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[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

>United Methodist injured in church shooting

>Aug. 6, 2008

NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org.

>By Annette Spence*

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)-On July 27, a man walked into a Unitarian
Universalist church on Sunday morning and shot eight people. Two were
killed. Six were wounded.

One of the wounded, John T. Worth, is a United Methodist who was in the
congregation that morning to see his granddaughter in a performance of
"Annie Jr."

Worth, 68, and his wife, Joy, are members of Peck's Memorial United
Methodist Church in nearby Maryville. The shooting occurred in Knoxville
at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, where Worth's
daughter is a member.

A pellet from the shooter's gun lodged in Worth's right eye. Physicians
have told him that his optic nerve is damaged and he is unlikely to
regain vision. Now Worth is struggling with a decision about whether to
have the eye removed, because keeping it could lead to disease or
disturb his young grandchildren by its appearance.

"He is clinging to hope for a miracle," said Joy Worth, 66. "But if he
has the eye removed, there's no possibility of that."

The Sunday morning shooting happened within the boundaries of Holston
Conference, which sprawls across East Tennessee, southwest Virginia and
north Georgia. First United Methodist Church of Knoxville is located
within two blocks of the Unitarian church where Jim David Adkisson, 58,
allegedly opened fire. Police say Adkisson was motivated by a hatred of
liberals. He has been charged with first-degree murder, and more charges
are expected.

One person who escaped the gunfire later sought refuge at First United
Methodist Church, according to the Rev. Dan Moore, pastor. Moore
declined to give details in order to protect the person's privacy. But
he said the victim came to the church about 11:15 a.m., during the
congregation's 10:45 a.m. worship service. The shooting occurred at
about 10:15 a.m.

"I am just glad she came here," Moore said. Some church members were
late to the United Methodist worship service, Moore said, because police
and rescue squads stalled traffic in front of his church.

Bishop James Swanson, who leads the denomination's Holston Area,
responded to the tragedy by writing on his blog.

"We must face the fact that there is within us the potential to commit
awful atrocities when we are disconnected from God," Swanson said. "In
the face of this tragedy, the one thing I am sure of is that we must
continue-no, we must double our efforts-to reach people with the
transforming message of Jesus. We must not allow evil to dominate us and
place fear in our hearts to the point that we surrender in despair."

>Flashbacks and 'what ifs'

Worth is a retired phone company employee who has been a member of
Peck's Memorial church since 1970. His pastor, the Rev. Tony Brown, is
in the first weeks of his first-ever appointment. Brown has visited
Worth, and the 250-member Peck's Memorial congregation has provided
dinner as well as telephone calls and cards.

"I'm sure the church will be supportive of (Worth) because Peck's
Memorial is known as a church that supports people in hard times," Brown
said.

Resting at home a week after the shooting, the Worths spoke of physical
and emotional pain, as well as the challenges of coping with media
attention.

"Things build up, things close in on you," John Worth said. "It gets
worse as the day goes on. I have trouble sleeping at night. I still have
flashbacks and 'what ifs.' What if I could have come into the church
five or 10 minutes later? I don't know, maybe I could have done
something to stop him."

As it happened, the Worths were sitting in the front row when a loud
boom led many to believe the sound was part of the program.

"I turned toward the noise, and the lady directing the play said, 'He's
got a gun! Get down!'" Joy Worth said.

John Worth reacted by "stuffing" his wife under the pew. Then, with his
"adrenaline running high," Worth headed to the back of the church to
protect his 8-year-old granddaughter and 4-year-old grandson. He headed
toward the assailant, who was preparing to take his second shot with a
12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun.

Three men quickly subdued the shooter, but not before the second round
took off. Worth immediately thought he had been shot in the head, but
his wife saw he had been hit in the eye.

Today, Worth is thankful that his grandchildren, Hannah and Zeke, are
safe. Hannah so far has resisted counseling, saying, "It was the worst
day of her life, and she didn't want to talk about it and remember it,"
her grandmother said.

Hannah kissed her grandfather under his eye several times and said that
it was to help him heal, but Zeke is frightened by his grandfather's
injury.

"I'm not so worried about my physical appearance. I'm getting too old
for that. I'm more worried about holding a screwdriver without boring a
hole in my hand," John Worth said.

>Contending with hate

Worth frequently stops to hold his head as he talks. His wife, a retired
nurse, says painkillers are only so effective. The phone rings
constantly, and Joy Worth says in addition to concerned community
members, they've heard from national news and talk shows that want to
interview them. So far, the Worths have declined.

The couple has been surprised by some of the negative responses they've
received from community members-in light of the damage already done by
an act that police are investigating as a hate crime. A get-well card
from one woman seems to condemn his family for participating in a
Universalist church.

The Unitarian Universalist Church is a theologically liberal religion.
Its members do not necessarily identify themselves as Christians, nor do
they necessarily subscribe to Christian beliefs.

John and Joy Worth said they remain loyal to their own church, without
commenting on others. What they don't understand, they said, is hate.

"I don't believe in religions or denominations. I believe in God," John
Worth said. "But here we are in the U.S., (which is) supposed to be a
great country, and you can't even go to church without something like
this happening."

"I think there is a lot of hate in this world," Joy Worth said. "I hate
to see the world coming to this."

*Spence is editor of The Call, the newspaper of the Holston Annual
Conference.

News media contact: Marta Aldrich, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

>********************

United Methodist News Service Photos and stories also available at: http://umns.umc.org

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