Local Church Celebrates Pioneer Day

By Darren Blair

On July 24^th, 1847, early pioneers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived at a spot overlooking the Great Salt Lake Valley in Utah. They – and those who would follow them – were fleeing westward in an effort to escape persecution and mob violence back in Illinois, where church founder Joseph Smith had been killed just three years earlier. Brigham Young, the church’s new leader, was so ill that he could not leave the back of the wagon he was in. Yet he insisted upon surveying the location anyway, and was greatly pleased with what he saw.

“This is the right place,” history records him as saying. “Drive on.”

With Young’s words as encouragement, the pioneers literally made the flowers bloom in the desert, terraforming what had been a desolate wasteland into a garden paradise. Since then, July 24^th has become Pioneer Day, a state holiday in Utah – and so much more to the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who celebrate Pioneer Day globally.

It was for this reason that members of the Copperas Cove 1^st Ward (“ward” being the term for “congregation”) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints met this past Saturday. Each year, the congregation holds a Pioneer Day breakfast event in honor of the day.

“It’s a great day, what it stands for,” congregation member Christopher Laloni declared as he helped to prepare the breakfast meal.

Elders Tanner and McMurray, the two young men serving as missionaries within the congregation, further commented on the importance of the day. “I think it’s a great day to reflect back on the pioneers,” Elder Tanner explained. “Just to think back on their stories and what they did to establish what we have today.” As Elder McMurray noted, “It’s awesome. We owe everything that we have to our ancestors, and this is a way to show our appreciation for them.”

The event itself was full of excitement. The “cultural hall” area within the building was mostly full with members, members who only stopped moving about long enough to converse with fellow members of the congregation or partake of the breakfast buffet provided for the event. “Looks like we have a decent turnout,” noted congregation member Kenny Hartzell in response to the large crowd.

“We have a lot of fun,” explained Bishop Robert Carpenter, the minister over the congregation. At this year’s event, the fun was manifest in part by the fact that the younger children had the option of a bounce house with an enclosed water slide as well as a small plastic pool for their enjoyment.

As is usual, the event began with an introduction and a prayer. And as is also usual, the event ended with the members cleaning up and divvying the leftovers. Although the event came to a close early, the sense of community and fellowship represented by the event will continue to last until next year’s celebration.

Darren Blair’s article was originally published in the 20 July 2015 issue of the Copperas Cove Leader-Press newspaper, page 8.