LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB)---Through song and prayer, members of Jeffersonville's downtown churches held a vigil called "No Life Forgotten" to remember 17-year-old Tara Willenborg.
"The clergy feel very strongly that we need to celebrate life, not death," says Donald Hill, Co-Pastor at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Jeffersonville.
Earlier this month, Willenborg was raped and murdered at the Cambridge Square Apartments in Clarksville.
Jeffersonville church members returned to the area on Sunday for a special ceremony. Among the people in attendance were Tara Willenborg's parents and sister.
"Anytime there is a murder in our community we always gather and give a simple 15-minute service to reconsecrate the space and to talk about reclaiming our neighborhood," says Rev. Jennifer Mills-Knutsen with St. Luke's United Church of Christ.
For Reverand Jennifer Mills-Knutsen, this ceremony in particular was personal.
"Because Tara was a part of my congregation and so my congregation is missing her and her family is our family," says Rev. Jennifer Mills-Knutsen.
She only has good things to say about the young teenager, who she says had a bright future ahead of her.
"She always had a bright smile and she had a great sense of style and a sense of art. She brought beauty into this world, "says Rev. Jennifer Mills-Knutsen.
On this day, they are doing their part to remember Tara and to raise awareness about this violence.
"Hear us as we pray, O God: For the perpetrator of this crime and for others prone to violence," the group said together.
They're hoping what happened to this young teen is never forgotten in the community.
"When violence happens, it's not just violence to one family. It's violence to the whole community," says Rev. Jennifer Mills-Knutsen.
The program "No Life Forgotten" was started in 2006 in Jeffersonville by church members.
As for this murder, 49-year-old Richard Hooten has been charged with the crime and will appear back in court in May.
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