What does the welcome look like in your church? Does it consist of a firm handshake and a service sheet, or is it being given a hug by someone in a bright T-shirt? But genuine hospitality, of course, goes way beyond creating a good first impression once a week.

Deciding how to share that your Same-Sex Attractions with others can be hard, particularly within your church family. Whom do you tell? Which person do you start with? For me, it started with my closest friend, followed by a few others. Then it became clear that I needed to tell my mentor, who was my student pastor.

In this article, Rhoda explains what it was like for her to come to terms with her enduring same-sex attractions, having been born just after the war. She reviews her struggle with singleness, in particular the feelings of loss once she realised that she would not have biological children of her own.

New Monasticism seeks to take the positive aspects of the monastic tradition from the past and apply them to life today. Richard explains his experience of getting involved in this movement and what it taught him about meaningful community – lessons that have stuck with him even after returning to ‘regular church’.

There is a growing trend of students having a mentor to support them in their studies. Simon explores going further and surrounding ourselves with a whole team of people to help see us through. While a mentor would have a place in this team, there is a need for others too.

We all bring baggage with us when we approach Scripture. It might be personality quirks like introversion and self-reliance, or culturally conditioned philosophical concepts like individualism. These things act as static that we must try and tune out. When we do, we are better placed to hear what Scripture teaches on community.