Not feeling like one of my own

I've gone to church since I was in 8th grade. During those akward years for me, it was always the one place I felt comfortable, at home, and loved and accepted. I'll be the first person to admit I am far from perfect, but I always atleast tried to make others feel as comfortable as I did at church, whether I was at church or not. I think that was always just a part of my personality, but it comes with my beliefs, as well. I believe that everyone should treat others as they themselves would want to be treated. I know sometimes we all just have those bad days or moments where we may be crappy to others, sometimes not realizing it. But I always try to be kind.
I started with a new group of students this year in nursing school. Returning back to a term that I had to repeat, I am the "new girl." There was a group of people who befriended me right off the bat, no questions asked. They asked me to hang out with them and would start a conversation anytime they saw me around. These people are the partiers. They get drunk, some do drugs, they have premarital sex, and one is gay. Now, we already know the fact that I am a Christian, and as most of you would know, we consider these things sins. I don't judge these peole for these things, because its not my place to. They know what my beliefs are, they respect that, and I respect them.
This is a call to you Christians. Some of you may label these people as "bad, horrible" people, but they're not. Some of you know that we are no better then they are, that they just don't share the faith that we do. We are supposed to be loving, caring people, yet these were the first people to accept me at school. The Christian girls, (I say girls cause I go to a small nursing school, so most of the class is female) I could tell who some of them were. They stayed back, kind of just watching me, seeing who I was before they approached me. I am guilty of doing this sometimes, but mostly just because I am just shy. I've learned over the years, but more so recently in my returning to school, that alot of Christians are not as accepting as they should be, or think they are. I'll befriend anyone. I am not afraid to voice what I believe in, but I won't force it on anyone. I have the friends I know who will hold me accountable, who will help keep me in line with my beliefs, but I will not dismiss someone just because they don not see eye to eye with me. The first person to befriend me at school when I came back was a gay guy. His friends, the partiers, were the next to immediately befriend me. They respect my beliefs, and I appreciate they're willingness to accept me as much as I try to accept them. It took a good couple weeks before some of the other people in my would say hi and introduce themselves. I was friendly, saying hi to everyone I saw, introducing myself to others. So it wasn't that I was being antisocial.
Being school and not having a car there, I don't go to church as much as I would like. But I found a church that I can take a bus to from school, its only 15 minutes away. Its an extension of my home church that I went to since I was in 8 th grade. Its alot smaller, but its still a nice place. I saw 2 people I knew there. You know how many people talked to me total ?(including ones that i initiated the conversation) 5.
2 of those beings conversations I started. Out of a roomful of ateleast 50 people (ones who are supposed to be accepting, loving people), I talked to 5. Even though I was shy, I would always try to outreach to others, at church or where ever else, especially if they looked new to me.
Christians, we nee to do a better job at representing our beleifs. Over the last few weeks, the nonbelievers are outdoing us in the love department. I can understand how people can be turned away from the church, especially ones who do not fit into the "holier than thou" mold (not to stereotype, but ones like the gays, addicts and non-virgins). I can't talk bad about these people. Like I said, first, its not my place to, but secondly, they've taken me in when "my own" even wouldn't. I know this may seem like a minor detail in my life to some of you, but for someone who is trying to show the love that God has for others, and how caring I am myself, I see these "minor" incidents as set backs for what the Christian community should be doing. And if its happening to our own, who knows the countless numbers of people we turning off from the church because we do not make them feel accepted and welcome. It doesn't matter who they are or what they've done, none of us our perfect. So why are we so easily judging not just the nonbelievers, but even "our own"