Pastor Ashley Thomas is an ordained minister and together with his wife Usha have been serving in the Work of Ministry for almost three decades. They both have God’s calling upon their lives and have ministered far and wide, seeing lives transformed by the power of the Gospel. During the first few years of their ministry from 1994 through to 1998, the couple lived in Sydney, where they prioritised preaching, teaching, and evangelism work both locally and abroad. God guided them to begin a new chapter of pastoral service in Brisbane in 1998, after the birth of their son Petra. As they carried on in this area of ministry, God blessed them with another child, this time a daughter named Selah. They remained in this aspect of ministry until God started speaking to them once more about transitioning to a new season of ministry.

In the year 2012, God directed them to move to the city of Adelaide, and it was during this time that fresh opportunities began to open up for itinerant ministry mainly in Asia and Southeast Asia. During this time period, quite a lot of travel took place in order that the Word of God might be preached and taught among many churches and gatherings that were highly accepting of their ministry.

In 2019, a move to Perth was made to be in closer proximity with Asia due to the frequency of travel that was being necessary. This was done to reduce the time spent traveling in order to make commuting much more viable. And the year 2020 brought about a revolution in the globe in which lockdowns became the norm. In point of fact, Ashley vividly recalls the day that he returned from ministering in Asia and was on one of the last aircraft allowed in before the shutdown of all travels, and later on the closing up of the borders. It would appear that during this time, everyone was required to make the necessary adjustments in order to adapt to what would seemingly become to us, as our “new normal.”

Nevertheless, in the midst of this period of waiting and seeking God, the avenue of expanding the work of ministry through the use of an online platform was something that God impressed upon both Ashley and Usha. And so, after much prayer and having a strong witness that this was the leading of the Lord into the next chapter, ‘Solid Rock Ministries’ was established to be the online presence, and thereby to continue proclaiming the Word of God to an audience from all over the world.