Yer a better man for sayin' that, brother. Help 'em organize. Arrange to meet one o' the others for coffee or brews. That's how it starts - in small groups that get together and start organizing large groups.
One has to be slightly crazy to just do what I did, inviting everyone over to my place or my friend's place to meet, greet, and potentially play. You have to admit, just leaping to that one requires a bit of bravery or lunacy, whereas meeting for drinks somewhere, usually called a munch for historic reasons, is WAY easier.