Shawn Forster

~NEWS: SHAWN WILL BE OPENING FOR INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN RECORDING ARTISTS "ACAPPELLA" IN MAY 2007~

For as long as He could remember Shawn had a deep passion for music and singing. “No matter what, music was always there to get me through.”

As a toddler he had aspiration of seeing his name in lights on Broadway but Shawn was born with cleft lip/cleft palate and does not have hearing in one ear. His hands were never completely formed and one hand has a small finger and three fingers on the other hand were attached at birth and today cannot be straightened. This might have caused some people to assume that there would be no way of playing the piano, having the ability to sing and stay in tune or even have any chance of reaching his dream. However, God had a different plan.

Shawn has been a regular face among Syracuse, NY theatergoers. “For more than 10 years I have been heavily involved with theatre here in Syracuse. I have been so lucky to play some amazing roles in that time. Some of my favorite parts have been: Joseph in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, The Beast in “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” Willard in “Footloose”, Joe Vegas in “Fame the Musical”, Roger in “Grease”, Paul in “A Chorus Line”, Frankie in “Forever Plaid” and The Cowardly Lion in “The Wizard of Oz”

In 2002, Shawn got cast in the National Tour of “It’s A Wonderful Life” playing Ernie the cab driver. He spent a year as a professional actor doing productions at Equity Dinner Theaters throughout the country. “I was so excited that I had finally reached my goal of being a professional performer. But even with that excitement something didn’t feel right. That is when I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to leave everything and return home.”

Shawn had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal savior in his senior year of High School. It was a life changing experience for him, learning that God wasn’t this being from a far but rather He was close to him, dwelling inside of him. He had a newfound glory that he could call Him his Father and friend. It’s only recently, however, in May 2003 where a personal event led Shawn to surrender his life totally to the Lord. His eyes were opened to see that although he had a genuine love for Christ there was a part of him that was living for his own wants and desires. “ I spent twelve years of my life living for myself. I was in control. I decided what percentage of my life God could have and I wasn’t willing to give Him much. The majority of my existence was spent on trying to pursue my dreams of stardom and make it big in show biz. Even bigger than that was my quest for love and acceptance, which lead me down a very dark path.”

The Lord has met Shawn in such a powerful way. He has freed him from depression and the power of sin and has given him new life. Because of this, Shawn is a completely transformed human being. “With one stroke, He washed me clean. Removing all of the filth that I had stored up for many years. It was very much a Damascus Road experience. My whole existence was changed in the time it took for the second hand to move once.”

Shawn no longer dreams of stardom and being a performer. He has made a commitment to seek God’s will for his life and grow in a deep and intimate relationship with the Lord. His only desire now is to honor and worship the Lord with the gifts He has given him. “I wouldn’t change a thing about my life if I could because without this awakening there’s no telling where I would be. I am so grateful to God for His undying love. I’ve made a commitment to Him as well as to myself. I want His will for my life and no longer will my own hopes and dreams distract me. For my only desire now is to honor and worship Him with all of my being.”