LDS Church announces new leadership in Maricopa

For the first time in nine years, the leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Maricopa has changed.

The Maricopa Stake, which presides over six wards (congregations) in Maricopa, one ward in Ajo, a Spanish-speaking branch in Maricopa and a branch in Gila Bend, was created in 2007. For the past nine years, the president of the stake has been Malin Lewis of Ajo, and his counselors have always been Eric Goettl and Rich Radford, both of Maricopa.

In December, Robert Weyrauch, 43, a computer programmer, was announced as the new president of the Maricopa Stake. He and his wife Stacie and their children live in the Butterfield Ward.

Weyrauch’s first counselor is Sonny Randall, and his second counselor is Troy Duncan.

Weyrauch said it was “overwhelming” to be the new president after such a long time. Like most priesthood leaders in the LDS church, they are unpaid, lay ministers.

Members were informed of a pending change in leadership three weeks prior to a Dec. 3-4 stake conference. At the time, not even Weyrauch knew who the new leaders would be.

Weyrauch said when he learned the Lewis presidency was being released, “I said, ‘I feel sorry for whoever has to follow the stake presidency.’ Those words are truer today than they’ve ever been.”

The names were presented to the membership by Elders Todd S. Larkin and J. Devn Cornish, general authorities in the LDS church.

“You are good people,” Cornish said. “You have good leaders.”

Weyrauch asked the conference congregation for their faith and prayers and for their understanding of the presidency’s imperfections.

“One thing I know we’re aligned on is our love for our savior, Jesus Christ,” said Randall, 40, an Intel functional area manager who attends the El Dorado Ward with his wife Kimberla and their family. A former bishop, he emphasized the sacrifice made by their spouses and children to allow them to fulfill their duties.

“What a tender mercy it is to know the Lord’s hand is in every detail, and half the time you don’t see it until it’s over,” said Duncan, 38, a local business owner. He and his wife Sandra live in the Hidden Valley Ward.

During the Dec. 4 meeting, Lewis, the owner of Malin Lewis Distributing, outlined the growth and accomplishments of the church during the stake’s first nine years.

Lewis called his time “a nine-year service project” and said members had witnessed many “tender mercies.”

Radford said Lewis had been like a father figure to him, “because I’ve never grown up.” Living in Maricopa, he said has been “a slice of heaven.”

Goettl praised the incoming presidency. “These are good men, and this is right,” he said.

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This story appears in the January issue of InMaricopa.