feeling isolated in church

Post Reply New Topic

I find it really hard to make friends and connect with people at church. People tend to avoid me and my family at church. There are people who will only sit with us during coffee and doughnuts if their cool popular friends aren't around. The priest has his favorite families that monopolize him all the time. My dad is unemployed right now and that just makes it worse. Dad has reached out to people for help finding a job. Nobody wants to use their connections to help him get a job. Have any of you been through this?

Actually in my current church I don't feel very connected at all. I'm not really sure how to go about making a solution to that.

Try a Unitarian Universalist group. They are an eclectic group of people open to everyone. Christian groups often are geared towards a certain demographic.

Yep....many churches, despite their "godly" reputation, tend to contain people who are all too "human."

I would move to another church, if it's not too far from your home.

Your priest sounds like a turd. Even they aren't immune from pandering to the popular crowd.

I'm guessing swapping is not an easy move assuming your Catholic or Anglican by your mention of a priest.

I'm Catholic. I have attended other churches in the past. I experienced the same crap at all of them.

Did you get your screen name from Lady Elaine Fairchild, of Misterroger's Neighborhood?

Yes I did and my mother had a friend she gave that nickname to.

She was a trip, that Lady Elaine!

I'm actually surprised that you know the program so well, given that you're 23.

It goes to show: there are certain things that never get old---they are loved by everybody.

I watched Mister Rogers quite a bit when I was a kid.

I started watching it when I was six, in 1967---the first year it was shown!

I used to like the World of Make Believe better than the scenes with Mr. Rogers himself. My all-time favorite was the Trolley. It's not that I found him weird necessarily. It's the way he spoke. I've never liked it when people would deliberately speak "calmly" to you. It could stem from the fact that I'm used to fast-paced New York City speech.

Or the other Elaine from Seinfeld.

I love Elaine from Seinfeld.

@ OP: You shouldn't worry so much about not being able to fit in at your church. I am also Catholic and going to church every Sunday is like being in HS all over again. So many cliques!

The cliques are insane.

You seem like a person who likes the concept of church. And a community of worshippers.

It's a pity that you have to be in this particular church. Is your family forced to give a tithe to this church? If so, if they don't start treating your family better, I would just high-tail it out of that church and give your 10% to a church who appreciates you.