Team members
Find out more about the team who lead and contribute to Sanctuary First.
Minister & CEO of Sanctuary First and pioneering minister of the Church of Scotland.
Ruth is the Minister of Sanctuary First and the CEO of our SCIO. She is also the Digital Ministries Advisor for the Church of Scotland and, just for fun, is the Sports Chaplain for the Scottish Cycling Mountain Bike Cross Country Race series. An avid adventurer at heart, Ruth has journeyed with Jesus since she could walk, talk, run or ride, taking her into pioneering and managing various local, national and international charities and groups and seeing people released into the fullness of life in Jesus.
Ruth is married to Stuart with three sons, now all taller than she is, and continues her family legacy of Ministers, stretching back some five generations.
‘Jesus is the only one who brings us life in all its fullness. I love to explore what that looks like, what it sounds like, what it is for all of us to encounter Jesus and be transformed by His presence. In Real Life and online. I believe God is doing a new work in the Church and Sanctuary First is right in the middle of that new thing with all our rich and creative ministries and culture which embraces faithfully going into the unknown together. What an adventure!’
Chairman of the board & Founder of Sanctuary First. Minister & former Moderator of the Church of Scotland
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
Tech & Creative Team - Technical Developer & Advisor and Part of the Sanctus Media team.
Neil is part of the team at Sanctus Media, he was intergral in the founding of Sanctuary First in building our current website and app from scratch, he also contributes as part of the tech and creative team who support Sanctuary First.
Creative Team - Head Writer & Editor of Sanctuary First
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
Creative Team - Minister & Member of the board of Sanctuary First and leader of the Morning Prayer
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.”
Tech & Creative Team - Creative Director of Sanctuary First
Jack is a photographer, filmmaker and designer. He works freelance with Sanctuary First as the creative director to help the technical and creative team to develop and create some of the visual content, short films, art work and events you will see on the site and app.
Originally studing film, he now works in live broadcasting, theatre, photography, film, design, illustration & art.
Creative Team - Social media Managment and member of the team at Sanctus Media
Treasurer of Sanctuary First & Member of the Board
Paul Goode is on the Board of Sanctuary First and is a regular contributor to the Morning Prayer every week, he also leads he own services online from the borders in Scotland.
Member of the Board of Sanctuary First & leader of the Live Jam Friday
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.
Administrator of Sanctuary First & leader of the Art Connection Group
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.”
Minister & Member of the board of Sanctuary First
Minister & Member of the board of Sanctuary First
Minister of Boness Old Kirk and pastor to Kinneil and Deanburn Primary Schools.
Member of the Board of Sanctuary First
Minister & Member of the board of Sanctuary First
Minister & Contirbutor to Sanctuary First
