On Sunday, July 27th, during a joint worship service of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville and nearby Westside UU Fellowship, an armed man unknown to the congregations entered and began shooting. In this chaos, two members were killed and seven others wounded before the gunman was taken under control by a number of other members.

Members of our faith and friends from many places remain deeply shocked and saddened by this event. Neighboring fellowships, representatives from the Unitarian Universalist Association, and a local trauma response team have all lent their support to the Knoxville congregations since that Sunday. Many churches have met in vigils throughout the week, and all congregations are encouraged to gather this Sunday, August 3rd, to recognize and mourn this tragedy in our midst.