Ray Vernon is a leader with an entrepreneurial spirit, specifically when it comes to solving the challenge of reaching our youth with the message of Christ. Born and raised in Cleveland, OH, Ray has been no stranger to the church. In 2013 when he was in ninth grade, Minister R.A ll made the tough choice to forego a traditional high school experience in favor of homeschool, so that he could help his father, Dr. R. A. Vernon, with ministry responsibilities and travel with him as he preached around the world. This also gave him the flexibility to focus on exploring his own gifts. From ages sixteen to nineteen, Ray has started and organized several faith-based youth groups, as well as spoken at numerous events where he addressed audiences at various high schools in Cleveland’s area suburbs including Bedford Heights, Warrensville Heights, Whitney Young, Shaker Heights, and the Ohio University Revival conference. In 2015, at the age of sixteen, he started and spearheaded two key youth ministries at The Word Church. One of those ministries, the Outsiders, has an average weekly attendance of 400+ teenagers from Cleveland and Akron. The ministry had its first conference in 2016 called L.I.T. (Leaders In Training), which drew a crowd of nearly 2,000 people. Ray was the keynote speaker. The other ministry he launched is a preteen ministry that meets every Sunday called Club412 (a play on I Timothy 4:12), designed to target and tackle the unique needs and expectations of eleven to fourteen-year-olds. He is also a returning conference speaker at The Gathering of The Shepherds, a national conference for pastors and church leaders, where he teaches adult leaders on running programs for teens and preacher’s kids on the challenges of growing up under a ministry microscope. His young career has been a steady crescendo. During his time as an undergrad student at Ashland University, Ray Vernon co-founded and was President of a campus ministry called, “The Melting Pot,” a Christ-centered organization created to give students a social space to connect with each other, learn about Christ, and express their faith. It started in the lobby of his dorm floor, but became the fastest-growing ministry in the college’s history and has the largest attendance of any ministry on campus. Ray Vernon also joined Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity incorporated, Cleveland City wide Pi Chapter on November 2nd, 2019. He has the honor to be the campus charter member at Ashland university. Ray Vernon has received a religion degree with a minor in business management from Ashland University. He is currently furthering his education at Howard University, where he is pursuing his master's degree in Divinity. Ray Vernon continues to position himself to be a ministry disruptor of his generation. As a testament to all his efforts as a youth, Ray Vernon is also the Founder and current CEO of VARR LLC. VARR is a trailblazing Christian platform that is focused around “Telling The Story Of The Gospel!” It delivers authentic church content, church community, and the church connection to its users. Partnering with some of the Church’s best, VARR has curated Christian content that can be enjoyed by anyone. Ray Vernon and his wife also own a striving studio called VARR Studios that is focused on “Bringing Your Story To Life!” It is centered around.