KIRKWOOD — The hymn that opened the service at First Baptist Church of Meacham Park on Sunday probably summed up best what this heavy-hearted community is trying to do.

"I feel better," the congregation sang, "so much better, since I laid my burden down."

This was the first Sunday in Meacham Park since that Thursday shooting, the one committed by a self-made contractor from here who went on a deadly rampage and left neighbors wondering what to make of him.

Charles Lee "Cookie" Thornton shot and killed a city police officer outside City Hall then went inside and killed another police officer, two council members and a city employee. Kirkwood officers fatally shot Thornton at the scene.

For some, the response to those deaths was clear.

"He wasn't a hero," said the Rev. Larry Addison of Meacham Park's Douglas Memorial Church of God in Christ. "You don't take force like that in your own hand. Too many lives have been lost. Innocent people's blood has been spilled."

But Sunday evening, more than 200 people packed Addison's church for a vigil. Many of the speakers fondly remembered Thornton as a stand-up guy who helped neighbors, neighborhood churches and his neighborhood in general.

The theme of the night was one of tolerance and patience, the community leaders and preachers said. They spoke out against rage and anger and blaming someone else.

Many residents now were left to reconcile such a tragic act with the realization that one of their favorite sons did it. But how?

"Great question," Raymond Abernathy, who grew up here, said after morning services at First Baptist. "We're shocked. We're confused. Just like everyone else."

The Rev. Darren Smotherson, the pastor, had just prayed for healing, comfort, peace and understanding.

Addison gave a similar sermon at his morning service as 40 or so members held hands in a circle.

"This community is down," he said. "They need to be lifted up."

While local congregations remembered those killed inside City Hall, a makeshift memorial to those who died kept growing outside. The front lawn was filled with hundreds of flowers, stuffed animals, a rosary, a T-shirt with a peace sign and an open box of cookies, perhaps a symbolic reference to the gunman's familiar nickname. Steadily, people stopped by, many of them with their arms wrapped around one another's shoulders.

Barbara Kaelin, 65, dropped off a balloon, a card, and a small angel with a rain gauge that she hoped someone would enjoy. She lives in Manchester and works in Kirkwoood.

"I lost my husband in 1999, and so I can understand a little bit of what they're going through," she said. "Nobody knows what to say. You've just got to take one step at a time."

Geoffrey Davis might know best what friends and family members are struggling with today. His brother, New York City Councilman James E. Davis, was killed inside City Hall there in 2003 by a political opponent.

When Geoffrey Davis heard about Thursday's shooting, he drove from New York to be here.

"I'm here just to console, just to comfort," he said as cars passed slowly by the Kirkwood City Hall memorial. "This is just tragic, and the violence has to stop."

At the First Baptist Church of Meacham Park's services, the pastor took time to let congregants share some of the good things that had happened to them in the past week. Harvey Love stood up. He had been struggling with the news of so many deaths by someone he knew. But by Sunday, he had found a little hope to cling to.

"Even though there is sadness here today, everything will be all right in the morning," Love said.

And everyone answered "Amen."

sgraber@post-dispatch.com | 618-624-2571