Knoxville+Report

**A visit to the Tennessee Valley church in Knoxville, Tennessee made us really think about what it means to belong to a UU church.** **The TVUU church building is beautiful—full of windows, wood and an exquisite organ. It looked oddly familiar because we had seen it on TV. It also felt familiar because it is Unitarian-Universalist church. Some scars of the tragedy were still visible. We stared silently at the door with bullet marks, the door through which some children had already entered and through which they escaped. We stood where the killer had stood and saw where the wounded had been sitting. As we walked through the church we saw parents bringing children for events, a group of people preparing a fellowship dinner, and other volunteers and staff working in the office.** **We met some of the people of the church. We met the minister, Reverend Chris Buice, who was glad to see us. We gave him the cards, and the beautiful quilt made by our quilters, and explained how the quilt brought comfort to our members. We showed him the accompanying book and a few of the entries, descriptions of how the quilt reminded many of us that we don’t have to face life’s challenges alone. We talked about how unexpectedly healing our faith is. While there is no promise of heaven or hell, no easy answers, no single interpretation of the Bible, or the Torah, or any other sacred text, there is comfort and inspiration in our faith. A comfort and inspiration we bring to each other and to the world beyond our congregations.** **Reverend Buice remarked that he is often asked when the congregation will be “back to normal”, when they will be able to do certain things. His answer is, “I don’t know.” In some ways, none of us will ever go back to normal as we once knew it. Just as Columbine forever changed how schools operate and how students feel in school, Knoxville will continue change us. But while the TVUUC congregation is still healing, the church was full of people even on a Wednesday afternoon. The life and work of the church was moving forward. While we are all still struggling to understand what happened, we are all certain that this tragedy did not break the foundations of our faith, our community. If anything, it deepened our collective sense of urgency to “nurture our spirits and heal the world.” May it be so.** **Post Script:** **I received the following note form the TVUUC:** **Dear Susan Spalt and our Friends of Community Church of Chapel Hill UU** **The TVUUC Community sends thanks for your generous gift of the quilt and book. The outpouring of support from friends and congregations has been most helpful in this time of healing.** **In gratitude and with love** **TVUUC** **12/18/08**
 * Thoughts on bringing the caring quilt and poster-cards to the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee**
 * October 1, 2008**