There is nothing that compares to church in the southeast when it comes to social events and getting to know new people. So many varieties of people at all stages of life. If they didn't spend so much time preaching down on people outside of religion I would be at church at least a couple times a week.

The amount of "preaching down" varies a lot by denomination. Pretty common in Southern Baptist churches. Pretty uncommon in Episcopal churches. Catholic churches pretty much depend on the temperament of the pastor.

>There is nothing that compares to church

Not even football?

find a different church. (Unless you're in a town so small that there's only one.)

With the exception of the fine Tea Party and their gatherings, we don't have those things.