About

Thank you for checking out Intersections blog.  

My name is Phil Aho.  I write this urban mission blog for the Salvation Army USA Central Territory.

Here’s my family.  Our youngest grandson, Fen, is not quite 48 hours old in this photo.  His mother, our daughter Natalya, is holding him while Kenny, his father, stands behind them.  They live in Grand Rapids MI.  Back row next to Kenny are our children Matt (with us in Arlington Heights), John (St Louis) and Kirsten (Chicago).  Zane, Natalya’s oldest son, is next to Gail.

Gail and I’ve been married 30 years.  We are Salvation Army officers.  Gail serves as the Territorial Youth Secretary and I’m the Territorial Corps Mission Secretary.  We enjoy our work which takes us around the 11 central states of the US.  Gail hopes, dreams, and acts as an advocate for young people and for any work that helps them, especially for youth in at risk environments.  My vision is for all corps to serve their neighborhoods preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and meeting human needs in his name without discrimination, the mission of the Salvation Army.  I have a special place in my heart for cities.

We’ve enjoyed ministry in Gary IN, west side Chicago and Detroit, youth work, and at the College for Officer Training.  We’re also students, Gail’s at De Paul University and I’m at North Park Seminary.

As you read, my hope is that you will see what I see about mission in urban places.  Though much of it is from a Salvation Army set of eyes, I am interested in what all of God’s people, the church, is doing in cities.   I’ll do my best to share it here.