Texas Church Shooting: Burnette Chapel Knows The Pain

ANTIOCH, TN — The sign outside Antioch's Burnette Chapel Church of Christ read "Our thoughts and prayers are with Texas" following Sunday morning's services.

The congregation on Pin Hook Road was not the only church to use their sign to reach out to First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs where police say at least 26 people were killed Sunday in the worst mass shooting in modern Texas history, of course. But, unlike most other churches, the pain felt by parishioners in Texas is especially acute to members at Burnette Chapel, where, on September 24, one person was killed and eight others, including alleged gunman Emanuel Samson, were wounded.

“It's painful, it's painful that our country has come to that,” Burnette Chapel congregant Terry Carter told WSMV. “We had one that was killed [here]. There are families’ worth [of victims] in Texas that are going to deal with this. It's just, it's sad.”

Carter told the station there is an anxiety that comes with attending services now and that folks in Sutherland Springs will feel it too.

“The doors open [inside] here during service and everybody is singing, you still hear that door [open], and you'll see many people turn just to look and see who is coming in," said Carter.

Glenn Smith, 15, is the one who changed the sign and told WSMV that so many churches reached out to Burnette Chapel after the shooting there, it's important to let the Texas church know others are praying for them. Glenn is in charge of updating Burnette's Chapel sign and he told WKRN that when he saw what was happening at the church near San Antonio, he knew what had to be done.

“Everybody gave us support so we can give them their support,” he said.

ANTIOCH, TN - SEPTEMBER 24: Law enforcement continues their investigation around the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ on September 24, 2017 in Antioch, Tennessee. One person was killed and seven were wounded when a gunman opened fire in the church. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)