I often volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, and I find that the (majority religious) people there are kind, generous, and overall awesome people. I ascribe a lot of this to their religious convictions. It's also possible though that I'm getting a selection bias of the kindest Christians who are the type that not only go to church but go volunteer with Habitat because the church is doing it- but I do think that the church is a positive influence on them and the community.
I also think that there are relatively few institutions that promote virtuous, pro-social behavior with the effective and long-term viewpoint that a church can. I wish that there were more community organizations starting up that acted in a similar capacity to churches, to come fill in their shoes. Less focus on shaming outgroups and more focus on personal development and community.