“We lived our entire lives in New York and moved to South Carolina for a change. Five years later, it still isn’t quite what we hoped for. Our religious and social differences have made it hard to make friends,” said a new South Carolina resident.
Valerie Williams opened up personally in a recent article in Business Insider that gives insight into the thoughts of individuals moving into South Carolina. She writes about the isolation that her family has felt, a sense of feeling out of place, and not belonging.
The Williams family is not affiliated with any religion and is part of the fastest-growing group of people in South Carolina. Some have good careers, are respectable citizens, and are family-oriented. They are desperately looking for friends more than a great worship service to attend.
Because of their lack of belief, Valerie finds it hypocritical to attend a worship service for the sake of making friends. She explains that they have had more than one invite to a church service. Their refusal to attend further isolates them as budding friendships wane, and Christians move on to the next lost neighbor.
People are longing to belong. SCBaptists have an incredible opportunity to build friendships with new arrivals to our state and be good neighbors. The secret sauce for effective evangelism efforts is the mixture of hospitality and gospel sharing over the long haul.
The non-affiliated may not accept an invitation to a church service, but they may jump at the chance at a ride to go shopping, a spot in your golf foursome, or a seat at your table. We must treat them like potential friends and not projects. The Williams plan to move to the lowcountry. They will be looking for friends. Won’t you be their neighbor?