Athena Sorensen is a Christian singing evangelist that is dedicated to using her voice to glorify God by spreading the Gospel of Jesus. Several years ago, God healed her from an autoimmune disease. Now she wants to give hope to this dying world that there is a Savior who loves us and can heal us from our physical and spiritual diseases. Athena writes and composes her own music as an avenue to relay what God has done for her.

Athena was born and raised on the Central Coast in California. Her parents raised her in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She began singing in church as a small child. Growing up, Gospel and Christian music were her main musical influences. By the age of 14, Athena knew she wanted to be a singer. In high school, Athena began to do a lot of performing. She sang for the school choir, show choir, football games, wrestling matches, volleyball games, school assemblies, weddings, banquets, and her high school graduation.

In 1999 Athena met a pastor named Tonye Holyday and he asked to sing on his church’s annual worship album. As a thank you, he produced Athena’s first album called "Jesus is the Meaning". Athena wrote the title track and it has been a holiday favorite ever since.

Earlier that year, Athena won a radio competition to sing the National Anthem at a Celebrity Basketball game in Fresno California. Brian McKnight and Boys to Men played in the match. She was promised a record deal from a small label, but it never worked out. After high school, she married her husband Shawn. Shortly after, she was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease called Alopecia Areata. The disease was devastating and  incurable, but the Lord healed her. "I remember how terrible I felt during that time. I can honestly say that during that trial is when I truly found Jesus, He became the love of my life. I had nowhere else to turn, so I turned to Jesus."

During her illness, Athena began to write songs about her sickness and how God was giving her strength. She prayed in faith for healing, and the Lord answered her prayer! God healed her and as a result, she finished writing her first album "Grateful". Not knowing if she would ever record the songs, Athena was introduced to a friend of the family who had started an independent record label. He offered to help her put out her first album. In 2000 Athena flew to Colorado and began recording. The situation didn’t work out, but Athena didn’t loose hope. In 2001, she found a Christian music producer on an online music web-site named Kenny Taylor. Kenny was the worship leader at his church and was also a very gifted musician.

Athena and Kenny hit it off immediately. Several family members gave Athena the funds to hire Mr. Taylor and they began recording. The "Grateful" album was completed in the summer of 2002. Another family member offered to start a label and help Athena promote her music. Athena began singing everywhere she could such as local television shows, the American Cancer Society walk-for-the-cure, churches, fairs, etc. Crossroads Restoration church in Chicago found Athena online and invited her to sing for a purity conference. That performance opened more doors, and Athena went back to Chicago three more times to sing for other churches. She also went to Maryland and did a mini-tour in Hawaii. Her single “Temptation” was played on 95.5 “The Fish” and her single “Grateful” reached 12 on XM Satellite radio! In 2004, Athena was offered the chance to record her first Music Video for free by a company in Nashville! Grateful also garnered worldwide distribution through CDbaby, Apple iTunes and, the Adventist Book Centers.

In 2004, Athena released her second album Hymns Book 1. It was an immediate success. The album encompassed very traditional Hymns that Athena grew up singing. Her single “Jesus Loves Me” was recently claimed as a top song on a prominent singer's play list. "I love hymns. These are the songs we sang during family worship. They are my roots. I dedicated the album to my mommy because she is the one who introduced me to hymns."

In 2005, Athena started her own Independent music Label called Songberd Music and her own music publishing company called Athena Loves Music Publishing. In 2006, Athena prayed that God would give her the chance to share her Testimony of how He had healed her. "I was invited to be apart of an Alopecia Areata meeting, and I met many people who were still struggling with the disease. They all could see that I had been cured. When I shared my story with them, they urged me not to hide it, but to share it so others could be blessed. I had been too afraid to share my story. I was embarrassed. So I began to ask the Lord that if He wanted me to do it, then he had to open a BIG door for me." And the Lord opened that door. Athena was invited to sing on a Christian television network called 3ABN. Danny Shelton, the owner of 3ABN, came to Athena’s church. He heard her sing and asked her to come on the show. Athena was interviewed by Danny Shelton, and her story touched thousands of lives around the world. "I received letters from people in prison, people who had the disease, people who had other sicknesses. They all told me how my testimony had blessed them. It was such a blessing to me to know that my story had a purpose, and that is was helping people!"

In 2007, Athena emailed the promoter of a big Gospel Concert in Monterey California that was to feature Vicky Winans and Martha Munizzi. The promoter booked Athena to sing, and as a result, another promoter saw her there and booked her to sing in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center for another Mega Gospel Concert. In early 2008, she gave birth to her first son.

