We hope that you have enjoyed reading this edition of Ascend. We have prepared some questions to help you reflect on what you have read.

The LORD of Psalm 23 is a book which began as a three-part sermon series. David Gibson works through the psalm, dividing it into three natural sections, each with its own theme: 'The Sheep and the Shepherd', 'The Traveller and the Companion', and 'The Guest and the Host'. Each of the three parts of the book contains bible teaching and pastoral application - both comfort and challenge.

The Heidelberg Catechism was written in mid sixteenth century Heidelberg by two young men in their twenties at the request of a German prince.  Its purpose was for instructing young people and guiding pastors and teachers.  It was divided into 52 sections so that part of it could be taught in churches each Sunday.

I’ve had a few different jobs in my time. A call centre, a couple of shops, a supply chain manager at a theme park… and as I moved from one job to the next, the process of leaving was often the same. Sometimes (generously) there would be a leaving gift, often there would be leaving drinks or a meal out, but there would always be a card that had been passed around for colleagues to sign without me noticing.

At the beginning of 2025, my church began the journey towards becoming a single friendly church, by working with the Single Friendly Church Network (SFCN). This is a UK‐wide organisation whose aim is to encourage churches to welcome and value single people. For a while we had been working on creating a stronger feeling of family among our members. This had initially focused on families themselves, but a small number of us gradually came to see that we needed to improve our ministry to single people.

If you had asked me what intimacy looked like in a small group, I might have said something about Bible study or prayer. I would not have said “Monday evenings with eight or nine men, a book and a cup of tea.” But that is exactly where I have encountered some of the deepest intimacy, with God, with others and even with myself.