OPAL UK
Meet Our Team
OPAL's day-to-day ministry in the UK is undertaken by a small but dedicated team of staff members and volunteers. Ian Smith helps with finance, and Ruth Blair and Ruth Christie work to support OPAL with administration. Matteo is our Shipping and Distribution Supervisor, and Ian Shaw is CEO. Alastair Collins heads our team of volunteers in the UK warehouse. If you would like to make contact, or arrange for one of them to visit your fellowship or speak at an event, please contact us.
Our Ambassadors and Trustees
Geoff Ruston
OPAL Ambassador & Trustee
After a career of 13 years with the National Westminster Bank, Geoff worked with Gospel Literature Outreach in Motherwell for 26 years in various capacities including holding responsibility for their wholesale depot, bookshop and other business activities. For a number of years he acted as GLO treasurer and was regularly involved in literature evangelism in Europe. For many years he was a local church elder and missionary secretary. As founder members with others of OPAL in 2003, he and his wife Janet have devoted the past 17 years to developing the ministry. They have rejoiced to see its growth, and will in 2021 assume a non-executive ambassadorial role. 'We praise God for the many who have been reached with the gospel and for Christians who have been built up and encouraged in the faith through the work of OPAL'
John Lewis
OPAL Ambassador & Trustee
After a career in industry, John has spent the past 35 years in Christian publishing and book distribution. He worked firstly in UK with STL/Paternoster, and then in USA with OM Literature who later merged with the International Bible Society now known as Biblica, where for a number of years he headed up a division distributing Bibles and books into the Majority World. Since retiring and now back in the UK, he and his wife Cynthia devote most of their time to supporting OPAL's publishing initiatives, as well as serving as an Elder in Peebles Evangelical Church.
OPAL Trustees
Ian Burness
Chair of Trustees
Ian grew up in Aberdeen, Scotland, and trained as a medical doctor. For 11 years he worked in the local churches among the Luvale people teaching the Bible, and ran a mission hospital on the Zambian/ Angolan border. After returning to the UK, Ian served as General Director of the mission organisation Echoes of Service until 2015. Ian is married to Margaret, and they have three children and eight grandchildren.
Richard Harknett
Trustee
Richard served in cross-cultural ministry in Peru for 11 years. Currently he works part-time with Echoes International and part-time with GLO Europe equipping, training, and stimulating an interest in missions. Richard is married with two children and lives in Bishop’s Stortford.
Elizabeth McQuoid
Trustee
Elizabeth is the Commissioning Editor for Keswick Ministries. She has written a number of Bible study guides and edits a daily devotional series. Elizabeth served as a trustee of the Keswick Convention for ten years. She lives in Aberdeen where her husband Jeremy is the teaching pastor at Deeside Christian Fellowship, and they have three sons.
Stephen Shaw
Trustee
Stephen is a QC based in Northern Ireland. He undertakes a wide Bible teaching ministry at home and abroad. He has served with a variety of Christian organisations and is currently a member of the board of Echoes International. He is married with 4 adult children.
Iain Jamieson
Trustee
Iain studied theology and law in Scotland, before working as an Assistant Liaison Officer at Buckingham Palace where he led a small weekly prayer meeting with other members of staff. Iain is married and is now based in Scotland as a commended worker, and preaches in various churches throughout the UK.
Andy Hunter
Trustee
Andy works with the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) as their Director for Scotland & the North of England. Previously he trained for ministry at Oak Hill Theological College in London before serving in local church ministry for nine years at Greenview Evangelical Church in Glasgow. He is married with 3 children.
OPAL Associates
Ian and Marilyn Campbell
OPAL Associate
Ian and Marilyn oversee the running of our store in Chingola Zambia. For twelve years they served as missionaries in the former Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) before moving to Zambia in 1999. They are also involved in prison visitation, running Emmaus courses, and youth work. Ian and Marilyn are developing a new ministry centre in Lusaka. They have two daughters and three grandchildren.
Kelvin Samwata
OPAL Associate
Kelvin acts as an ambassador for OPAL by promoting the work in Zambia and beyond. He has a busy preaching ministry and serves on the board of a number of Christian organisations and schools. He is married to Joyce and they have four children.
OPAL Council of Reference
Dr Joshua Fitzhugh – Myrtlefield Trust.
Mr Alan Gamble – retired senior Scottish lawyer.
Mr Pieter Kwant – International Programme Director, Langham Literature.
Dr Stephen McQuoid – General Director of Gospel Literature Outreach.