In 2008, Athena began praying for God to open the doors to record a new CD. She had been writing many songs for years. After she sang for a youth conference in Fresno California, she was introduced to Singer/Songwriter/Producer Josiah Ruff of Ruffisticated Music. He offered to help her record the album. "I was ready to start sharing my testimony more, and I wanted an album that expressed where I was spiritually at that time. I had written Have You Touched Jesus during my sickness, and I felt that it was time to record it and encourage people to touch Jesus through faith."

In the spring of 2009, Have You Touched Jesus was released. Since it’s release, Athena has done concerts in California, Hawaii, and she was interviewed on TBN. Her music was picked up by a radio station in India, and she has sung for numerous local events, television shows, and churches. “Have You Touched Jesus is a very special album to me. It encompasses so much of my love for God and His love for us.”

In 2010, Athena went back into the studio to record a new album called Christmas Around the World. "This was a dream project for many years. I had been singing for a local Christmas event called the Vine Street Walk for almost 15 years. I really wanted to record a new christmas cd. The title track was inspired by my son." She hired Singer/Songwriter/Producer Luis Beltre.

Athena wrote the title track and another track called Jesus is Born. In December 2010, Christmas Around the World was released. Athena used the CD to do a benefit concert to raise money for the Templeton Hills Seventh-day Adventist Christian school. The concert gained local press, including a radio interview and a local newspaper did a feature article on Athena. All of Athena's CD's are being distributed world wide through CD Baby, which has put her music on every digital download site.

 Through all of the many doors that God has opened for Athena, her main goal and desire is to reach as many people as she can with the Love of Jesus Christ. “I want people to be saved! I want people to come to know Jesus as I have. This is a hard world to live in. With so much sickness, disease, heartache, loneliness, and sorrow, people need hope! Jesus is the answer. I know I am not famous, and I don’t have a huge record deal, but I have dedicated my voice to God. I will continue to write songs and hope that my music with touch people and make a difference in their lives. The Lord has healed me of a terrible disease, forgiven my sins, blessed me with a beautiful little boy, and a wonderful husband. I love HIM and owe Him so much! I can’t imagine singing anything else but Gospel Music. Jesus is coming back very soon, I just want people to be ready. I will sing for Jesus until I die!”

Appearances:

Mt. Rubidoux Seventh-Day Adventist Church

Judge for the Templeton Music Festival

3ABN 

TBN                                                                                                                                     

ARME Bible Camp                                                                                            War In Heaven Evangelistic Series, CA                                                                                               California Mid-State Fair, Paso Robles, CA                                                                                                            Pine Hills Adventist Academy, Auburn CA                                                                                                                     XM Satellite Radio                                                                                                                                                            U.N.L.V. Cox Pavilion at the Thomas & Mack

Center, Las Vegas, NV                                                                                                                                    Monterey Fair Grounds, Monterey, CA

Calvary Chapel, Paso Robles, CA

Gillette Wyoming SDA Church, Gillette, WY

Worship Company Christian Fellowship, Loma Linda, CA

Crossroads Restoration Church, Westminster, MD

Church of Joy, Zion, IL

Universal Studios, Universal City, CA

Fresno Civic Center, Fresno, CA

Faith Fellowship Church, Zion IL

Crossroads Restoration Church, Chicago, IL

Cal Poly University, San Luis Obispo, CA

95.5 THE FISH HAWAII

Hawaiian Prince Hotel, Honolulu, HI

Ward Where House Amphitheater, HI

American Cancer Society Walk For Life, CA

Lemoore SDA Church, Lemoore, CA

Santa Maria SDA Church, Santa Maria, CA

Arroyo Grande SDA Church, CA

Templeton Hills SDA Church, Templeton, CA

Shafter SDA Church, Shafter, CA

Honolulu Central SDA Church, Honolulu, HI

Pastoral Recommendations:

"I have known Athena for several years and have heard her sing many times. She always brings a heart-felt warmth and love for Jesus into her music. Especially do I appreciate Grateful and Hymns Book 1. The Church is dying for pure, wholesome, Christ-centered, uplifting music, and Athena’s songs meet the need. I recommend her highly!"

Steve Wohlberg
Speaker/Director, White Horse Media Ministries
White Horse Media
www.Whitehorsemedia.com

"Athena has led several events here at Calvary Chapel Paso Robles, CA, and each time, our fellowship has been so blessed by this young ladies talents and her heart for the Lord. Her personal desire for each in attendance to come close to Jesus, was quite clear. Her lyrics are so powerful, and have been writen through the personal experience under which she has journeyed. They are heartfelt and powerful."

Pastor Steve Stump
Calvary Chapel Paso robles

If you would like to invite Athena to do music ministry at your church or event, please Contact us.