Thomas James Gaines

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On Thursday, July 9, 2020, Thomas James Gaines, a loving husband and father, went home to be with the Lord after a long battle with cancer. He was 66 years old.

Thomas was born on August 3, 1953, in Orlando, Florida, to Charlie and Mary Alice Gaines. At the age of nine, he accepted the Lord as his Savior at Bethel Baptist Church in Orlando. When the pastor asked him why he wanted to be saved, he replied, “Because I want to be saved from my sins!” He said the pastor was very surprised that a nine-year-old boy knew how to boldly answer his question.

Thomas attended Oak Ridge High School in Orlando and then the University of Maryland (European Division) while serving in the US Army. As a young man, he worked as a chef at Walt Disney World and also used his culinary talents in the Army. In 1974, he married his high school sweetheart, Pamela, and the couple was blessed with two children, Michael and Adrienne. While Thomas was in the military, he and his family were stationed in Germany. The family returned to the United States in 1977, and Thomas later retired from active service.

In the early 1980s, Thomas founded Making a Difference Ministry and Band, a nonprofit organization that helped provide food, clothing, and other assistance to those in need. Thomas wanted to make sure people knew that God is love, salvation is free and easy, there is no condemnation in Christ, and we are all called to spread the love of God, and he spread that message in word and deed. Through Making a Difference Ministry, he supported churches and other groups in reaching their communities with the gospel by providing them with sound equipment and personnel support at no charge. In partnership with various ministries, Thomas and his family also led community Bible studies, ministry invasions in communities plagued by drugs, outdoor worship rallies, praise banquets in hotel ballrooms, food and clothing giveaways, and concerts for senior citizens living in retirement homes.

Although Thomas had a passion for helping those in Central Florida, he ministered across the United States and as far as Brazil. In 2005, he partnered with local ministries in Ocala, Florida, to organize an evangelistic event that offered residents ministry, food and clothing, and assistance accessing civil services. The same year, he traveled to Mississippi and Louisiana to help residents rebuild after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. Years earlier, when Hurricane Andrew swept through South Florida, Thomas and his family went to Homestead, Florida, to assist with cleanup efforts. They gave away food and clothing, and organized a praise rally on a large stage provided by the military.

A talented singer and musician, Thomas won a singing contest hosted by WTGL, a local Christian television station. He later released two CDs, More Than a Man and Born to Die, which he gave away as an evangelistic tool, and opened for the gospel group The Winans at Carpenter’s Home Church in Lakeland, Florida. For several years he also hosted a half-hour radio program called In the Beginning Was the Word, which combined his musical and preaching gifts. In 2001, after years of lay ministry service, Thomas was ordained through Faith Christian Center in Orlando, first as an evangelist then as a minister in 2004.

After the Lord, Thomas’ greatest love was his family. He enjoyed interacting with his nieces and nephews and would often take them on his errands around town. They always returned with a story about something Uncle Thomas said or did.

Thomas will be remembered for his big smile, his big heart, and his willingness to always lend a helping hand. He is survived by his wife, Pamela; son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Stacy; daughter, Adrienne; mother, Mary Alice Gaines; brother and sister-in-law, Leonard and Jackie Gaines; sisters, Audrey Allison, Debra Mitchell, and Ortancis Gaines; sisters-in-law, Jackie Jordan and Valerie Morris; grandson, Malachi; granddaughters, Xaria, Jordan, Blair, and Audra; and by a host of beloved aunts, cousins, nieces, and nephews. He will be interred at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery in Mims, Florida.