Friends, we’ve made it. Somewhere in the middle of storm recovery and the buzz of 2024, we made it past the 10 darkest weeks of the year. There are brighter days ahead for us- literally and metaphorically.

Despite our sacred music declaring that in Jesus there is ‘no darkness at all,’ for many the long winter nights settle a spiritual dampness within our souls. It’s these long nights where the steady companionship of a community of faith can be crucial, filling our weeks with the light not afforded to us by early sunsets.

My husband likes to say that churches have superpowers. One of the church’s superpowers is that because of our very disposition and theology, it is a place where strangers become neighbors, neighbors become friends, and friends become family.

Living into that is a separate challenge. But even just the opportunity for that kind of connection is so very rare. As someone in their 30s I can tell you the greatest miracle in scripture is that as a 33-year-old Jesus had a dozen close friends who managed to sync calendars for meals and trips and preaching by the Sea of Galilee. Connection is hard to come by, and it is a superpower of the church.

This is just one of the reasons I value our church community. But what sets church apart from other groups, organizations, or services that bring life and light to our lives?

What separates church from a pickleball squad that offers fellowship and routine connection? What separates church from a non-profit dedicated to justice? Or a community center that functions as the hub of a neighborhood? Or a concert venue that puts on fantastic shows?

By some criteria, there’s not a lot of difference. By other criteria, there is a world of difference. Our membership vows give us the key: we commit with our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. This is what sets church apart.