Phil (Pastor Phil) and his beautiful bride Kim have been married since the summer of 1985. They have three fantastic grown kids, 8 grandkids and have lived and served in Chicago since 1993. Since 1987, Phil has served on the front lines of urban youth ministry interrupting violence in the life of youth and young adults one relationship at a time through the arts and faith.

Phil has served in North Lawndale since 1993, when he came from Kansas City where he served as youth Pastor under Congressman Emanuel Cleaver. He served as Youth Pastor and Associate Pastor of Lawndale Community Christian Church until 2016. 

In 2003 Pastor Phil planted a church called The House Covenant Church or more known as “The House - a Christ-centered, hip-hop worship service”. The House has been featured on BET, Fox News Chicago, MSNBC Nightly News, PBS, WGN, Jet (2006), Ebony (2010), Campus Life (2005), The New York Times, The Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, and The Chicago Defender. 

Phil is the Founder and CEO of The Firehouse Community Arts Center (FCAC) a converted 100-year-old Chicago Firehouse. We work to interrupt the cycle of violence in the life of youth and young adults in North Lawndale through the power of the arts and faith. We engage youth in violence prevention through poetry, dance, culinary arts, audio engineering, film, tech and visual arts.  The Firehouse Community Art Center seeks to “Spark New Flames One Life at a Time”!

He is co-author of the book The Hip-Hop Church (Intervarsity Press, 2006) which is in its twelfth publishing (sold over 15,000). His writing is published in theological journals, magazines and he has also contributed chapters and articles in several books relating to youth and young adults and infusing the arts into life transformation. 

Pastor Phil currently teaches as a part time professor for NorthPark Seminary, classes taught at Stateville Correctional Center for Ministry Identity and Practice courses.

In 2023 Pastor Phil was awarded “The New Leaders of Chicago Award” from the Field and MacArthur Foundation. 

Phil was the lead host of a weekly Sirius XM Radio Show in April of 2022 called: The Church on the block; Real talk about the streets, Hip-Hop and the church. 

He won a Midwest Emmy as Co-Producer of the film, “Chicago at the Crossroads” for best Documentary 2019-2020, (nominated for seven, and won five, including the Best Documentary). 

Phil has his Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity International University (Deerfield) in communication, and received his Master of Divinity degree from Northern Theological Seminary with a with an emphasis in Christian community development as a John Perkins scholar.

Connect with the Board:

• Email:  commissioners@chicagoparkdistrict.com
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• Phone:  (312) 742-5034