- April 23, 2024
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Pastor Jones seeks others to help business grow.
Wayne Grant
News Editor
It’s one of those buildings where you would never guess what’s inside. The typical storage shed, on a typical street near Ormond Beach, is full of music, and the hopes and dreams of Pastor Thomas Jones.
Opening the door of the nondescript building reveals a carpeted, paneled and sound-proofed recording studio: Above Productions, one of several irons in the fire for Jones.
A minister and a musician, he combines the two to “bring peace to the mind and comfort to the soul.”
But it would be wrong to assume he works with traditional “Christian” music. He has recorded everything from hip hop to rock ‘n’ roll, because he believes any kind of music can be inspirational.
“Music is the foundation of healing,” he said.
He produces CDs for local artists, and would like to work with other local artists, as well as marketing and business people, to help the enterprise grow.
“I want people around the country to see the Above label and say, ‘Look what they’re doing in Ormond Beach,’” he said.
He envisions a building one day, with the name Above Productions on the front, as well as “Minds of Music,” a music school that he is getting started along with fellow musicians.
“It’s a huge goal,” he said. “But I’ve got it started.”
His life is music and the ministry, and they are intertwined.
He points out how music is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, and there are many passages that talk about its power.
“You can lift the spirits up with music,” he said.
He sometimes does street ministries, such as when he plays his music on Canal Street in New Smyrna Beach at a monthly event. As he talks with people, the conversation often goes beyond the music.
As a working musician, he plays “smooth jazz” guitar several nights a week at the Shores Resort and Spa, as well as other venues.
When he was young, he said his music took him into bad situations.
One night, at a party, he heard God speak. He told his friends, he “was done,” and they thought he was done for the night, but he really meant that he was done with that scene forever.
After working as a recreation center for 15 years in Atlanta, where he was mentoring young people, he said God spoke to him, telling him to play music again, and use it to help people.
In addition to helping people and glorifying God, he said his task became to make people realize that all types of music can be inspirational.
“That’s a big task,” he said. “I’ve been at it a long time.”
Email Pastor Jones at [email protected] or call 678-907-8240.
