Elected Moderator of the UPCUSA in 1980, Hammond was a third-generation Presbyterian pastor
by Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service
The Rev. Chuck Hammond, center, and his wife Barbro are pictured with former General Assembly Moderator the Rev. Dr. Neal Presa. (Photo courtesy of Neal Presa)
LOUISVILLE — The Rev. Charles A. Hammond, who in 1980 was elected Moderator of the 192nd General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, died May 3 in Pasadena, California, at the age of 86. His wife and daughter were at his side.
According to his obituary, Hammond, who lived during retirement in Pasadena, was a third-generation Presbyterian pastor. He was born Aug. 7, 1933, in Asheville, North Carolina, the son of George Bradley Hammond and Eleanor Maria Gantz. He was a 1951 graduate of South Pasadena High School and earned his bachelor’s degree from Occidental College in Los Angeles in 1955. He completed his studies at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1958.
While in seminary, he met Barbro Laurell from Malmӧ, Sweden. They were married in 1960 and moved to York, Pennsylvania, for his first pastoral call.
He returned to California three years later to serve congregations in Playa del Rey and Pasadena. In 1975, he moved into a calling in ministry at the mid council level. He played an increasingly visible role in national church polity, and in 1980 was elected Moderator of the 192nd General Assembly of the UPCUSA, held in Detroit.
The Rev. Charles A.. Hammond
In 1986, he was named executive presbyter of Presbytery of Philadelphia. In 1998 he began a series of interim ministries in New Providence, New Jersey; Salt Lake City, Utah; and in three Southern California communities: San Luis Obispo, La Jolla and Oceanside.
In 2016, Charles and his wife officially retired to Monte Vista Grove Homes in Pasadena, which was established nearly a century ago to meet the needs of retired workers of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its forebears.
Throughout his career Charles was known as a dynamic and engaging preacher, a compassionate pastor and an expert in church polity and administration.
He is survived by his wife Barbro; son Sig Hammond of Silver Spring, Maryland; daughter Inga Hammond of Pasadena; daughter-in-law Sharon Glover Hammond; granddaughters Leah Laurell and Maya Christina; and sisters Margaret Hammond Jameson and Mary Hammond Cordero.
His burial was at San Gabriel Cemetery. A memorial service will be held when it is once again safe for family and friends to gather.
You may freely reuse and distribute this article in its entirety for non-commercial purposes in any medium. Please include author attribution, photography credits, and a link to the original article. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDeratives 4.0 International License.