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. Michelle is our Supply and Distribution Supervisor, Ruth Christie works to support OPAL with administration and Ian Smith helps with finance. Gordon McLeod is our Literature Distribution Supervisor working with our Gospel Printing Mission ministry. Ian Shaw and Elizabeth McQuoid head up OPAL's publishing ministry. If you would like to make contact, or arrange for someone from OPAL to visit your fellowship or speak at an event, please contact us.

Our Ambassadors and Trustees

Geoff Ruston

OPAL Ambassador

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, and acting as GLO treasurer. He was regularly involved in literature evangelism in Europe, and for many years was a local church elder and missionary secretary. As a founder member of OPAL in 2003, he and his wife Janet devoted the following years to developing the ministry before retiring in 2020 when Geoff took on an ambassadorial role.

John Lewis

OPAL Ambassador & Trustee

After a career in industry, John has spent the past 40 years in Christian publishing and book distribution. He worked firstly in the 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. As an OPAL ambassador John helps encourage OPAL's publishing initiatives, as well as serving as an Elder in Peebles Evangelical Church.

"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". - Geoff Ruston

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 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 worked for many years as 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. Her husband Jeremy has served for many years in preaching and teaching ministry.

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.

Geoff McIlrath

Trustee

Geoff serves as elder with Castlereagh Fellowship in Belfast. He writes accessible gospel literature and his 'Why?' series of booklets are used widely around the world. He is the author of the OPAL publications 'Knowing the Good News' and 'Knowing God the Father'.

Helen Crookes

Trustee

After 36 years teaching Classics, in retirement Helen is now involved as a volunteer with Myrtlefield Trust. She has compiled and edited two daily devotionals selected from the works of David Gooding ('Bringing us to Glory' and 'Changing us for Glory') and is currently working on his biography. She is involved in leading women’s Bible studies in Crescent Church of which she has been a member for almost 50 years, and also serves on the music and catering teams there.

OPAL Associates

Ian and Marilyn Campbell

OPAL Associates

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 ministry, running Emmaus courses, and youth work. Ian and Marilyn have recently established a new ministry centre in Lusaka. They have two daughters and three grandchildren.

OPAL Council of Reference

Joshua Fitzhugh – Myrtlefield Trust.
Alan Gamble – retired senior Scottish lawyer.
Stephen McQuoid – General Director of Gospel Literature Outreach.

Meet our OPAL USA team

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