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ep 27 - Where to Actually Find Community | Practical Tips for Making Friends as an Woman

10/8/20264 min read

in case i forget

There are places all around me with people all around me looking for people like me. I don't have to believe that I'm alone. I may have to put in the work, step outside of my comfort zone, and walk into a room where I don't know anyone, but I can find and build community. Sometimes God will position people around me in ways I never could have planned for myself.

When we first moved to Virginia, we got pregnant, and months later, I received a baby shower from women she had only known for a few months. I didn't even want the shower at first, but God knew what I needed, and people I barely knew showed up around me in a way I'll never forget.

There is nothing like knowing that God has positioned people around you, and positioned you around others, to genuinely be a blessing.

THIS WEEK, THINK ABOUT:

  • Where am I already surrounded by people I haven't taken the time to know?

  • What hobby or interest could help me meet people?

  • What free local resources are available in my community?

  • Am I simply attending church, or am I actually plugging myself in?

  • Where might God be inviting me to open the door?

RESOURCES MENTIONED
JOIN THE 7 LETTERS CLUB 🌸

Your village is waiting. The 7 Letters Club is a 12-week letter writing community for women who are ready to show up for each other with intention. A small circle of three women. Prompted stationery, a journaling pen, envelopes, stamps, and a surprise, all shipped to your door.

Take the quiz at theologyandtestimony.com to find out what kind of pen pal writer you are. Then join us.

[LEARN MORE →] theologyandtestimony.com and click the 7 Letters Club tab

LET'S KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING

What part of this episode encouraged you? Where have you found community in an unexpected place? I'd love to hear from you.

And if in case i forget has been a blessing to you, please consider leaving a review. The goal is to reach 10 reviews by the end of October, and your review can help someone else find the show. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you are listening. It helps more anchored women find this show, and I am so deeply grateful for every single one. 🤍

Have a testimony you want to share on the podcast? Reach out at hello@theologyandtestimony.com and let us connect.

A NOTE ON HOW THESE SHOW NOTES ARE MADE

Every recorded episode is in my best submission to the Holy Spirit, brought to you as faithfully as I know how. The show notes are drafted by AI directly from my transcripts and then reviewed to make sure everything reflects me and this community. Full transparency always. 🤍

This is in case i forget, a space I obeyed God to create just for you. I will be looking forward to chatting with you next week. ✌🏽

🌐 theologyandtestimony.com | 📧 hello@theologyandtestimony.com

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Series: Open the Door | Part 5
Previous episodes: Part 1 — Opening the Door to New Friendships | Part 2 — Gather Around the Table | Part 3 - When Community Hurts You | Part 4 - Are You the Kind of Friend You're Looking For

WHERE TO FIND COMMUNITY

Finding community sounds simple until you're an adult with responsibilities, schedules, children, work, church, and a whole life already in motion.

Sometimes we know we need people, but we don't know where to actually find them.

In this episode, we get practical.

After spending the previous episode talking about the kind of friend we should be and the characteristics we should look for in friendship, we're turning our attention to the practical question:

Where do we actually go to find community?

THE JOURNAL PROMPT

This week's prompt is inspired by All It Takes Is a Goal by Jon Acuff:

Write down as many of your best moments as you can think of.
They can be big moments or incredibly simple ones.

A wedding.
A friendship.
The smell of laundry coming through the kitchen window while the sun is setting.
A moment when you simply thought, life is good.

Write as many as you can. Try to fill the front and back of a full sheet of paper.

And if you want these journal prompts delivered to your inbox on printable stationery, you can join the email list here.

SO, WHERE CAN WE FIND COMMUNITY?
1. Support groups

Sometimes community is already waiting for us in a place created around a shared season of life.

I attended a free breastfeeding support group after having my son. I already had a village, but I knew how lonely the postpartum season could be. That support group became the place where I met a woman who eventually became a close friend.

2. Pick up a hobby

You don't have to pick up a hobby just because you want to master something.

You can pick up a hobby because it puts you around people.

Knitting.
Sewing.
Braiding hair.
Sourdough.
Book clubs.
Pickleball.

Sometimes a shared interest gives you the easiest possible conversation starter: Hey, you like this thing too?

And suddenly, you're talking to someone you might never have met otherwise.

3. Try a pen pal

Community doesn't always have to happen face-to-face.

The lost art of writing letters to a pen pal is an unexpected gift, especially when that friend walks through a difficult season. Even from hundreds of miles away, letter writing created space for transparency, accountability, encouragement, and the reminder that we aren't the only ones going through something.

If you're interested in that kind of connection, check out the 7 Letters Club at theologyandtestimony.com/the-7-letters-club.

4. Look for free local programs

Your local community may already have opportunities for connection that don't cost anything.

Check your local hospital for support groups. Look at your library for baby or toddler programs. These kinds of spaces can give you somewhere to show up regularly, meet other people, and begin building relationships.

5. Don't overlook church

Yes, church.

But don't just attend.

Show up. Talk to someone you haven't met. Join a small group. Volunteer. Invite someone to your table. Greet people.
Find a way to serve.

There is something different about being part of a church community when you stop simply attending and actually begin to plug yourself in.

The body of Christ is beautiful, full of diversity, encouragement, worship, service, mourning, celebration, and the reality that we need one another.