By Globe Staff

Reverend Charles Belcher died unexpectedly at age 69 on Aug. 9. Although he had a long history in the Bay Area, most recently as pastor of Resurrection AME Church in Richmond, he currently served as pastor of St. John AME Church in St. Louis.
    He was born in Schaal, Arkansas, on Jan. 17, 1939 to Reverend Jim and Lottie Belcher. When Belcher was 5, he moved with his family to California.
    He graduated with honors from El Cerrito High School in 1957, and received his bachelor’s degree from Utah State University. Later he earned his master’s degree in divinity from San Francisco Theological Seminary, and his PhD from Ashland Theological Seminary in 1983.
    Belcher married Ethel Scott, and the two had a daughter, Kimberly, and a son, Charles II.
    In 1996, he married Doris Denson, and became a father to Denson’s children, Bonita, Tony, Dana and Sheila.

    Throughout his career, Belcher served at churches across the United States, including CMEs in Cleveland, Oklahoma City and Los Angeles. In the Bay Area, his churches included St. Peter CME Church in El Cerrito and Bee Bee Memorial CME Cathedral in Oakland.

    In 1997, he became an Itinerate Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church at Bethel AME in San Francisco under the leadership of Bishop Vernon Byrd.
    He served as the organizing pastor at two churches: Upper Room Christian Church in Los Angeles, and Resurrection AME Church in Richmond. He was known for his great integrity, and for serving with truth and honor.
    He was elected to the Richmond City Council in 2001, and served a four-year term. He also served on the board of the NAACP’s Richmond branch, and was a member of the Peralta Community College District board. He worked as an administrative assistant to Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson.
    Belcher is survived by his mother, wife, children, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws and many lifelong friends.
    Local services for Reverend Charles Belcher are as follows:
Quiet hour, Monday, Aug. 18, 6 to 8 p.m., Fouche’s Hudson Funeral Home, 3665 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, (510) 654-8558
Funeral services, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 10 a.m., St. Paul AME, 2024 Ashby Ave., Berkeley, (510) 848-2050

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