“You smell good,” someone whispers, as we both move from hug to hug in the group gathering around the coffee and snacks table. It’s Tuesday night, and defying the tropical downpour outside, we pour into this oasis, thirsty for the kind of warm community that makes the soul feel seen and safe.

They took my breath away, my own weary people who came trickling into church after a long day. After what happened in the Emmanuel church in Charleston, still they came to this house of God.