What is your full name?

Kenny Ray York

What is your profession?

I’m founder and CEO of Manna Café Ministries.

Where are you from originally?

Clarksville.

How long have you been in Clarksville?

I lived here until 2004, so I was 42 when I left. I’ve been back in Clarksville for a year.

Tell us about your family.

My wife’s name is Vicki. I have three children: Dustin York, who’s 29, Jacob York, who’s 26, and Angela Morgan, who’s 23. Vicki and I have two grandchildren each. My mom, brother, and sister live in the area.

What do you like most about Clarksville?

It’s my hometown. Although it’s not a small town, in some ways it still feels like it.

If you could have any other profession/dream job what would it be?

Rock star.

What is your favorite meal?

Prime rib with a baked potato and strawberry cake.

What is the easiest and most difficult part of your job every day?

Easiest: Loving on people.
Most difficult: Seeing people hurting and not being able to fix the hurt.

What do you drive?

A Bubba truck.

What’s your favorite movie or TV show?

I have two favorite movies: Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Kingdom of Heaven. My favorite TV show was Home Improvement.

Who do you look up to? Who is your role model?

I have a list of people I look up to: My dad, and three of my pastors—Don Crossland, Ron Edmondson, and Charles Martin. In different ways and for different reasons, I love all three of them. And then there’s one of my friends in ministry, Angela Greenig.

What has been the toughest challenge you’ve had to overcome in your life?

Convincing myself that God can still use me even though I’m broken and I make mistakes.

What do you hope to be doing 10 years from now?

Feeding and housing people.

Have you ever been issued a speeding ticket?

Oh yeah.

Why did you choose your current profession?

It chose me. More correctly, God chose me.

Where did you go to school and what did you study?

Montgomery Central High School; music. My senior year I took six classes; four of them were music classes.

When and to where was your last vacation?

Last year, Tybee Island.

What is your favorite pastime or hobby?

First: Spending time with my wife. Second: cooking.

What advice can you give others juggling a family and career?

Don’t forget the family.

How do you start your day?

Get up and put my britches on. I’m not a morning person, so that’s pretty much it. I stumble and grumble; sometimes I make it to the gym, and I try to spend some time with God. Coffee is a big part of my morning. Personally, I think mornings should be outlawed.

What are you passionate about in life?

Loving on people, whether through food or shelter or just smiling and talking. Everybody wants to be loved and talked to and treated like a person, no matter if they’re a CEO at a major corporation or a homeless man walking down the street.

What is something most Clarksvillians wouldn’t know about you?

Clarksvillians who knew me before 2004 wouldn’t know that I’m a pastor. Friends who met me after 2004 wouldn’t know how wild and crazy I was before 2004.

If you could leave one message to the Clarksville community what would it be?

We all have a purpose. Not everyone is called to feed the multitudes or to stand in a church and preach, but God has put in us a unique purpose that only we can fill. There are people who are hurting that only we can touch. There are laughs that only we can laugh and tears that only we can shed. Through it all, God has a purpose for our lives.



For the latest news in and around Clarksville, refreshClarksvilleNow.com.
To submit news, e-mail news@clarksvillenow.com.
To get breaking news directly to your mobile phone, text NEWS to 77000. (Standard texting rates may apply.)
Stay in touch! Sign up for the ClarksvilleNow.com Newsletter today!