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The California Riverside Mission was created in July 1990. It was
one of seven new missions created in the United States that year. The
additions brought the total number of missions in the country to 79
and the total in the world to 235. With the organization of the
Riverside Mission, California became home to 12 different missions,
the most in any state.
The success missionaries have experienced in recent years in
Southern California is incredible. The amount of work has often
become too much for one mission to handle. That's exactly what
happened to the San Bernadino Mission. In 1989 that mission had the
highest amount of baptisms in its history. There were 64,000 members
living in the mission in 21 different stakes. The total population
inside mission boundaries included some 2 million people.
In early 1990 Jerry M. Hess, a self-employed Idaho millionaire, was
called to preside over a brand new mission. Hess immediately began
work on organizing what was soon to be the California Riverside
Mission. A mission home had to be purchased. An office had to be
found to serve as the mission headquarters. There was much to be
done.
On July 1, 1990 the California Riverside Mission officially opened,
receiving half of the missionaries that were currently serving in the
San Bernadino Mission. The mission's office was opened on Arlington
Ave in Riverside and President Jerry M. Hess and his wife JoAn moved
into the new mission home, located in Woodcrest.
The Riverside Mission included the following stakes: Hemet, Chino,
Laverne, Corona, Jurupa, Murrieta, Riverside California West,
Riverside, Palm Springs, Moreno Valley, Ontario, and Upland.
Anyone who knows President Hess knows he likes to run things the best
way possible. Elders and Sisters who served in the mission's early
days have heard many times the inspirational story of how President
Hess became successful in the business world. Missionary work
involves many practices and principles taught in the business world,
according to Hess. That meant a new set of rules. President Hess
wanted his missionaries to experience success and so he began
preaching two words that continue to echo in the mission today. The
words were: obedience and excellence.
The new level of obedience brought about excellence, both in the
quality of missionaries and the success they experienced. During
1991, as President Hess began his three year mission, there were 23,
209 Books of Mormon given out by elders and sisters. Compare that to
the 53, 939 placed in 1992. That's an average of 4, 494 a month.
The success not only came in the amount of books placed, but also in
the most important area: conversions. During the first year of
President Hess's leadership a total of 744 people were brought into
the church inside the mission boundaries. The second year 965 people
were baptized. The increase came with the same number of missionaries
and the same number of wards and stakes. The Riverside Mission
quickly became the third highest baptizing mission in the state of
California.
President Hess called two good men to serve along with him in the
leadership of the new mission. They were Eldon McKell of Riverside
and Allen C. Christensen of Chino. These men served in the mission
presidency for about four years. They continued in their callings
after President & Sister Hess went home and for a while under
President Alton M. Alexander. Both men had to eventually be released
due to being called as mission presidents themselves. In fact,
President McKell served as the mission president of the mission that
President Reid H. Brown was a counselor in when he was called to
become Riverside's new president.
President Hess & his wife left Riverside in July 1993. Their
service will never be forgotten because of the incredible foundation
they laid. In early 1993 the Riverside Mission experienced a minor
change when the Laverne Stake was given to the Arcadia Mission. In
July of that same year a major change took place when President Alton
M. Alexander and his wife, DeNiece, came to Riverside. President
Alexander had an extensive background in church service, including
over 15 years in the stake presidency of his home stake in
Washington. At the time the Alexanders were called to Riverside they
were presiding over a single adult branch in Olympia. President
Alexander worked for many years as an executive with a large
insurance company.
Missionaries who served with the Alexanders will remember them for
one thing. That is love. President Alexander often shared his
favorite passage of scripture in 3rd Nephi Chapter 11. There was
never a time that he read those verses without having tears in his
eyes. Missionaries quickly learned that President Alexander would
expect them to strive to become like the man he loved to read about,
the Savior. If you ever heard President Alexander speak you likely
heard the words "exact obedience" many times. While he always told
you that you were "wonderful" he also always let you know that you
were expected to be improving.
The Riverside Mission, during President Alexander's leadership,
continued to be known as a very strictly obedient mission.
Missionaries were taught as they were obedient they would be blessed
with success. During 1993-1996 success continued for the mission.
Each year the total number of baptisms was just under 1,000. In 1994,
a new stake was added to the mission in Yucca Valley. The success of
the Riverside Mission and those around it led not only to new stakes,
but also to a new mission.
On July 1, 1994, the California San Fernando Mission was created.
Eighteen Riverside missionaries were transfered to the San Fernando
Mission. The formation of the new mission caused a lot of
geographical changes to take place. The Riverside Mission lost the
Chino, Upland, and Ontario Stakes, while gaining the Redland
Stake.
In July 1996 President and Sister Alexander were released and they
returned home to Washington. Their service in the Riverside Mission
kept it as one of the three highest baptizing missions in California.
As the Alexanders left, the Browns moved in. President Reid H. Brown
and his wife, Evelyn, came from Alabama. Before going to Riverside,
President Brown had served in many callings in the church, including
a mission president's counselor and former stake president's
counselor. His employment involved being the corporate director of
technical services for the Vulcan Materials Corporation. The Browns
returned home to Alabama in 1996. Now, Edward Heyes presides over the
mission, along with his wife, Jill. President Heyes will serve as the
mission president through July 2002.