Meeting Other Exvangelicals?

Mainly just a late-night rant, but please humor me.

I completely left every church group I was associated with last Fall, and overall it has been for the better. It was hard being in spaces and with others that were solely devoted to something I no longer blindly agree with.

I have had robust friendships with "non-believers" for awhile, and now they make up 99% of my personal community. It's so refreshing to know that my friends are in my life because they WANT to be, not because they are obligated to be. My friends now actually want to spend quality time with me, and not just to meet up for a weekly bible study or other church commitments. I now don't feel objectified or sexualized by my male friends, which I found common in several church circles.

But with all the goodness that has come along with leaving, there is still an aching grief I can't shake. I left all the groups I attended about year ago, and no one there gives a fuck. No follow-ups, no "hey, miss seeing you around!" messages, nothing.

For 20+ years, I had always found it hard to feel a sense of belonging in church circles, and the lack of care that I dropped out all of a sudden from groups that I was quite involved in only further validates my emotions.

What really sealed the deal with feeling this way is an incident that happened 3 years ago. I was crying to my counselor (who was/is a Christian) about my friends from church not ever making time to hang out, despite my large efforts. He told me that "They are not my friends," and recommended that I hang out with my non-believing friends, and he said "those are your true friends, embrace them."

And that is exactly what I needed to hear. The church tries to paint a picture of "the body of christ being everyone's true home, and where everyone belongs." But it couldn't be further from the truth. I'm so mad that I had been lied to about relationships and friendships with non-believers. The church demonized them so much, but I have never felt so loved.

I love the fact I have gained a large community, but still am grieving the large part of my life I left behind. So all this to say, what is the best way to meet other exvangelicals? My new friends are great, but they can't relate to what im going through. I would love to have someone to debrief with that has gone through the same thing. I know this channel is here for this reason, but hoping to find someone to discuss with one-on-one (that's not a counselor).

Sorry for the word vomit, just needed to get that all out.