THE MAN, THE MISSION

Ask just about any Southern Gospel artist if they know Andrew Phipps, and you’ll be quite surprised that a man who calls Muncie, Indiana home has impacted so many Southern Gospel groups, artists, and fans across the country, all in a positive way.

Andrew Phipps.  A man on a mission.  What kind of mission?  We’ll talk about that in a moment.  Right now, for those readers who may not know of Andrew Phipps, we’re happy to  provide some background.

Andrew Phipps loves people.  He treats everyone with great respect, and I do mean everyone.  Locally, the man is loved.  His weekly television and radio shows are fixtures in the Central Indiana market.  Twenty-five years on TV with the one-hour Phipps Gospel Sing on Saturday nights has brought Andrew to a place where he is now planning for the anniversary of his one-thousandth program that he intends to celebrate with all the loving fans of the show.

His Sunday morning 2-1/2 hour radio show that covers this same market has listeners who first tuned in more than 30 years ago and can’t live without it.  Getting ready for church without the radio version of the Phipps Gospel Sing just wouldn’t be the same for these listeners.  The endurance of his show, a highly rated program on a popular all-country station, has been a winner for everyone.    

Born in Muncie, raised in McCreary County Kentucky, Andrew’s love relationship with Southern style gospel music bloomed early.  Attending “down home” family music gatherings and front porch get-togethers only served to further whet his appetite for the genre.

Nearly every Southern Gospel artist through the years has not only enjoyed knowing Andrew, but has appreciated the exposure they receive on his shows.  Gerald Wolfe, of Greater Vision, tells it like this: “Without Andrew Phipps, we would have never been known to the Southern Gospel fans in Indiana.”

And Andrew has never had difficulty getting endorsement comments from the artists who are delighted to let his viewers and listeners know how much they appreciate Andrew’s programs.  “Hi, you’re listening to gospel music at its best, right here every Sunday morning on the Phipps Gospel Sing,” is typical of the enthusiasm Andrew brings to the industry.

Andrew’s TV format features some of the best known Southern Gospel groups in the country.  In between songs, he’ll briefly interview guests from across the spectrum.  Local business people, sponsors, preachers, politicians, you name it, have been happy to sit down and chat with Andrew through the years while enjoying the artists on the studio monitor.

Andrew, and his wife of 43 years, Shirlean, who is sometimes his co-host, enjoy people sitting in on the program tapings.  The program warms the hearts of fans who set their clocks on Saturday nights at 8.  Andrew is always a welcome guest in their homes.

But there’s even more to Andrew and Shirlean’s busy schedule.  It’s called Phipps Tours, and several times each year, they take a motor coach of fans to places like New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Lancaster, PA, and Branson, MO.

The Mission.

As if Andrew isn’t doing enough already, his latest passion is a program he calls “Faith, Family, and Freedom.”  Drawing from 32 years of teaching U.S. government and history as an award-winning high school educator, Andrew now speaks to churches, veterans groups, service clubs, and just about anywhere that patriotism lives and people gather to be re-inspired about their country.

He feels strongly about America.  What it has been.  What it is becoming.  He emphasizes that America was built on faith, family, and freedom.  Yet, as Andrew says to these audiences, “It seems that these time-honored values are being attacked daily.  What was once honored is now scorned.”

Andrew Phipps, as a Christian, a man of integrity, and a patriot, is determined to help America get back on track with these fading values.

Somehow, you get the feeling that he’s going to be successful.