Struggle in building network

I have been so blessed to have made so many good friends when I was at JSU. As a shy and quiet student, it is amazing how my life was filled with this many friends. It was the church and BCM. The pastors were so friendly and engaged to college students, and I could not thank enough to BCM friends for fill those days with fun and joy.

Now, the new life at UAB and in Birmingham is a little different.

The church that I go to is about 25 minutes drive from my apartment. As a graduate student, I'm in GAP (graduates and professionals) of the Sunday School, not in college class. There is no one from UAB BCM. So I see people at this church only on Sunday. Most attendees of the service live in Mountain Brook, wealthy neighborhood in Birmingham area and where this church is also located. I prefer this church over other church that many BCMers attend because this is a moderate size church. I attended the latter and it was overwhelming... too much, too big for me.

Fall and Spring were still fine. I still get to hang out with friends at BCM a lot. Now it's summer. Many went home. I started internship. I don't get to see friends during the week or even on the weekend.

I have been feeling in need of getting to know more people in this church for a while, but at the service yesterday, I felt it more strongly as I sit by myself, couldn't find a friend that I usually sit with. I guess she attended the first service and went home after Sunday School.

My Sunday School class is different from the one in Jacksonville, other than it's GAP. Most people there works. About half are married. A few are in UAB, but they are in the medical school (UAB medical school and other programs are practically totally different schools). A couple of them are seminary students at Beeson Divinity School in Samford. I don't think even in college ministry, UAB population is not big.

Unlike Jacksonville, where there is only one college, I'm in a church where I don't have much common factors with church attendees.

This church in Birmingham has similar air to the church I go to in Tokyo. There, I became rapidly engaged to the church activities, especially youth ministry. Now I came to a similar church and I'm struggling to find a place to be a part of. Of course there are several factors to this. I could not join Wednesday night Bible Study due to class. College ministry is distant from UAB BCM.

I am wondering whether I should go to another church. I mean I like this church. I like the pastor. I like the people at GAP class. It's just seem everyone is distant, comparing to the church in Jacksonville. Perhaps, I want friends that I get to hang out with often or feel connected.

It's funny, though, that I feel so connected in a small city of Jacksonville, and in Birmingham, where everything is closer, cars are main transportation as in Jacksonville, I feel a bit lonely. Maybe because the church is far? or different focus of ministry? Not even like in Tokyo either.