Members of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church said watching what happened in Wisconsin Sunday was like deja-vu from their own experiences four years ago.
"He was entering the sanctuary when he opened fire..." Tammy Sommers recalling when Jim David Adkisson walked into TVUUC and opened fire on July 27, 2008. Two people died and seven were injured, including Sommers. She suffered a bullet to the head.
"The toughest memory that I had was I bled on my children in a way a mother would never wanted to," she said Monday.
TVUUC Reverend Chris Buice said hearing what happened in Oak Creek, WI at a Sikh temple brings back some horrible memories from that tragedy in West Knoxville.
"One thinks of that, it's act of hatred," Rev. Buice commented.
So how does a church move forward from such a traumatic event? Rev. Buice said Knoxville gathered to support their church hours after the 2008 shooting -- ignoring separate beliefs and coming together in a time of need.
"One of the most important things is that we had such an incredible outpouring of love and support from the community and people of different faiths to help us, carry us through this incredibly devastating time," he said.
Rev. Buice said he hopes the people of Wisconsin will provide that kind of support as well. He said the Sikh temple will grow stronger as a result of this dark day.
"To be on a journey toward healing. I think when something happens like this, I think it effects us all (as a community)," the reverend said.
A dark day Tammy Sommers hoped she won't see again.
"I think there's a sadness that we had people who'd do such a thing anywhere," she said. "It's important for us to stand on the side of love."