Jonny’s first contact with Upney Baptist Church was in the summer of 2006 when he came to help in the Church’s summer mission.  He came again over the next few years to lead the summer missions and enrolled in the Irish Baptist College in 2009, graduating in 2012 with a Batchelor of Divinity Degree.

In 2012 Jonny was invited by Upney Baptist Church to be the Assistant Pastor on a 12 month contract, then appointed Interim Pastor when Billy Young stepped down as Pastor in 2013.  Jonny was subsequently elected Pastor of Upney Baptist Church at a Special Church Meeting on February 18th 2014, he was then inducted as Pastor on Saturday 12th April 2014 where  Jonny’s father, Pastor Harry Dowds of Stonepark Baptist Church in County Fermanagh, gave the message from God’s Word.

John has been attending Upney Baptist since 2006.  He first came along when participating on a Christianity Explored course, and subsequent to this he still had many questions about God.  He followed this on with a course which gave an overview of the Bible, and after this all of the dots joined up and God helped him to see that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

He has headed up the Explorers children’s club since 2010 and enjoys sharing the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ with the children who attend.  John was elected deacon in 2014.

John is married to Sharon and they have two children (Noah & Jude).  John works as an insurance underwriter in London. Hobbies include running, reading and chopping down bushes in the garden (generally being outside to avoid cabin fever setting in).

Calvin joined Upney Baptist in 2009. He grew up in East London in a Christian home, but came to a realisation of his own need of salvation and a personal relationship with God at the age of 17.

He enjoys being involved in children’s work at the church through the Explorers children’s club and was previously involved in running the Impact youth group. He also manages the church IT and sound systems. He was elected as a deacon in 2016.

Calvin is married to Rebekah and they have a daughter, Harriet. Calvin works as an IT project manager in London. Following the arrival of baby Harriet at the end of 2018 he has been left wondering what happened to his spare time! He loves being a dad, enjoys playing and watching most sports whenever he can, but is starting to question his support for Arsenal!

Ed joined Upney Baptist in 2015, having previously served at a church in the City. He grew up in Singapore where he attended Sunday School as a child, but only started growing in his faith at the age of 18 when serving in the army.

Ed enjoys being involved in the music ministry, serving the congregation by leading worship that glorifies Christ and edifies each other. He was elected Deacon in 2018.

Ed is married to Jia, and they have 3 children (Clara, Isaac & Alice). Ed works as a Naval Architect, and frequently travels to different ports around the world. He enjoys listening to classical music, tasting good bread, and taking their dog for a walk.

Josh has been attending Upney Baptist church since 2004. Despite being a Christian from a young age, and growing up in a Christian home, Josh realised how far he had strayed from God during his days at university, and recommitted his life to God back in 2015.

Josh has been helping at youth group since 2015 and has been a regular leader at the summer mission week for the past 8 years including heading up the organising of the 2019 event. He also plays guitar as part of the Sunday worship group when he can, and was elected deacon in 2018.

Josh decided to follow the example of a couple of the other deacons and bagged himself a Northern Irish fiancée, Victoria, in March 2019. They are due to be married in summer 2020. Josh works as a business analyst in London during the week and enjoys most sports especially football and American football. He has a love/hate relationship with both the gym and West Ham United.