Strauss said the Tennessee church was her first ministerial position. In 1994, she and the congregation helped build a new church, installing the pews and organ themselves.
She moved to Maryland and began ministering here in 2000.
‘‘I helped build that church. I blessed that space, and now it’s splattered with blood and bullets,” Strauss told mourners as she led a prayer vigil Monday night in honor of the victims of the shooting spree.
The vigil, Strauss said, was a way of celebrating the lives of those who died, but also a way to help heal and comfort the Unitarian Universalist community. About 150 people attended, and around half were from other local congregations, Strauss said. A small choir sang and poetry was read.
Jim D. Adkisson, 58, who is being held on $1 million bond, is charged with one count of first-degree murder. Reports say he opened fire with a shotgun during a children’s performance of the musical ‘‘Annie.” About 200 people were present.
An usher who died, Greg McKendry, 60, was called a hero for shielding others from gunfire as other church members rushed to wrestle the gunman to the ground, according to published reports. Linda Kraeger, 61, who was visiting the church, was also killed in the attack.
A note found in Adkisson’s vehicle indicated the shooting was motivated by hatred for liberals, police in Knoxville, Tenn., reported.
The Tennessee church is located on what Strauss called ‘‘church row,” an area with 12 churches or temples along a four-block stretch of road.
‘‘I think what motivated this was hatred for the values that we stand for,” she said.
The Unitarian Universalists Association Web site describes the religion as ‘‘a liberal religion with Jewish-Christian roots. It has no creed. It affirms the worth of human beings, advocates freedom of belief and the search for advancing truth, and tries to provide a warm, open, supportive community for people who believe that ethical living is the supreme witness of religion.”
The Rev. William G. Sinkford, president of the Unitarian Universalists Association, said in a statement, ‘‘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.”
During a period of silence at the vigil when participants stood and spoke as they felt moved to do so, one church member stood and said, ‘‘I bet I’m not the only one thinking this could happen here.”
But Strauss said faith would help the community stand tall in the face of the tragedy.
‘‘All of us are strengthened knowing that we’re going to stand up together,” she said. ‘‘We’re not going to put guards at the door of the church.”
She added, ‘‘I feel really sad. Emotionally, it’s hard when something like that happens to someone you love. You just want to be there to help. That’s why I decided to try and organize this service, both for myself for healing, but also so I could do something for the community.”
The Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church has been the target of other acts of violence because of its liberal stance on several issues, including gay rights. Strauss said several years ago a bomb was tossed into the empty church at night, causing property damage, but luckily injuring no one.
She first heard about the shooting Sunday after services.
‘‘Our intern had just finished a service on violence when I got a call from someone who was in the church when it happened. They wanted to let us know before we heard about it on the news,” Strauss said. ‘‘It was hard to hear. I just couldn’t believe it. My first reaction was shock. I started having images because I was in that space preaching, and to think of [Adkisson] ... They were describing blood splattered and people being shot at close range. My mind started these images that I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t believe.”
During a final moment of silence at Monday’s vigil, a baby’s cry floated through the atrium into the sanctuary.
‘‘Incidents like this do happen,” Strauss said. ‘‘It’s my responsibility as minister to protect my flock.”
