Olive Fleming Drane

Who is Olive Fleming Drane?

Olive Fleming Drane is a Scottish theologian and Christian minister who is widely known for her use of clowning in the pulpit. As her clown characters Valentine and Barni she has traveled the world, and been featured in radio and TV programs in many countries. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, she was educated in England and there she met her husband John Drane while they were both teenagers. She originally worked in research physics and medical technology, but then studied theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, in the early 1990s, and also has a Master of Theology degree from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. She is a chaplain at International Christian College in Glasgow, and also has a continuing worldwide ministry of teaching and preaching. She is a Fellow of St John's College, Durham and an affiliate professor in the School of Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. She is also involved in the teaching and development of the mission shaped ministry course of the Church of England's Fresh Expressions initiative.