We asked Andy to tell us a little bit about him and Jane and this is what he said:

It seems like only yesterday when we arrived in Dorchester and I was officially prayed in as lead Elder of DFC last November. 

I had been in education for 15 years and working as a Deputy Head teacher before being released to serve full-time in the church in Crawley.  I have over a period of 40 years led two others churches in Honiton and Exeter as well as overseeing 4 church plants. We have three grown up children, Emma, Mike & Ben and five grandchildren whose ages range from 2 to 18 yrs old. We enjoy being Grandma and Grandad and our family is very important to us.

I also enjoy all kinds of sport, water colour and oil painting, reading, writing songs on keyboard and guitar. Jane is a homemaker and enjoys being hospitable. She has exceptional administrative gifts and people skills. She has also overseen and led worship teams in Honiton church as well as Exeter and is now supporting the team in DFC as a worship leader. She is a great cook, and loads of fun!

I have been involved in raising and training up leaders as well as church planting. Jane and I are a team and are passionate about seeing New Testament churches planted and established. We consider it a privilege to raise up the next generation of young men and women and pass the baton on to them. One of our greatest joys is seeing people’s lives transformed with the gospel of Jesus, who through their faith go on to impact their communities and places of work.

We have been married for 42 years, and over the years been involved in marriage counselling. We felt it would be good to write from our own experience and from a biblical foundation a marriage course for those who want to enrich their marriages as well as those who are preparing for marriage. We have used the course for marriage weekends, especially to support and strengthen church leaders and couples.  

In 2002 we began a new church plant in our home with 8 people. We were thrilled and humbled to see God’s grace upon Frontiers Church as over a period of years the church grew to 200 adults. In 2012 I passed the leadership of the church on to Stuart Alred, one of our young men who became a Christian in the early days of the church plant.   

It became clear at the beginning of January 2013 that God was calling us on to a new adventure. After many months of seeking God, praying, weighing various prophetic words and listening to the counsel of apostolic oversight it was confirmed that God was calling us to move to Dorchester where I would take up the lead elder role at DFC. 

Jane and I have been blessed by the generosity of the people and the way in which they have received us. We are looking forward with faith and anticipation to what this next season of our lives will bring as we serve the people here at DFC.

“Behold I do a new thing, now it springs forth, don’t you perceive it?” Isaiah 43: 18