Victoria Diane Vaughn was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. She is the second child of Irene and Donald Crane and sister to five siblings. Her family relocated to Chicago, Illinois when she was seven years of age and she was raised in the Wentworth Gardens and The Hilliard's, both housing projects on Chicago's South side. As a child, Vicki was eccentric, personable and very outspoken. She was often teased by family and friends for being "too loud". Today, she uses that same powerful voice to boldly profess the Word of God.
Having been raised in the Catholic faith, Vicki became cynical about religion at an early age because she did not feel connected to God and religion failed to provide the answers she sought. After graduating from Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School in Oak Lawn, Illinois, she enrolled at Pivot Point International Cosmetology School where she earned a Certificate in Cosmetology. After graduation, she traveled the United States refining her skills. In 1982 she settled in Chicago where she took a position as a chemical technician/stylist at Van Cleef Hair Design, an upscale salon in Chicago's Gold Coast area. Vicki's skill, wit, charm and charismatic personality brought her great success. Her clientele included the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Juanita Jordan, Robin Robinson, Willie Gault, Barbara Bates, Gary Matthews and LisaRaye McCoy. She was young, attractive, financially successful, popular and socializing with Chicago's African American elite.
To the world, she had everything a single woman in her twenties from the South side of Chicago could ask for. Yet, despite her fabulous life in the fast lane, Vicki was spiritually restless, her life was incomplete and she felt a great void; so, despite her reservations about religion, when she met Pastor Rickey Vaughn in 1996, she made a drastic change.
Pastor Rickey Vaughn was the founder of The Lord Is There Church in Chicago, Illinois. He noticed Vicki in passing and, after deliberating, eventually worked up the nerve to approach her. The couple hit it off quickly and started dating. Vicki joined his church and nine months later, Pastor Vaughn proposed. Having heard stories about the challenges of being married to a Pastor, Vicki was initially reluctant to accept his proposal. However, despite her reservations, she went ahead with the marriage. Next ten years proved to be the most challenging period of her life.
Neither Pastor Vaughn nor Vicki understood the scriptural principles that govern marriage and relationships; Pastor Vaughn was not a true husband in the scriptural sense of the word, and Vicki was unclear about her roles as First Lady and as a Pastor's wife. The couple often argued and failed to see eye-to-eye on many things. Over time, the relationship deteriorated and they grew apart. In the summer of 1998, Pastor Vaughn filed for divorce and the two went their separate ways. Each pursued other relationships, but in 2001, Pastor Vaughn and Vicki reconnected and started dating again; after dating for nearly two years, the couple decided to remarry in May 2003, but realized soon after the relationship would not work and Pastor Vaughn again filed for divorce.
Although her marriages to Pastor Vaughn failed twice, the experiences motivated Vicki to cultivate a better relationship with God. She developed a passion for reading and studying God's Word. Her prayer-life greatly improved and she decided to give the Lord complete control of her life. Having finally realized and embraced the connection with God that she longed for as a child, Vicki joined Living Word Christian Center in Forest Park, Illinois and attended regularly until the fall of 2008, when she met Rev. Napoleon Lawson.
During the time Vicki was married, she developed the urge to minister to people about relationships and believed she was being called to that area of ministry. She had expressed her thoughts to her husband but Pastor Vaughn was not supportive and instructed her to dismiss the idea. After her divorce, the yearning remained and Vicki became restless because of her uncertainty about how best to respond to it. As Vicki learned more about Rev. Lawson's ministry and area of specialization, a dialog began; they eventually started having Bible study and the answers she had been seeking concerning marriage and relationships were revealed to her. Having finally found the answers she had been searching for her entire life, Vicki's suspicions concerning God's calling on her life were confirmed.
Vicki's life experiences, heart for marriage, knowledge of scripture and zeal for ministry made her the ideal partner for Rev. Lawson. She joined Christian Relationship Coaching Inc. as an associate relationship coach in spring of 2009, and in summer 2009 she was installed as Pastor of First Family of Faith alongside its founder, of Rev. Napoleon Lawson. She is also the co-host of three internet podcast, Rev. Lawson Online, Courtship & Covenant and Teens In The Temple. Each program is broadcast from http://www.christianrelationshipcoach.com/ and can be located and downloaded from I-Tunes.
