Basketball fans hear from Elder L. Tom Perry
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The Houston Rockets defeated the visiting New Jersey Nets 116-108 on March 13 in a National Basketball Association matchup at Toyota Center. Luis Scola starred for Houston, scoring a career-high 44 points.
But behind the box score was the story of the Rockets' sixth annual LDS Friends and Family Night. For the more than 700 Church members in attendance, the game itself paled in comparison to the chance to hear and meet Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve.
Elder Perry, in the Houston area for a leadership training conference on Saturday morning, attended the Rockets game Saturday night at the invitation of Ragnar Hartzheim, a ticket sales account executive with the Rockets.
During halftime, Brother Hartzheim and inside sales manager Cris Garthe escorted Elder Perry to center court and presented the apostle with a team-signed basketball.
After the game concluded, approximately 600 Church members stuck around and filled two lower-bowl sections in order to hear Elder Perry and Elder Steven E. Snow of the Presidency of the Seventy deliver brief messages.
"They treated us royally and were very kind to us," Elder Perry said. "I think it was good that we had the opportunity of being there and showing our interest in what they were doing."
Serendipity
In January, the Rockets finalized plans to hold this year's LDS Friends and Family Night on March 13. Shortly thereafter, Brother Hartzheim caught wind that Elder Perry would be in Houston the second weekend in March. With the encouragement of his boss, Brother Garthe, Brother Hartzheim reached out to Elder Perry's secretary, Kari Smith, and invited the senior apostle to come see the Rockets and Nets play. Elder Perry accepted the invitation.
"We worked out all the details," Brother Hartzheim said. "I picked up Elder Perry at the Texas Houston South Mission home. He came out to the game. We recognized him at halftime on center court … I think for a lot of the members, it was good to get Elder Perry recognized and get some publicity."
During the course of the evening, Brother Garthe introduced Elder Perry to Gretchen Sheirr, the organization's vice president of ticket sales.
"Being able to have an apostle in the building, to introduce him to our vice president … it was just a special night," Brother Garthe said.
In escorting Elder Perry for about five hours before, during and after the game, Brother Hartzheim gained a new perspective of the second-senior apostle.
"I was able to actually see [Elder Perry] on a different level," he said. "He's a lot more normal than I anticipated; he's a lot easier to talk to than I had imagined. He put everybody that dealt with him or that sat around him at ease."
Unique venue
Because Church members were seated throughout all parts of the 18,300-seat arena, the decision was made to have them congregate in court side Sections 119 and 120 following the end of the game so that Elder Perry and Elder Snow could share some remarks with the Latter-day Saints.
"It was very informal obviously," Brother Hartzheim stated. "It wasn't a really reverent setting, but I think those people who came enjoyed just being there. And what a chance to listen to an apostle at a basketball game!"
For his part, Elder Perry said that meeting with the members of the Church following the game was his favorite part of the night.
"I complimented them on being interested in reaching outside themselves and being an active part of the community in which they belonged," he said.
In addition to Brothers Garthe and Hartzheim, three other Church members work for the Rockets: Jeff Mauss, Lisa Ward and Jordan Harris.
The event raised $1,250 for the Houston BYU Replenishment Grant, an educational grant providing money to BYU students from the Houston area.
