On Sunday 8th December 2013, Mark Hamilton, 49, from Erdington, Birmingham was called as Stake President of the Lichfield area of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A Stake President is the lay leader of a stake, which is a geographic subdivision similar to a Catholic diocese, and serves as a volunteer in this position, as the Church have no paid clergy.
Eight congregations form the Lichfield Stake, which is made up of parts of Staffordshire, West Midlands and the Black Country. President Hamilton will oversee Church programmes and individual congregations within the Lichfield Stake and is responsible to help Church members in their efforts to follow Jesus Christ.
President Mark Hamilton has been a member of the Church since being baptised in April 1983 at the age of 18, after his friend introduced him. Mark has previously had other responsibilities in the Church, including serving a two year full-time mission in Montana, USA and being a previous leader of the Wylde Green congregation, in Sutton Coldfield. He has been married for 23 years to his wife Samantha and they have 5 children - 3 daughters and 2 sons. He currently teaches Economics and Business at a high school in Warwickshire.
He is supported in his new role by two counsellors; Tom King, who is married to Raelene and their 4 children. His full-time job is managing director of a global training company, and Luke Allen, married to Amelia, with 3 children who is a finance manager.
The photograph has (left to right) Tom King, Mark Hamilton (president) and Luke Allen.