All Peoples Church Unitarian Universalist
(formerly First Jefferson Unitarian Universalist Church)
1959 Sandy Lane, Fort Worth, TX
Contact: Dan Sexton, Board President of All Peoples Church Unitarian Universalist
info@allpeopleschurchuu.org
On the afternoon of Wednesday, August 23, an armed man entered our building. Earlier that day, he had killed a dog on our grounds, which we later learned was his own. Our office administrator called police, who apprehended the man. He is currently in custody at Tarrant County Jail. Other than the dog, no one was injured.
At All Peoples, we hold a strong belief in the inherent worth and dignity of each person and we publicly affirm LGBTQ people. We knew this man because he had been attending our congregation for several months. While a fear that this incident might be part of escalating political violence is understandable, we strongly believe that we were not targeted for our progressive values.
We plan to continue our Sunday services and other programming without interruption.
We grieve for the loss of the life of this dear animal, for those who have witnessed this traumatic experience, and for all who have experienced violence and may feel retraumatized. We are grateful that this did not escalate into a more serious situation. We appreciate those who have expressed support and prayers; those intentions serve us well as we focus on caring for our community, including all those who utilize our building, and processing this incident.