Professional web design that you can maintain- Sumwhatsouth Design Group
ARNIE SHIPP
Founder/CEO of Gospel Fest
Endorsed by Pintech USA
INFLUENCES IN MY LIFE
"To Matt, Phyllisa, Ryan, Alex, Branden, and Hannah,....... remember God is with you always and that no matter what happens in my life I love you with all my heart. Don't ever give up. Always remember if you have Jesus, you have everything you need or want. "
"Betty Jo, the person that taught me a few beats on the drum, I love you so much for what you did your kind gesture helped me to be endorsed by Pintech USA- an electric drum company."
"Brother Bob and Kathy Tate; you will never know the impact you had in my life- it is an honor to continue to minister with you both. Thank you for the love and support you continuallly give to me and the Gospel Fest events."
ARNIE SHIPP- Founder/CEO of Gospel Fest
MANY EVENTS SHAPED THE PERSON THAT I AM TODAY; FOR EACH OF THESE I THANK GOD FOR THE FAITHFULNESS AND PROVISION HE HAS SHOWN ME... HERE'S MY STORY:
The date was Dec.7th 1970; I was born in Clinton, South Carolina to Shirley J. Shipp and Mack Craine Jr. I have always had a love for music and Art; I've loved music since I was a kid watching my dad and his brothers as they would travel around playing country music. Then, when I was 8 or 9 years old, a lady by the name of Betty Jo Eustes changed my life forever. Betty Jo played the organ at our church and I would beat on pots and pans and boxes all the time trying to learn to play the drums. One day at church Betty Jo took the time to show me a few beats on the drums and that was the beginning of it all... I soon began playing in church groups and traveling in the summer time with a singing group that my Pastor and his wife had (Rev. Mike & Carol Ann Campbell). I learned a lot about music and I knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life.
During my younger years times were often tough for my mom who was a struggling as a single parent and many times she was unable to afford the simple necessities of childhood; during one of these times I stayed with pastor Bob Tate and his wife Kathy and they did something that would stay with me my whole life... seeing that my shoes were worn and old, Brother Bob took me out and bought me a brand new pair of shoes. To some, this might seem very small but it touched me deeper than anything else he could have done; I knew then that I wanted to be like him when I grew up- to share what God has blessed me with so that others, less fortunate, could experience the joy that I experienced that day by such a kind gesture. Since that time I have given away hundreds of pairs of shoes to children much like myself. Brother Bob and Kathy are still wonderful friends to this day. He is an accomplished guitarist and we play music together often; he is also the chaplain at all of our Gospel Fest events. Bob and Kathy are like "second parents" to me and I will always be thankful for them.
After graduating school, I moved to New York. There I met my beautiful wife, Shai. I had a great job as a finance manager, making good money and I loved the company I worked for. I was living the good life... I still held on to my love of music and had the opportunity to begin promoting and working with a lot of big name artists. I met and worked with a lot of famous people and put on many concerts. Sept 11th, 2001 changed my life forever; when the towers were hit I new that I had to do something so I went to work right away with local fire and rescue from the Silver Lake Fire House to help with relief efforts at Ground Zero. After this, I felt I needed to do even more so I worked with local churches setting up prayer vigils and counseling. Soon afterward I founded "OPERATION TOY DROP", a toy drive for my area. This turned out to be an annual event in which we would help hundreds of families each year with new clothes, food, and toys- it was the most rewarding thing I have ever done.
Then an old injury in my back started giving me troubles; I couldn't walk, sit, stand, or lay without being in extreme pain. I had an operation for this injury several years earlier but had never healed properly from it and this time part of my spine was crushed so I was rushed to emergency reconstructive surgery. The doctors told my wife and I, that the surgery should only take about 4 hours but it actually took 8hrs; the damage was much worse than they had thought and when the surgery was over I was unable to walk. This news was devastating but my wife, Shai, stuck by me through it all... but we all know how music can change your life and the song "Through the Fire" (written by Gerald Crabb and sang by the Crabb Family) truly changed my life. It gave me hope where there seemed to be no hope and because we have a great and awesome GOD he has allowed me to walk again! I am still disabled but I thank the Good Lord up above for everything he has done in my life. I still love helping people. My God saved me for something and I am on a mission to find out what it is; so I am going to help as much as I can, wherever I can.
My mom was very sick for a long time and in January she went home to be with the Lord up above. Our family has been struggling with this great loss but in the midst of this struggle we had a bright light come in and give us a fresh breath; his name is Tanner Matthew, my first grandbaby. Even through tragedies God is there; he is the same God at night as he is in the day. Our family now lives back in my hometown of Clinton, SC. My wife and I decided that we needed to make a better "small town life" for our children. My family is very present in every thing I do. You will see them at Gospel Fest concerts helping out with everything from set up to greeting people as they come in. I thank God every day for my wife and my kids and I pray that he keeps them safe in His loving arms.
So, now that you know me, stop by and say hello at a concert; I would love to talk to you and get to know "your story".
Sorry, the page you requested does not exist
or has been moved. Please check to make sure
that the URL you entered is correct.
Error 404: page not found
