Tony Ares was raised in Fayetteville, NC. Before graduating high school, Tony joined the Army during Operation Desert Shield. The conflict was over though before he even began Boot Camp, so Tony served his time with the Presidential Honor Guard(The Old Guard). Specialist Ares left the Army four years later with a wife, an honorable discharge and his GI Bill.
After the military and getting married to the woman of his dreams, Tony still felt unfulfilled. Without a vision, passion or purpose, he began turning toward self-destructive patterns. At the age of twenty-three, Tony(and Kim) joined a local church(The Community Church of Christ In Dumfries.) He was hoping that religion could help him, although he wanted religion on his own terms. He promptly told the Pastor, “I am a Sunday kinda guy, I don’t do Wednesday Bible Studies.”
Elder George Thompson and his wife persisted with the patience of Job. The Elder taught him how to study and read the scriptures. He had visited churches as a child and no one had ever done that before. He went home and began to read his Bible like a Berean. His life quickly changed. As he read the Word, he awakened and God spoke to Him. That night, he repented and was saved.
An insatiable desire to study God’s Word was planted in him. His life became obsessed with learning about God. That quest eventually led him to Reverend Fred L. Ray and Pastor Clyde Ellis of Mt. Olive Baptist Church.
As Tony searched for God, everything that he ever needed was added to him. He received his Doctorate thru the Frederick L. Ray Biblical Institute. He founded The Hill Ministry, a church for the non-traditional. He has even become a prolific writer at AFreshWord.org.
Today, he has a purpose bigger than himself, a beautiful family to includes two daughters, a loving church, and an eternal legacy. His life truly began though when he met that man … named Jesus.
