All Saints Anglican Church Almancil - R. do Centro Comunitario 113

Rt Rev Andy Lines

Missionary Bishop for GAFCON UK and Europe

Andy is married to Mandy and they have three adult children. Andy, following his conversion as a teenager at summer camps, served in the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment from 1979 – 88. While serving in the Army, Andy was seconded to Operation Raleigh and led a team of 28 young people in bridge building, water improvement and medical work in remote jungle settlements in north-eastern Peru, helping Christian refugees from the civil war. On leaving the Army, Andy and Mandy studied at All Nations Christian College. After six months’ language learning in Spain, they went to Paraguay in 1991 under the auspices of the South American Mission Society where he became the director of the Diocesan Bible Institute in Asunción (CALEB), co-ordinating and teaching Bible courses for the church’s lay and ordained leaders. He and Mandy were also involved in teaching on biblical marriage principles. He taught the Bible at a bilingual Anglican school for pupils, staff and parents. He was ordained whilst pastoring the English-speaking congregation of St. Andrew’s, Asunción. They left Paraguay in late 1999. Andy took over as General Secretary of the mission society Crosslinks (formerly BCMS) in October 2000 (changed to Mission Director/CEO in 2008). From 2003 Crosslinks was involved in supporting Anglican churches in England that were, for good reasons, unable to work within the Church of England. He left Crosslinks in September 2018. Andy enjoys military history, Spanish-speaking, cycling, rugby, second-hand bookshops, and amateur dramatics. Andy and Mandy live in South West London. In June 2017 Andy was consecrated GAFCON Missionary Bishop for Europe to provide oversight for Anglican churches outside the formal Anglican structures in the Anglican Network in Europe. In July 2020 he was asked to provide oversight for the congregations of All Saints Algarve on behalf of the Eglise Anglicane du Rwanda (EAR).