Reston Church 'Like a Funeral' After Shocking Trump Win: Report

RESTON, VA — The minister of Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston said that the atmosphere in her church was like "funeral" after Donald Trump's upset win over Hillary Clinton in the presidential election on Nov. 8, according to a report.

The Atlantic interviewed Rev. Debra Haffner about how the election changed the dynamics of church congregations. Haffner said in the article that many progressives who attended her church were in shock after Trump's victory.

Haffner herself expected she would be talking about "reaching out to the people who lost," as most of her congregation supported Clinton. She said she discussed with her music director playing "Girl on Fire" as the last song.

Instead, "people walked in here like they were going to a funeral. They were grieving, they were scared, and they needed hope. They needed community," she said according to the report.

Haffner said she doesn't expect attendance levels to be changed fundamentally by the election -- they may stay elevated for the next few months, but attendance typically returns to normal after traumatic events. She added she hopes how she handled the election will help translate to more people finding a home at Unitarian Universalist in Reston, which is located at 1625 Wiehle Avenue.

"Unitarian Universalism has a historic religious tradition with roots in the European Protestant Reformation and New England Congregationalism," the church states on its website. "Over the course of time, our liberal Christianity has broadened to include influences from many other traditions and religious sources. We are a values-based religion rather than a belief-based religion. We affirm seven principles that guide our living and six sources of inspiration for personal beliefs."

Image of Rev. Debra Haffner via Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston