A year after a masked gunman opened fire inside Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, members gathered to sing and pray in that same area for the first time.
During their Sunday evening service, members prayed for each other and remembered Melanie Crow Smith, of Smyrna, who was shot and killed in the church's parking lot. Seven others were injured.
"Marking the one year to the date isn’t something that is on my priority list at all to be honest with you," minister Joey Spann said.
"We’ve all been through this together, and it has been a together thing. It didn’t happen to a couple of us, sharing the story, it happened to the church," he said.
Spann said he still has nightmares about the Antioch shooting but does not live in fear.
He said the tragedy united his church even closer.
Since the shooting, the church has renovated the auditorium with new carpet, lighting, paint, and seating. Spann hopes to complete the new look in October. He wants to invite first responders to a service as a way to thank them.
