Coming from a long line of Salvationist generations does not give you a “pass” into Heaven. Nor does walking away from God’s will for one’s life mean He has given up on you. Far from it.

Just ask Phil Hull—the Indiana Division’s director of mission and spiritual development, and a soldier of the Indianapolis Eagle Creek Corps.

“I came to the Army the way many others do,” Phil explains. “I was born into it. My parents were active soldiers of the corps in Royal Oak, MI, when I was born and shortly thereafter, they went to the School for Officer Training in Chicago.”

“I think the most interesting part of my testimony is not how I came to the Army, but how I came back to the Army.”

Young Phil was saved on August 1, 1988, at the Central Bible and Leadership Institute (CBLI), held every year at Camp Wonderland in Wisconsin. Like most kids who were raised in church, he knew a lot about God and did a pretty good job of faking it (his words).

“I was a senior soldier and wore my uniform every Sunday. I played in the band, was involved in our youth group, and I attended every youth councils, Corps Cadet retreat, and summer camp that I could.

“But none of the aspects of faith were really something that I held deeply,” Phil admits. “I was just doing the things that I thought I should do and putting on a show for everyone.”

It was like he was wearing a mask.

One night in the teen track of CBLI that summer, a guest speaker talked about the masks that we can wear to hide who we really are. He said that God knew our real identity and that no mask could ever fool Him.

“He invited us to take off the mask and confess the things that we were hiding. A real revival broke out in that meeting. I gave my heart to Jesus that night as did so many others!”

Phil goes on to describe that incredible altar scene.

“Then one by one, kids came up to the front to share the things they had been hiding and to be set free from the bondage of sin. It was a day that changed my life forever, and the Tamarack building at Camp Wonderland where we met that night remains to this day a holy place for me to visit.”

Life throws many curve balls, and there were so many times, he says, that he felt as if God had left him alone; or that he was not sure what direction his life was taking. In those moments, he says he felt like he was spinning his wheels and not going anywhere.

“But those were the seasons in my life where God was doing important work in me,” Phil now knows. “I felt called to ministry in my teenage years. I went to college for over three years to study youth ministry. But it was not until my mid-thirties that I had an opportunity to serve in the ministry full-time.

“It would be easy to look back at those years as wasted time, but if I had jumped into full-time ministry in my twenties, I would have burned out because I wasn’t truly ready for it.”

All the experiences and growth he encountered those 15 years or so, prepared him for the ministry that God has for him today. It was in his early thirties that he started to figure out that his plans always seemed to lead him in the wrong direction.

In January 2004, Phil and his sweetheart, Cassie, were married and were active in the corps. But a very hurtful incident occurred that took them away from the Army and into ministry in another church.

“Having been raised in the Army, it was very hard to leave the only church I had ever known,” he says. “I even thought seriously about walking away from faith completely and I was very angry at God for allowing His people to hurt me.”

Phil admits he and Cassie were very happy and comfortable in their new church and even became members and leaders there. He was convinced that The Salvation Army was no longer a part of their lives.

“But in the summer of 2008, we attended a commissioning weekend to support my sister who was part of a musical group performing throughout the events. It was good for us to see old friends, but I didn’t feel it was a part of my life any longer,” he states.

During the Sunday morning service, however, the Holy Spirit broke through, leading Phil with the call to return to the Army as their church home.

“It turns out that my wife also felt the same calling at the same moment, and shortly thereafter we returned to attending our local corps. And God has blessed us both with important ministries within the Army in the years since!”

It all comes down to the mission and ministry of the Army, he insists.

“I love the holistic ministry of the Army. Going back to our earliest days, we have realized that in order for people to be open to hearing the Gospel, we had to meet their physical and emotional needs as well.”

This, he believes, opens up so many opportunities for sharing the Good News of God’s love and plan of salvation.

“We have a rich and vibrant mission field,” Phil says, “and the more we can see all of the various parts of our daily operations as opportunities for ministry, the more we will see the fruit of God’s transforming power in people’s lives!”