SPRING 2022: 21
hatchet man and the first in the Nixon administration
to be incarcerated for the Watergate scandal. The two
became friends. Through Colson, Phipps learned of Prison
Fellowship Ministries. Soon, Phipps was visiting prisons
across the country, singing and dispensing hope.
“I have been honored to sing for six presidents of the United
States, I have been blessed to sing for Billy Graham, Oprah
Winfrey and Mother Teresa, but there is a feeling I get
singing to men and women in prisons that is like no other,”
he said.
His prison ministry is a subject dear to his heart and one
that touches him viscerally, since during a prison visit he
came face-to-face with his wife’s young pregnant niece at a
Florida prison. Linda’s seven siblings have been behind bars
and, in turn, some of their children have also done time.
“Seventy percent of children who end up in prison come
from families where parents had gone to prison,” Phipps
said. “It is the normalization of incarceration.”
WINTLEY PHIPPS PHOTOS
The pastor sang at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., during the 77th birthday
celebration for civil rights icon Rosa Parks.
U.S. Dream Academy students surround Phipps at the school for at-risk youth. For 25 years, Phipps was part of the Rev. Billy Graham’s crusades.
Phipps was one of the first to mentor
children whose families were incarcerated
or had a history of incarceration.
BREAKING THE CYCLE
At the request of several members of
Congress, including former Sen. Orrin
Hatch, Phipps developed a commission
to research ways of breaking the cycle of
incarceration within families. Among the
members of the group was Hilary Clinton.
“They called us the Odd Couple,” Phipps
said jokingly.
The result of that commission was
the U.S. Dream Academy, a national
nonprofit that serves as a support net
for children with a family history of
time in prison. From caring adults who
reflect God’s love, the youngsters receive
mentoring and academic assistance.
Among the organization’s strongest
friends is Oprah, who has donated $4
million to the cause.
Aaron Collins, founder of the Space
Coast Symphony, found this man of God
to be highly approachable.
“We met 10 years ago at his home to
discuss a collaboration and for me to
learn about all the great work he does in
the community,” he said.
Phipps has since worked with Collins on
projects that include two gospel concerts
in Vero Beach and Melbourne.
Phipps thanks God for leading him to the
amazing Palm Bay church he leads and
the beautiful spot in Vero Beach that he
calls home.
“It turned out to be 15 minutes from
where Linda grew up,” he said.
Throughout his songs and his sermons,
Phipps endeavors to convey what he
believes is the destiny of all of us.
“We must grow every day to resemble,
reflect and reveal the character of the
one who created us,” he said.