06:48 AM EST on Monday, March 1, 2004

By Tony Hyatt /WHAS11 News

Louisville, Ky -- The Wendy's on Shelbyville Road has been closed for seven days. Its owners and workers have been trying to deal with the death of the restaurant's general manager. Theresa Holman Brown was allegedly shot and killed by her estranged husband Perry.

On Sunday, one week after the shooting, a group of local ministers and others gathered in the Wendy's parking lot to announce it was time to focus on sensless violence.

"Every time there is a murder in the city, we will gather seven days later," Pastor Joe Phelps told about 30 people. "We will gather to pray and try to get the community to understand what is happening."

Phelps is the leader of the Highland Baptist Church. For seven years, the Church has spotlighted the city's murder rate by placing crosses on church grounds in December. This past holiday, the Church partnered with the Forrest Baptist Church in Newburg.

"We hope that there will be some healing," prayed Rev. John Crittenden of Forrest Baptist. "But we know there is a long way to go."

So far, this year there have been nine murders in Metro Louisville. "It is time for the community to call for and end to this," said Phelps.

Members of the Interdenominational Ministerial Coalition were also on hand for the prayer service at Wendy's.

"We felt it was hypocritical on our part to just address the shootings by police," said the Reverend Clay Calloway of the IMC. "To not address the other shootings that have taken place in our community is wrong and they are far more abundant than the police encounters."

As those gathered sang "He's got the whole world in his hands," others prayed for Theresa Holman Brown's family and the people she worked with.

"Walk beside them and talk to them," said the Reverend Frank Smith of the Coalition. "Give them the understanding to know what has happened. And if they don't understand it now, someday they will."

Since Holman Brown was buried this past Saturday, it is believed the Wendy's will reopen sometime this week. Possibly as soon as Monday.