Restaurant? Library? Other? (Bonus points if its toxic people resistant)
Hear me out, I go to a Unitarian Universalist church for the music and sense of community. There is no shared theology among UUs, only a set of shared values. UU services vary a lot by the specific congregation. Ours has had services on celebrating gender identities, promoting social justice, mourning global conflicts, and fighting climate change. Sometimes relevant theology from a variety of world religions is incorporated into services, but there is no expectation to be a believer and there are many atheist members in my church. The rest of the time we have potlucks, play board games, do community service projects, etc.
I go to a similar church and I’ve honestly made such close friends there, we just call ourselves spiritual mutts and have a wide spectrum of beliefs. We are VERY loudly welcoming to LGBT folks, and even have one trans lady in our congregation. A local church of a similar demographic recently announced they were not LGBT affirming, and two thirds of the congregation up and left and came to us, absolutely shocked that this has happened, because they are not people who would tolerate that and has no idea the leaders occupied that position (the pastor of that church also resigned because of this stance). Honestly it’s one of the best things in my life, we do lots for the community and a ton of creative projects as well, including having summer artists in residence. It really can be so different from the shitty churches.
It’s easy. Just go to events in your community. Hang out at a restaurant or bar and socialize with people, go to the farmers market and ask the stall owners questions about their business. Say hi to people you recognize. Go to your local council meetings, or special festivals that are happening around town. Unfortunately you will find that nowhere is toxic people resistant, but just be friendly and chat with people you meet throughout the day, and you would be blown away at how far it will take you to establishing connections in your community.
Admittedly i live in a small college town in rural Ohio, but i always run into so many people that want to say hi to me, despite just being a college drop out who works a factory job. I even had the mayor’s wife personally invite me to her birthday party because i was her favorite server at the restaurant i work at. If you come across as a friendly person, people will want to be friends with you. I bake way more than i can eat, so i am constantly giving little treats to my favorite bartenders, waiters, friends, and co-workers.
I’ve had this same question a hundred times. Seems like a lot of people find a sense of community in church, but I’m non-religious and I haven’t found a replacement.
You could check out a Unitarian Church. They don’t have any specific creed or beliefs and welcome everyone, including humanists, atheists, etc.
That’s not a bad idea. There’s actually a Unitarian church about two miles from my house. Last time I drove by there was a MAGA across the street shouting into a bullhorn, so that should at least make it interesting.
It’s worth a shot. If nothing else, I’d imagine you’ll meet some interesting people.
sport
Bonus points if its toxic people resistant
Sadsacks don’t do sport; you tend to meet more high-energy, confident people.
Do you know what Toxic means
poisonous
