DAYTON — New leaders were named for Dayton Ohio East Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the stake’s annual conference in Huber Heights Nov. 19.
Called to preside over the stake with its more than 4,200 members is Robert Hancock of Beavercreek as stake president.
Elder Timothy J. Dyches, a General Authority in the First Quorum of Seventy, from the Church’s headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Elder S. Marc Clay, Jr., Area Authority Seventy for the North America Northeast Area, came to reorganize the leadership of the Dayton Ohio East Stake during the conference.
In the church, stake presidents and their assistants, called counselors, serve without pay, generally for nine to 10 years and during that time balance work, family and their new calling.
The new stake president is the Chief Scientist, Turbine Engine Division, Aerospace Systems Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Hancock has previously served a two-year mission preaching the Gospel for the church in the Guatemala Quetzaltenango Mission.
Assisting President Hancock in his position, and also newly called, are Mark Skouson, from Beavercreek, and Jeremy Lutz of Huber Heights, as first and second counselors, respectively.
Skouson, a member of the US Air Force, is Associate Dean at the Graduate School of Engineering and Management for the Air Force Institute of Technology. He had been serving as the Xenia Ward Bishop and served a mission in Madrid, Spain.
Lutz, moving to the position from serving as the Bishop of the Huber Heights Ward is an adjunct professor at Wright State University. Lutz served a mission in Portland, Oregon.
Released were President Mike Stevens of Xenia, who had served as the stake’s president for nine years; Mark Zelnick, of Troy, who had been serving as the first counselor; and Hancock, as the second counselor.
“I had the opportunity for people to share their life’s experiences with me, and as a result, my life changed,” he said. “I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to serve God and His children.
Hancock also reflected on the years he served with Stevens and Zelnick in the stake presidency.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to serve with President Stevens and President Zelnick,” Hancock said. “They are men of God who devoted their all to serve everyone around them.”
A stake usually consists of five to twelve local units, or congregations, called wards or branches. A ward or branch has between 200 to 500 members. The term stake was used by the Bible’s Old Testament prophet Isaiah. He described the latter-day Church as a tent that would be secured by stakes.
For the Dayton Ohio East Stake, there are nine units which cover an area from Bellefontaine on the north, to Xenia on the south, and from Springfield on the east, to Huber Heights on the west.
