Pres. Charles C. Rich served the Rancho Cucamonga Stake as stake president
from June 2008 to June 2017.
Thank you for letting us get to know you by answering a few questions.
Tell us where you were born, attended high school, attended college, where you served on a mission and when you moved into and out of the Rancho Cucamonga Stake.
My family had just moved to Orem, UT when I was born and I grew up there and attended Orem High School. I attended Brigham Young Laboratory School in 5th, 6th, and 7th grades. It was closed after that. I got my bachelor's degree in Social Work at BYU and my master's degree in Social Work from the University of Utah. I served a mission in the California East Mission (Spanish speaking). When I started in March 1974, the mission included from East L.A. to the San Bernardino county line and Rancho Cucamonga was in my mission. I never served in Rancho but had a friend who taught three nurses from Rancho Cucamonga, at or near General Hospital in L.A. Halfway through my mission, they changed the mission boundaries and I ended up in the Arcadia Mission. We moved to Rancho Cucamonga in October 1981 into the house we currently live in.
Tell your conversion story.
I grew up in the church and my father was a professor of Church History at BYU. In those days everyone studied the Book of Mormon in seminary in the 9th grade. Up to that point, I had read 1st and 2nd Nephi many times at the urging of my mother. In seminary, I read the entire book through twice and was on the seminary bowl team, so I learned a lot about the Book of Mormon. However, it wasn't until I was 18 and sitting in a Sunday School class, passing around the scriptures and taking turns reading out of the scriptures, that I paused after I had read something, and as the lesson continued, I started reading other scriptures in the Book of Mormon. The spirit touched my heart and mind at that point and I thought, "This is really interesting." I decided that I would read the book again, but this time, I decided that I would do as Moroni said, and pray to ask if it were true. I had never done that up to that point. I grew up believing it and never doubted it so felt a little funny asking if it were true, because I already believed it. Nevertheless, I read every night and every night I prayed to ask if it were true. My conversion came "line upon line." Each time I felt a little stronger about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and had witnesses from the Holy Ghost that what I was reading was true, but it wasn't until I read the visit of Christ to America in 3rd Nephi, that I knew without a doubt that the Book of Mormon was true. This began my conversion that has continued for some time in many ways. In the Book of Mormon, I was first converted to the fact that Jesus is the Christ and learned how much He loves and cares about me. Then I was converted to the fact that the Book of Mormon is true, and a little later I was converted to the fact that Joseph Smith was a true prophet.
Tell us about your spouse and family.
My wife and I met in Provo, UT. We both worked at the Utah State Hospital. She had graduated from BYU and I was still going to BYU but living in Provo with my foster son, as a live-in counselor at a group home for boys. I worked on the Children's Ward at the State Hospital and Barbara worked in the business office. One day, I had an interesting experience when I saw a glimpse of her and asked a friend who also worked in that office, to find out more about her for me. He found out that she was not married, so I asked her out on a date and she accepted. That was in the Spring and were married in September.
Barbara grew up in Northern California in Anderson (just south of Redding), on a dairy farm. Her dad and his family ran a dairy farm where they raised cows, milked them, bottled the milk, and delivered it. Her dad was in charge of delivering the milk for Hopson Dairy.
We have three boys and three girls, and 24 grandchildren. Our oldest son Jacob and his family live in Reno, Nevada. Our daughter Katy and her family live in Yucaipa. Our daughter Carly and her family live in Gilbert, Arizona Our son Jesse and his family live in Lafayette, California, outside of Oakland. Our son Joey and his family just moved to Melissa, Texas, just north of Dallas, and our daughter Abby and her family live in American Fork, Utah.
What callings did you have in our stake? When the stake was first organized (I believe in 1987), I was a bishop in the Cucamonga 2nd Ward (now Redhill). When I was released, I taught seminary for 8 years. Sometime during that time, when my wife, Barbara, was the ward Primary president, I was the music chorister for Primary for about 6 months and loved that calling. After 8 years of teaching seminary, I was called to serve on the high council and served there for three years until I was called to be the second counselor in the stake presidency with Pres. John Cottam. When he was released, I was called to be the first counselor to Pres. John Hadfield, and when he passed away, I was called to be the stake president.
What callings have you had since you’ve been released?
After I was released, I was called to teach Sunday School, the 14-18 year-olds and really enjoy it. I am also the committee chair for a 19 stake multistake Heritage Day event on 5/5/18 at Palmer's Ranch just off Live Oak Blvd., in Yucaipa.
What is your profession?
I am a social worker and work at David & Margaret Youth and Family Services in La Verne, CA, a Residential Treatment Center for adolescent girls and a mental health/social service agency with 17 different programs. I am the Executive Director.
What is a goal you are working on?
I have worked on being more patient and charitable for many years and continue working on that. My wife and I are also trying to clean out some of the many things we have accumulated over the years and getting as much as possible in order, in preparation for going on a mission when I retire. I also have a goal to get much more done on family history.
What do you do when you are not working?
I work on family history. I enjoy taking care of our yard and garden and growing fruits and vegetables. I also enjoy visiting the youth in my Sunday School Class.
Who are the people in the stake that helped you in your callings? There are far too many to mention and I would be afraid of leaving someone off. In essence, everyone who served in any way, helped me in my callings, especially those who were faithful home or visiting teachers and who reached out and ministered to others. I also received help from those who came to me for help and taught me in the process as we sometimes learned together.
Tell us a specific story or example.
There were at least two specific examples where two different individuals had come to me for help, comfort, and guidance. I had a variety of different conversations with each of them. In each instance, there was one particular occasion where we had a discussion and in the end, I expressed my concern and love for them, but it was different than other times. It felt that it was more than my love for them, it was our Heavenly Father's love for them and I was the conduit at that point, to be able to deliver it. On both occasions, I think we both came away with a better understanding of how much our Father really does love us and reaches out to us in so many different ways. I also learned even more, that in ministering to others, it is important to do it the way our Heavenly Father would, so that the other person can feel His love, which is more powerful than just ours.
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