 a year. Well over 100 children were adopted during Sweet's tenure.
With the needs and numbers of hurting children growing ever larger, the need for training and support regarding the traumatic impact of abuse and loss has become vital. Sweet is the author of the book, Healing for a Hurting World: Five Steps to Behavioral Change, which serves as a training manual and resource for childcare and Christian education workers. During his tenure as program director of the Smoky Mountain Children's Home in Sevierville, Tenn., the agency achieved top ratings among similar programs based on professional performance standards. A recently revised edition of his Five Steps book, titled Parenting: The Peacemaking Model, furnishes guidance to parents of troubled children.
Hope Begins Here . . .