Murder at a UU congregation in Knoxville

There was another tragic church shooting today, this one at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville. A 60-year-old church usher was killed; eight people were injured.

The Unitarian Universalist Association is headquartered in Boston. The denomination's president, the Rev. William G. Sinkford, issued the following statement this afternoon:

"I am shocked and sorrowed by the terrible shootings in the sanctuary of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. My heart is heavy and my prayers are with our injured sisters and brothers in Knoxville. While many details of this tragedy remain unclear, our Association will do all we can to support Unitarian Universalists in Knoxville in the hard days to come. A tragedy such as this makes us acutely conscious of the beauty and fragility of our lives and those of our loved ones. I am especially saddened by this intrusion of violence into a worship service involving children and youth. I know that many people, both in Knoxville and around the country, are struggling with shock and grief right now. I pray that those so affected will find strength and comfort. Members of the Unitarian Universalist Trauma Response Ministry are on their way to Knoxville to offer additional ministry to the congregation as it grieves. And Unitarian Universalists around the world are sending love and prayers to the Tennessee Valley congregation to tell them they are not alone on this dark day."

MONDAY MORNING UPDATE: The death toll from the shooting has risen to two, and Sinkford is on his way to Knoxville.

(Photo by J. Miles Cary of the Knoxville News Sentinel.)