Rev Andy Osman (The Mariner's Church)

Andy was born in London and grew up in a single parent family in Kent – he met his father for the first time when he was 21 years old.  With a devoted mother and supportive grandparents, his upbringing was generally happy and secure, but by no means privileged.

Andy became a Christian at a young age through the local church and a Christian Summer camp, and his faith remained firm even through his teenage years.

He met Sue his wife at Law College and they have three daughters.  After a career in law, Andy trained for the Anglican ministry in Oxford and became an assistant minister in an Anglican parish in Cheltenham.

In 2011, he became aware of Mariners church and the fact that it had a vacancy for a Minister. He was struck by the history of the church, and significantly, by its potential.  At the end of 2011 he was invited to become the Minister of Mariners and started in January 2012.

With the demise of Gloucester as a major port, the church had been in danger of becoming redundant, but the regeneration of the docks in recent years has provided new opportunities for the church to play its part in bringing the Christian message to the Docks community.

Mariners is a vibrant Anglican church in the city centre, where Christians have worshipped for 165 years.  Its vision as a growing Christian community is to play its part in the re-evangelisation and transformation of the city.

Over the last five years, much progress has been made, with a refurbish of the hall and installation of an impressive array of screens and IT facilities. Andy is conscious of the importance of branding and the value of websites and other social media. He has been ably supported by wife Sue and a growing team of people who love Mariners and all it stands for.

Since January 2012, the congregation has grown from seven to about two hundred, but Andy says it’s not primarily about numbers, it’s about each individual and their story. He looks for and believes in ‘good news stories’ and the healing power of prayer.
Finally, a significant plan for the New Year is that from Sunday, 8th January, services will be held at King’s School.

Footnote: A keen supporter of Gloucester Rugby, Andy also regularly fields a team in our Dragon Boat races.

Roger Barrett