Tuesday 19 March 
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Team members

Find out more about the team who lead and contribute to Sanctuary First.

Albert Bogle

Albert Bogle

Albert has been a member of various General Assembly Boards and Committees including Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 2012/13. He studied theology at both Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities and was parish minister at St Andrew’s Church of Scotland Bo’ness for 34 years where he led a multidisciplinary team of creative people working to effect transformation in communities at a local, national and international level.
He is founder of the Vine Trust, an international relief organisation working in the Amazon and Lake Victoria, and co founder of Sanctus Media. Albert’s ministry has included blogging, broadcasting, and developing digital media as a communication tool for churches.
In April 2016 he was appointed leader of Sanctuary First as a Pioneer Minister to explore new ways to create and sustain opportunities for those disconnected from church to be sustained in their Christian discipleship though the use of digital technology.
In 2022 under Albert’s leadership Sanctuary First became an incorporated Charity of the Church of Scotland  helping to deliver the Church’s Faith and Action Programme.

“History has taught us that it is through creativity and diversity that God has renewed the worship of his people. We are called to be pilgrims moving from imagination to expression, from expression to action, and from action to reflection; a picture of incarnation, which surely must be at the centre of all Godly communication and authentic worship.” Albert Bogle

James Cathcart

James Cathcart

James is a consultant writer and editor with a love of poetry, theology, story and language. He devises, develops, proofs and edits worship and resource material for Sanctuary First.


“I am hopeful, energised and excited about the future of the church — which has new opportunities to renew, refocus and refine what it means to be (as Henri Nouwen would say) ‘Wounded Healers’  today.” James Cathcart

Laura Digan

Laura Digan

Laura is minister of Whiteinch Parish Church in Glasgow. She came to Sanctuary First on placement as a trainee minister and stayed. Laura is a key member of our Production Team. She is particularly interested in how a worshipping community can grow and develop in the digital space.

She brings with her experience in communications and marketing from the retail sector.
She love animals and most of her time outside church is spent either at the stables with her pony Cheeko, walking her Bearded Collie Pup or sitting with her cat Missy. She feels that being in their presence brings her closer to God.
“I love the energy of animals as it is so calming and healing. My dream is to one day open an animal/human therapy centre.” Laura Digan

Ruth Kennedy

Ruth Kennedy

Minister of Sanctuary First and pioneering minister of the Church of Scotland.

Jim Steel

Jim Steel

Jim is actively involved with both music and the church, playing in his local church band and developing ways to connect with young people through music. From helping them in his local community with music by teaching musical instruments to showing the next generation of young people how to record, set up and create their own music. Jim has been playing and writing songs now for several years, with an impressive back catalogue of original songs he’s not short of a song to sing at the right moment. He prefers to collaborate with others in bands, and with other soloists finding the harmonies and new sounds a collective can achieve rather than be centre stage himself.

Jane Steel

Jane Steel

Jane has been married to Jim for 29 years and they have two grown up sons. She is active in her home church of Allan Park South, Stirling and enjoys art and being involved in community life.

She is part of Sanctuary First because she strongly believes that the Church needs to actively reach outwards into our communities to connect in whatever way they are wishing to engage. 

 

“Young people now, and many older ones too, live much of their lives ‘online’ and we need to provide a modern loving expression of Church to meet them there — I love that this is what Sanctuary First is focused on being.”

Jack Steel

Jack Steel

Jack is a photographer, filmmaker and designer. He works freelance with Sanctuary First on visual content, making short films and social media video material and designing some of the images you will see on the site. He started working with Sanctuary First after meeting Albert Bogle and being asked to make a short film about Breaking Bread. Since then he has been working more closely as part of the Sanctuary First Production Team, most recently, working on the Secret Chord Sessions recording project. 

“It’s been great fun being part of the team, Albert never fails to raise the bar, with the projects Sanctuary First takes on often being a challenge for bigger enterprises never mind our small group, yet this is how innovative stuff comes into being. Creatively speaking, it’s good to not be able to rest on one’s laurels too much.”