The trustees
The trustees help turn the Trust's vision into reality. Their experience and expertise in their respective fields has helped the Trust set up the structures that allow it to operate.
FRAN RUTHVEN
The Rev. Fran Ruthven served for 5 years as the United Reformed Church’s Special Category Minister to Older People and tutor at the Scottish United Reformed and Congregational College. Prior to her move to the UK Fran served for 20 years as a Transitional Ministry Specialist in the United States, during which time she served in both denominational (United Church of Christ) and ecumenical leadership roles. She has served as Intentional Interim Pastor to 11 churches in transition between settled pastors and consulted with both churches and other charities during various periods of transition including changes in leadership, context, mission, size, and governance.
Since retirement Fran has served as a Volunteer Practitioner with Place for Hope, a UK Charity that works with faith communities around conflict transformation offering education, mediation and conflict coaching services. She is also a Pastoral Supervisor for the United Reformed Church.
Fran holds a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard University and a Master of Theological Studies from Columbia Theological Seminary.
Fran lives in Fife in Scotland with her husband Prof. Charles Munn. She enjoys travelling (especially around Scotland), reading spy novels, biking and taking country walks.
Rosamond robertson
Rosamond’s life journey began in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica and presently has taken her to the edge of the Lammermuir hills where she and her husband (since retiring!) have made a sustainable productive home out of a ruined farmstead to the delight of the grandchildren. In between she has had a rich career in the care of children and families, training as a psychiatric social worker and later, counselling and family work. The core of her work has been training volunteers, social workers and (latterly Christian) counsellors. Social justice as an integral part of her faith led her to significant experiences of civil rights in North Carolina; a Quaker Action Group in Phildelphia and in 2011 Palestine as a human rights observer.
During her years in Edinburgh bringing up three daughters, she was enriched by discovering the Episcopal Church, enjoying ecumenical fellowship and developing children and young people’s work for the Society of Friends. Rosamond is grateful to Quakers for the emphasis on the sacredness of everyday life, to the Roman Catholic faith for its contemplative legacy and throughout, the blessing of music and literature. However embracing her shadow side and managing hard times has been crucial. Being part of the Coracle group has opened wonderful doors and at her stage of life she holds near the words of St John of the Cross: ‘In the evening they will examine you in love.’
STEPHAN HELFER
Stephan was born in the Swabian Uplands of Southern Germany and raised in the small village of Zang, where winters were snowy and cold and summers were (sometimes) hot. The church in the centre of the village was where he first became aware of God's voice through Isaiah 43:1: Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have summoned you by your name; you are mine!
In 1982 he came to Edinburgh to study - and stayed to raise a family, work at the Botanics and be part of the community. Since retirement Stephan has had more time for volunteering for several causes and for other adventures. Spiritually he is particularly drawn to the apostle John and the exhortation to love one another in the mystery of God's love.
KIRSTY HOOK
Kirsty works in Edinburgh as a Families and Pastoral Worker in a local church, where she also works as a counsellor for their counselling service. She came along to her first Coracle group, the then Motherhood and God group, when her three children were young, so around 20 years ago! She was part of the team that founded the Midlife Spirituality Group, which was a source of support through many a mid life crisis. In the Coracle groups she had found a wonderful sense of companionship in her spiritual life.
An enneagram personality nine, for her the journey in God is matching the seemingly outward calm with inside peace. Learning to be still and let God be God is for Kirsty the journey. Mary Oliver’s lines speak powerfully to her:
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”
CAROLINE TYLER
Caroline grew up on the Clyde coast, before moving to Edinburgh to study and work as a modern languages teacher. Since 2006, she has lived in the country of Chad in central Africa, where she serves with a diverse multicultural team who desire to see people flourishing in community using the languages they value most. Initially, she worked for several years as a mother-tongue literacy and education specialist, latterly as leader for the team in Chad. She is now approaching a crossroads in her life journey as she transitions out of her current role in the mid-term future.
Caroline appreciates the joys and challenges of finding the goodness of God in all circumstances, loves spending time in creation and contemplating the ancient sacred texts found in the Bible, and has found herself enriched of late by an increasing awareness of the rich diversity of bird-life. She finds nourishment for the spiritual journey through practising a wide variety of spiritual habits alone and in community.
Nancy Adams
Nancy Adams journeyed from California to London 40 years ago to study International Relations; various jobs and relationships kept her here! She lectured in IR and was a Political and Commodities Analyst for an Arab research unit before moving to Scotland where a family and job as a Finance Director kept her busy. In retirement, she does some spiritual accompaniment, works with vulnerable children, has taken up a particular interest in mediation and conflict dynamics, and has been nourished by the Midlife Spirituality group. Nancy is the Treasurer of the Trust having also been a Trustee.