Seeking Guidance on the Path to Islam

As-salamu alaykum. For context, I'm a young American man who grew up mostly in a very evangelical Christian area. When I was younger, I lived in a diverse community with many Muslims, but that was a long time ago. I've always believed in and loved God, trying to follow those I felt shared that love. That search led me through many spiritual paths, and I don’t regret any of it. Lately, I almost convinced myself to join an Orthodox church, but something held me back-I couldn't feel that this was what Jesus (peace be upon him) asked of us. Then, in the past couple weeks, more than just curiosity, I felt a deep pull to immerse myself in the Islamic way of life. Unlike before, it doesn’t feel like a need to join an institution, but rather that God wants me to study the Qur’an and the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The problem is, Islam is very misunderstood where I live. There’s a masjid here, but it’s inactive because of low attendance and a bomb threat last Ramadan. What should I do? I have an English poetic Qur’an, but what else can help me? How can I get proper spiritual guidance without a community? At what point should I think about reverting? It’s already on my mind, but I don’t know if I’m just excited about something new. I worry that if I take shahada, I’ll be a terrible Muslim since I’m a grave sinner.