Pam Thum was the only child of traveling evangelists
Bruce and Ruth Thum, producers of the very popular and unique
drama, Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames. The experience, which
never kept them in the same place for more than a month, had both
positive and negative effects on Pam.
Thum's parents were very dedicated Christians and
carried Jesus into every aspect of their lives. They taught her
a great deal about prayer and helped give her the assurance that
Jesus was always with her. Still, Thum grew up in a very adult
world and often felt quite lonely. She learned to depend on Jesus
at a very early age and often made up little songs to sing to
Him to help her not feel so lonely and scared. Jesus was one of
the only constants in her life and she knew she never wanted to
leave Him.
Pam's music career began when she was three years
old and started singing on stage. As the years went on, Pam began
to realize the effect music had on people and the hope that the
words she sang often gave them. "I wanted them to feel the peace
I did when I sang to God. I wanted them to feel as though Jesus
were hugging them through my music."
And so it began. Pam Thum started writing songs
when she was 16 and decided to pursue songwriting and performing
as her own full time ministry. In 1987, Pam was offered a songwriting
contract after her song "We Are An Army" was recorded by Trace
Balin. She was offered a recording contract in 1992 and released
her self titled debut album in 1993. The record was a huge success,
with six of the songs making the top ten. She also received a
Dove Award nomination for New Artist of the Year.
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Pam Thum's albums:
Pam Thum, 1993
Faithful, 1994
Feel the Healing, 1995
Believe, 1997
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Thum's geatest influences have been her parents
and her Aunt Myrtle. Aunt Myrtle was a bundle of energy and was
always hugging someone, taking people to church, baking cookies,
teaching Sunday School, or singing joyfully to the Lord. Thum's
greatest desire in her music is to be like her Aunt Myrtle and
to love others where they're at and point them to Jesus.
Perhaps one of the most surprising things that came
out of Pam's immediate success was her popularity in South Africa.
Shortly after the release of her first album, the readers of JOY
Magazine, a Christian publication in South Africa, named her Best
International Female Artist of 1993. On her first trip there,
she was greeted by an enormous group of fans and a hotel room
filled with flowers. Thum believes that God has given her a special
platform in South Africa and she desires to use it for His glory.
Today, Pam is married to Stephen Marshall and together
they have built Pam Thum Ministries, which is partnered with several
other "world-changing" ministries. Her mission remains the same
- to fearlessly share the Good News of Christ with the world and
encourage others to do the same. "We have the greatest news for
this world," says Pam, "and we've spent too many years acting
as if we're in some kind of secret club. People are living and
dying without Jesus -- hurt, hatred, sickness, and fear have ruled
for too long. I just feel an urgency that we've got to shake off
the apathy in our lives and get bold and direct about our faith."
