“First Presidency Calls Area Authorities,” Ensign, Oct. 1995, 74
First Presidency Calls Area Authorities
The First Presidency has announced the calling of 117 area authorities to serve beginning August 15 in the Church’s twenty-two geographical areas.
The leaders, who are high priests, will continue their employment, will reside in their own homes, and will serve for approximately six years. The number includes three previously announced area authorities who also have been called to serve in area presidencies.
The announcement of the creation of the area authority calling was made during April 1995 general conference when President Gordon B. Hinckley also announced that the Church’s 286 regional representatives would be honorably released.
The duties of the area authorities are individually assigned, the First Presidency said. They will serve under the area presidencies, and their responsibilities may include reorganizing or creating stakes; presiding at stake conferences; providing training for stake, mission, and district presidents; and providing supervision on other tasks assigned by the area presidency. Following are the number of area authorities called for each area:
Asia Area—two; Asia North Area—five; Philippines/Micronesia Area—three; Pacific Area—four; Africa Area—two; Mexico North Area—four; Mexico South Area—four; South America North Area—six; South America South Area—eight; Central America Area—three; Brazil Area—eight; Europe West Area—five; Europe North Area—three; Europe East Area—one; North America Northeast Area—seven; North America Southeast Area—seven; North America West Area—six; North America Central Area—six; North America Northwest Area—eight; North America Southwest Area—seven; Utah South Area—eight; Utah North Area—ten.
Inasmuch as area authorities serve in specific ecclesiastical and different language areas of the Church, the Church magazines that serve members in those specific areas will announce the names of the area authorities who serve their areas. See below for area authorities called to serve in areas served by the English-language Ensign.
Pacific Area: Lindsay Thomas Dil of Auckland, New Zealand; Pita Foliake Hopoate of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga; Phillip Bruce Mitchell of Cherrybrook, Australia; and Eugene E. F. Walter Reid of Pago Pago, American Samoa.
Africa Area: Christopher N. Chukwurah of Lagos, Nigeria, and Christoffel Golden Jr. of Krugersdorp, South Africa.
Europe North Area: John Maxwell of Clayworth Retford, England; Stein Pedersen of Skjetten, Norway; and Brian A. F. Watling of Colchester, England.
North America Northeast Area: David W. Farrell of Gaithersburg, Maryland; Lawrence Royal Fuller of Mississauga, Ontario; W. E. Barry Mayo of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; Hyde M. Merrill of Glenville, New York; Keith Lloyd Smith of Hilliard, Ohio; D. Lee Tobler of Marshallville, Ohio; and Robert Stephen Wood of Middletown, Rhode Island.
North America Southeast Area: Dale L. Dransfield of Tallahassee, Florida; Alvie R. Evans Sr. of Charleston, South Carolina; James E. Griffin of Hot Springs, Arkansas; Lloyd W Jones of Tampa, Florida; Brent H. Koyle of Columbia, South Carolina; Dale E. Miller of Atherton, California; and R. Lloyd Smith of Knoxville, Tennessee.
North America West Area: Douglas L. Callister of La Canada, California; Lyndon Whitney Clayton III of Irvine, California; Quentin L. Cook of Hillsborough, California; Donald L. Hallstrom of Honolulu, Hawaii; Keith K. Hilbig of Palos Verdes Estates, California; and William W. Parmley of Alamo, California.
North America Central Area: Blair S. Bennett of Edmonton, Alberta; Robert Kent Bills of Englewood, Colorado; Bruce Bryan Bingham of Sleepy Hollow, Illinois; Kay H. Christensen of Overland Park, Kansas; Thomas Albert Holt of St. Paul, Minnesota; and Lynn Albert Rosenvall of Calgary, Alberta.
North America Northwest Area: Lowell C. Barber of Pasco, Washington; L. Edward Brown of Pocatello, Idaho; Gordon G. Conger of Bellevue, Washington; Max W. Craner of Rexburg, Idaho; Paul LaVarre Diehl of Seattle, Washington; C. Scott Grow of Meridian, Idaho; Karl E. Nelson of Filer, Idaho; and Steven Howard Pond of Castle Rock, Washington.
North America Southwest Area: David Allan Bednar of Fayetteville, Arkansas; Harvey L. Gardner of Page, Arizona; Daryl H. Garn of Mesa, Arizona; Larry Wayne Gibbons of Dallas, Texas; J. Michael Moeller of Tucson, Arizona; R. Gordon Porter of Mesa, Arizona; and Dennis E. Simmons of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Utah South Area: Carl W. Bacon of Provo, Utah; Donald J. Butler of Provo, Utah; Clayton S. Huber of Provo, Utah; Richard Karl Klein of Heber City, Utah; Mitchell V. Myers of Delta, Utah; Glen A. Overton of Provo, Utah; L. Douglas Smoot of Provo, Utah; and H. Bruce Stucki of St. George, Utah.
Utah North Area: O. Brent Black of Salt Lake City, Utah; Harold C. Brown of Salt Lake City, Utah; Sheldon F. Child of Salt Lake City, Utah; Jess L. Christensen of Logan, Utah; Donald B. Doty of Bountiful, Utah; Ronald T. Halverson of Ogden, Utah; Ronald John Hammond of Montpelier, Idaho; J. Kirk Moyes of Ogden, Utah; Wayne S. Peterson of Salt Lake City, Utah; and Craig T. Vincent of Salt Lake City, Utah.