Metro Pulse

On July 27, Knoxville joined a short roster of cities synonymous with sudden, inexplicable violence: Columbine, Blacksburg, Omaha. The shooting of congregants at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church went beyond a nightmarish crime; it’s become another sign of the times, reported around the world as a new example of what America has become. But there were many stories that day, and they ought to be told by the people who were there. Here is one of them. Full story »

Sideways Glance by Rikki Hall: One Unitarian parent trying to explain the inexplicable to her child described the shooter’s desperation in the face of unemployment and termination of his food stamps. “He should have just come to our church, we would have helped,” said the child. The children of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church congregation uniting in song at the vigil after the attack was a moment of glory. That is what Unitarians do: face down the thunder of violence and intolerance with sweet songs of hope Full story »

In the aftermath of the shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, misconceptions arose over what the church is all about. Here, members describe what it means to be a Unitarian. Full story »

Local musicians have also been deeply affected by the TVUUC tragedy, and they’re joining together for a one-of-a-kind benefit concert to aid victims of the shooting. Matthew Everett gives us the scoop. Full story »

Midpoint by Stephanie Piper: I pass it on my way to work every day, the stone sign on Kingston Pike now heaped with flowers and balloons and handwritten tributes. Two weeks ago, it simply marked a church, a place of compassion and peace. A place to breathe a little easier and sit a little quieter and feel the strength of community. A place where children were rehearsing a play whose signature song is “Tomorrow.” Full story »

Secret History by Jack Neely: Many Knoxvillians heard Sunday morning’s awful news not from the Internet or television or even a phone call but oracle-like, from the pulpit, a shaken minister announcing a tragedy that would soon be known to the nation. Full story »

Scene & Heard by Rose Kennedy:They’ve braved a thunderstorm that started stirring about half an hour ago to be here at a candlelight vigil for the next-door neighbors—the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church—where a gunman opened fire during a children’s performance of Annie at 10:18 Sunday morning. He killed two, Greg McKendry of TVUUC and Linda Kraeger, visiting from Westside Unitarian Universalist Church in Farragut that morning, and severely wounded six others.. Full story »