Eco-Congregation Scotland is a Scottish registered charity (SC041287) regulated by the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO). The trustees are in overall control and management of the charity. They are responsible for Eco-Congregation Scotland's governance and strategy, making sure that the charity is administered effectively and accounts for its activities and outcomes.

Our current trustees (2024-2025) are: 

RICHARD MURRAY (Chair)
Richard Murray is a retired chartered surveyor who advised government departments and public authorities across England on the acquisition, disposal and taxation of land and property. Academic qualifications include postgraduate certificate in Politics and Theology and a Master’s Degree in Christian Spirituality. Lay Reader in the Scottish Episcopal Church looking after a small rural church in Aberdeenshire which is an eco-congregation. Helped to set up the Deeside Climate Action Network and a member of the Scottish Pilgrim Routes Forum. Particular focus on care for creation, climate justice and ecospirituality.

JOHN SEENAN (Vice-Chair)

John Seenan is retired having spent most of his career in the motor industry employed by vehicle manufacturers and the RMI (the Industry Federation) as a consultant in finance, and business development. He served as an advisor to HMRC on the compilation of their economic notes on the Motor Industry. His time in the industry has given him an appreciation of the enormous impact motor vehicles have on the environment. He served as a Commissioner on the Scottish Catholic Justice & Peace Commission for several years.  He chairs the Justice Peace Group at St. Joseph’s RC Church in Clarkston, is a member of the Catholic Church’s Care of Creation Group in in Scotland, and actively supports his local ecumenical Peace & Justice Forum.  The belief that humankind has responsibility for stewardship of the planet, has driven him to promote the principles of ecology and sustainable living as an integral part of his faith. An avid advocate of ecumenism, he believes Eco- Congregation Scotland to be a solid foundation on which to develop our understanding of the environment and of the challenges it poses. 

MARY SWEETLAND (Treasurer)
Mary Sweetland is a retired NHS senior manager and has been active in Eco-Congregation Scotland since 2011.  As eco-convenor at Alexandria Parish Church, now Lomond Parish, her team worked through the awards system being presented with our 6th Gold Award in 2019.   She was Chairman of the charity from 2016-2021, and took over the Treasurer role in 2021, when Mark Kirkbride stepped down.

JENNY ADAMS
Jenny Adams is currently working as a Healthcare Chaplain in Elgin with NHS Grampian, previously a Church of Scotland parish minister in Moray, in an active Eco-congregation. Her first career was in software engineering in the telecoms industry. Academic qualifications include BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Bachelor of Divinity, and Masters in Ministry Studies. Jenny has had a long-term involvement in Eco-Congregation Scotland as a congregation member and representative, church leader, member of local network and trustee. She is also a long-term supporter and campaigner with Christian Aid, interested in climate justice. 

VAL BROWN
Val Brown is currently the Head of Christian Aid in Scotland having worked for the organisation for over 20 years. She served on the Church of Scotland’s World Mission Council, and chaired their Middle East Committee for a number of years. Val is currently chairing the Church of Scotland’s Ethical Oversight Committee that is working with the Investors trust to try and ensure the investments of the church are ethical as possible. She is passionate about climate justice, and is enjoying the fact that the addition of a solar battery to the house this year is collecting more of the energy coming from the solar panels.

JOHN COLLINGS
John Collings is retired.  He was born in Birkenhead and moved to Glasgow in 1969 to study at the Bible Training Institute.  After that he worked for a couple of years for Scripture Union (Scotland) and for seven years for the Anglican Church in Jerusalem. He is a Lay Preacher in the United Reformed Church.  He is the Eco rep for Rutherglen URC.  He believes that we have a duty to care for the world that God created.  John believes that we should all do as much as possible to protect the environment and for that reason became vegetarian about 30 years ago.  He is a member of the executive of Christian CND.

FINTAN HURLEY
Fintan Hurley led research at the Institute of Occupational Medicine (Edinburgh) on the health effects and policy implications of workplace exposures and air pollution. He is now active in care for creation and climate justice through faith-based networks like Musselburgh Churches Together (where his local Catholic Parish has a Bronze ECS Award) and more general ones (Friends of the Earth East Lothian; East Lothian Climate Action Network). He hopes that linking these many local involvements will help build the wide-ranging movement we need to overcome the global climate, nature and multiple
other crises.

MARJORY McGHIE
Marjory McGhie s a retired Home Economics teacher and garden mosaic artist from West Lothian and has been an active member of Eco Congregation Scotland for the past 20 years.  She led Knightsridge Parish Church to achieve its Bronze and Silver Awards. After the merger of six Livingston Ecumenical Parish worship centres, she repeated the awards process with Livingston United Parish Church, who are currently working towards a Gold Award.  She plans and delivers intergenerational worship services and instrumental in the setting up and running of URC Community Award Winners 2024, The Barn Community Cafe.

ADRIAN SHAW
Adrian Shaw is a PhD student in Glasgow University researching Church of Scotland ministers' response to James Hutton's Theory of the Earth of 1785, drawing on the evidence of the Statistical Accounts of Scotland. He is Climate Justice Associate for Interfaith Scotland and a member of the steering group of the European Churches Environment Network.  He was Climate Change Officer for the Church of Scotland (2007-2020) and is a Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.