By Kathryn Pruett
The Parley P. Pratt Missionary Memorial Fireside, held to honor missionaries who have died or have been severely injured while serving, will be held April 28th at the Alpine Tabernacle located in American Fork.
NextLevel Family Foundation, a non-profit organization, will sponsor the event.
The keynote speaker will be Elder Ted E. Brewerton, General Authority Emeritus.
David Tuttle, executive director for the NextLevel Family Foundation, said he felt the General Authority emeritus were a valuable tool as speakers.
“We feel they represent a pool of experience and insight and we wanted to take advantage of them,” Tuttle said.
The memorial fireside was named after Parley P. not only because of his death while serving the Lord, but also due to family connections.
“He is actually my wife”s great, great, great grandfather but he was also remarkable,” Tuttle said.
According to Tuttle a moment will also be built to supply the names of every missionary killed or severely injured while serving.
Money donated to the foundation will fund the creation of the monument.
Dennis Smith, director of the Alpine Art Center, will build a monument to accompany this year”s memorial service. Smith was unavailable for comment.
Tuttle felt the design for the monument was appropriate.
“He has really captured the essence and the feelings of what this is all about,” Tuttle said.
The monument is to have three persons, one of which who has died and is being transferred over a wall.
“I”ve called it ”The Transfer” in my mind,” Tuttle said.
Tuttle said he felt the image captured friends not wanting the deceased to leave but at the same time receiving them with love.
The $25,000 monument will stand in the Alpine Arts Center and Sculpture Park.
According to Tuttle the location of the monument will double as an art gallery and the monument will be placed as “the center of the whole development.”
“We think it will be place where people will want to come and remember their loved ones,” Tuttle said.
The memorial will also feature a choir. Choir Director Raylean Card wrote one of the pieces to be performed.
“I had a dream that inspired this piece of music,” Card said.
Card said it took her three years to finish He Came To Give and she has been performing the music for the last five years.
“Dave is a friend of ours, and his wife actually came to the first performance of the song,” Card said.
Card said Tuttle approached her about directing the choir for the Memorial service.
“I”m very impressed. I feel there is a need now to give support to the families who have been affected by their son or daughter or relative being killed in the mission field,” Card said. “I”m thrilled to be a part of it.”
