About the Sloan Family
Scroll Down
"It is no secret what God can do!"
This phrase has echoed in Thomas Sloan's mind countless times over the last many years. In 1989 a motorcycle accident almost claimed Thomas' life. It left him with a crushed jaw, damaged vocal cords, a broken hand, and a burned and scarred body. Doctors said it would be a year before he would be able to resume his ministry schedule, but through the miracle-working power of Jesus Christ and loving care from Sheila, his family and friends, Thomas was singing again in three months. He was able to proclaim the greatness of God in word and song in a different way than before - knowing that God spared his life for His purpose.
Born in South Carolina, Thomas was the last of nine children born to pioneer preachers. As he matured, his greatest desire was to be involved in full-time ministry. This was fulfilled in 1974 when "The Singing Sloans" was organized. After they disbanded, he served for a short time as an associate minister and youth pastor, but returned to full-time singing when he joined LaVerne Tripp ministries as a singer. In 1979 Thomas moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to serve as a vocalist for Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. He became the Crusade Band Director in 1981 and helped to prepare the music for Crusades and Campmeetings in over 20 countries and has seen hundreds of thousands of lives changed by the power of Jesus Christ.
Sheila was a native of Arkansas, and after earning a graduate degree became a music professor at JSBC. She and Thomas met, became friends and several years later, Sheila left full-time teaching to join the Crusade Team as a back-up singer.
Thomas and Sheila were married in 1990. They were blessed with two wonderful children, Simeon and Mariah who are both involved in ministry. Simeon is a Worship Pastor at a church in South Carolina. Mariah works at a nonprofit serving individuals with art and music therapy and travels with us part-time.
In 2009, the ministry was renamed Awesome Presence Ministries after a song and CD they recorded named "Awesome Presence”. To date, they have recorded 12 projects and are looking to record in the near future.
Their passion is to minister to the body of Christ, but in particular, to be a bridge from their generation to younger generations in the areas of music training and leadership.
