Oof. I don't have any advice for you about how to handle someone talking into intentional silence, because I never use it in any Bible study I lead because I can't stand it. Occasionally I use intentional silence in worship (because I know that a lot of people find it meaningful, once they get used to it), but not in Bible study. For me, intentional silence is just a time for my brain to spiral out into thinking about something else and completely lose any sort of spiritual or devotional focus I might have had going. It's not just that I don't personally get anything out of it; 90% of the time it actively derails or stops anything I had been getting out of the Bible study or devotion prior to that.
As for being connected to your church ... sometimes the sense of connection ebbs and flows for a lot of reasons. It can be tough to figure out the difference between "this is a temporary thing, and will change, and after a bit I will start feeling less isolated and more connected again" and "there is a disconnect between me and this community, and it's never going to get better, so maybe it's time to see if I can find a church where I can be fully a part of the community." It's a hard place to be. I'm praying for you.
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As for being connected to your church ... sometimes the sense of connection ebbs and flows for a lot of reasons. It can be tough to figure out the difference between "this is a temporary thing, and will change, and after a bit I will start feeling less isolated and more connected again" and "there is a disconnect between me and this community, and it's never going to get better, so maybe it's time to see if I can find a church where I can be fully a part of the community." It's a hard place to be. I'm praying for you.