There's Something for Everyone at the Foothills Newcomers Club In Seneca-Clemson, South Carolina

When you think of a Newcomers Club, it's usually composed of women who've recently moved to an new area. Most likely, their husbands have had to move due to a job change or transfer, and they're looking for new friends.

However, we discovered a newcomers club that has just as many men as women. What's more, most of the members are newly retired.

You don't have to be lonely when you move to the Seneca-Clemson, South Carolina area thanks to the Newcomers Club of the Foothills. Serving new residents in both Oconee and Pickens County in the Upcountry region of northwestern South Carolina, this newcomers club is exceptional in many ways.

For example, we were amazed at the enormity of the club. I remember how, at first, we hesitated to go, even after we'd made a special attempt to be in Seneca the day of their November meeting. Spent from house hunting and site seeing, we were tempted to just head home. Then we reasoned, "We've come all this way, so what's another day", changing our minds. We were thankful we did reconsider. When we found Seneca's St. Mark's United Methodist Church, we were overwhelmed before we even walked into the door. Here were throngs of retired folks walking, briskly, from the church parking lot, with eager, friendly smiles. We walked downstairs into the church auditorium and were stunned to see at least a hundred men and women already there, browsing the activity booths.

When the "old-timers" saw our new faces, they didn't hesitate to welcome us and introduce themselves. When I casually mentioned that we were "out-of-towners", from Connecticut, I was ever more surprised to learn the woman standing next to me came from our same county up north. She shared that she was once our "almost" neighbors, coming from nearby Glastonbury (only about 15 minutes from our former home in South Windsor, Connecticut.) She immediately directed me to her booth that featured a weekly women's bible study and I felt at home.