Welcome to Pure Heart Music on the Web~Fresh Progressive Southern Gospel: Biographies

    The ministry of Pure Heart began in the hearts of John and Sheila Thomas, a young couple who had given their hearts, lives and marriage to the service of Christ. In 1992, John and Sheila, along with two members of their church in Hendersonville, NC, created Pure Heart Music Ministries. Part-time for several years and after much prayer, the group ventured into full-time ministry in 2000.
    Over the past years, Pure Heart has been privileged to sing and minister throughout most of the United States. Wonderfully, God has allowed us to stand in His presence and to witness Him changing and mending broken lives, and has afforded us too many blessed experiences to number while on the road.
    We all know that the Christian life cannot be without trials, and that we all need to call upon God's grace and mercy. Through that grace God has brought us through many dry times and wastelands in our lives. We have learned, however, that it is during those times that Christians should be searching their individual hearts to see where God wants to change us.
    It is through those times that God has guided us to find our diamonds in the wasteland-diamonds of priceless wisdom, longsuffering, patience and understanding.
    God has placed it upon our hearts to share those gifts with His people who have been zapped of their strength and are looking high and low for someone to share with them the hope that there is life after the wasteland.
We are so excited about what God is doing in our personal lives and in the ministry.
Please scroll down to read the biographies of each member.

   John Thomas sings bass for Pure Heart. At the age of 13, he turned to drugs and alcohol in an attempt to medicate the wounds left by the sudden death of his father. Fighting loneliness, John continued the destructive life of addictions until he realized his need for salvation at the age of 26. In 1987, God gloriously delivered him out of the life of drug and alcohol abuse.
    John married his long-time friend, Sheila, in 1989, and two years later they dedicated their lives and marriage to God. The Thomases became very active in their local church where they served as Sunday School teachers, worked in the bus ministry, and sang in the choir. In addition, John served as recreation and youth director. Pure Heart Music Ministries came to life in 1992.
    Currently, John is a minister at Teen Challenge, International, in Chattanooga, TN, where he serves as a teacher/counselor to those with life-controlling addictions, where he is able to truly say, "I know where you are and how you feel."

   Sheila Thomas sings alto. Saved at the age of 7, she became rebellious as a teenager. After years of running from God and making poor choices, she was delivered from her life of sin. After marrying John, they both began searching for a deeper and more intimate experience with God. In 1991 they made this awesome discovery and have been forever changed.
     Sheila was healed of endometriosis after battling years of infertility, and in 1998 God blessed John and Sheila with their son, Mitchell.
     God has kept John and Sheila through many difficult and painful trials. Because of this, they have dedicated their lives to sharing the hope of God's faithfulness and love to a hurting world. In addition to her passion for singing, Sheila, having been a vital instrument in the day-to-day operations at Teen Challenge serving as Executive Secretary, is now working as the Administrative and Female Intake Coordinator, and is excited to be more actively involved in ministry. She also enjoys playing drums for the TC Worship Team. Since 1991 John and Sheila have dedicated their lives, family, and marriage to full-time ministry, their only goal to make themselves available to God and His Son.

    Heather Craig is our soprano. She is a native of Northwest Georgia attending both high school and college in Chattanooga, TN. Saved at the age of 8, God began grooming her for the winter day in 1997 when He would call her into music ministry. While she is trained in a classical background, her love for Southern Gospel was formed as she grew up listening to the McAdams Quartet, relatives of her grandfather. She believes her voice and musical abilities are God's special gift to her, and her praise to Him is her ministry.
    She equates her life to a beautiful work of a master composer. God has amazingly orchestrated her life, having to endure trials of betrayal, loss, depression, but also amazing blessings of victory, peace, and abundant life and joy in Christ. All of these experiences deepened her faith and now enables her to have true compassion for others who have experienced similar situations.
    While music is Heather's first love, God led her to work at Unum in Chattanooga, TN in 2005 where she is now a Leave Specialist, managing Family and Medical Leave Act applications. She and her mother share a home along with their four cats, Ari, Melody, Baby,and Buddy. She continues to participate in her church choir and enjoys songwriting. Heather is also our web designer.

Stuart Vaughn is our lead/baritone. Stuart is a Northwest Georgia native who graduated from Ringgold High School where he was a band member from 6th-12th grade and played football.
Saved at the age of ten, he began to drift into the world and out of church and struggled with the loss of three grandparents. His senior year he met a new student at Ringgold, now his girlfriend, who began to minister to him and invited him to attend the youth group at her church. The Lord began to work on his hardened heart and Stuart's focus returned to the Lord. In 2008, Stuart rededicated his life to the Lord and has never been the same, giving God the glory and praise for His mercy and grace on his life.
Currently Stuart works at Ace Hardware and attends Covenant Life where he sings tenor in the choir and on the praise team. He lives in Ringgold, GA and is so thankful for his girlfriend and all those in his life who bless him.

All of Pure Heart's members are active in their home churches when not on the road.