My parents tell me they’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon: full church parking lots on Sundays.

In fact, 2025 ChurchTrac data reveals that weekly church attendance in the U.S. has seen a slight uptick — particularly since the pandemic — with the sharpest increase among Millennials.

Whether you consider yourself an atheist or a devout religious observer, here’s why even a slight uptick could be a very positive sign…

A groundbreaking 2015 study by economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton first shed light on a troubling trend in America: rising death rates among middle-aged whites.

They attributed this increase to fatalities caused by drug overdoses, alcohol-related illnesses and suicides — what they called “deaths of despair.”

A 2023 study adds a new dimension to the discussion, suggesting that weakening social ties play a role in these mortality trends.

Researchers found an intriguing correlation between religious service attendance and deaths of despair:

• U.S. states with higher religious participation had fewer such deaths. But as attendance declined, mortality rates climbed.

To establish a causal link, the authors examined the repeal of blue laws, which banned Sunday commerce to encourage churchgoing.

Following these repeals, religious attendance typically plummeted — and deaths of despair rose sharply in subsequent years, with the most significant increase in suicides.

Perhaps most revealing? Private prayer showed no correlation with fewer deaths of despair.

This strongly suggests the protective effect stems not from private religious belief itself, but from the social connections fostered by organized religion.

While other secular groups can also build social capital, faith-based networks appear to offer markedly strong protection against deaths of despair.

Whether or not my parents’ observation about church parking lots holds true, there is something undeniably valuable in a sense of community and connection.

It might just be worth stepping through the doors of your local house of worship to experience that for yourself.

Stock exchanges, by the way, are closed in observance of Good Friday — no market notes today. I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend!