JV United Kingdom Board

James Courtis-Pond serves as the Josiah Venture UK board Chairman. He is part of a church planting team at St. Peter's Brighton. James has led many Alpha courses and Christian Men’s Groups—even having had the privilege to speak to the South African rugby team about Jesus during the 2015 Rugby World Cup. James has a law degree, practiced law with two Magic Circle law firms, and was General Counsel of a US energy company. He is currently CEO of AnyData Solutions, providing business intelligence and contract management software and services to global companies. James is married with 3 children and lives near Brighton.


Paul Bowman serves as a Trustee of the Josiah Venture UK board and has over 20 years of experience in full-time youth ministry in the local church. He has served in a variety of settings throughout Ireland—both urban and rural—working with churched and unchurched young people. He is passionate about developing youth ministries that are rooted in the life and ministry model of Christ. For many years he led teams of young people on short-term mission trips to the Czech Republic to serve in the Josiah Venture Camp ministry. He is committed to training and equipping the next generation of youth leaders and seeing young people mobilised to make disciples throughout the world. He holds a BSc Hons in Community Youth Work and has a Masters in Transformational Leadership. He lives with his wife Val and their three children in Saintfield, Northern Ireland.


Mel Ellenwood serves as the Executive Vice President of Josiah Venture (JV). Prior to joining JV, Mel served as a youth pastor for churches in Peoria, IL and Three Lakes, WI for 10 years. Mel, along with his wife Amy and their three children, moved to the Czech Republic and became missionaries with Josiah Venture in 1998. Since then, Mel has worked in various roles throughout JV, developing a model youth ministry in Czech, leading the camp ministry, and shepherding national teams across the organization.

For more information on JV UK please visit our UK website.

person Welcome our new staff

Barbora Hujdusova Baru serves on the Josiah Venture team in the Czech Republic (KAM) as the administrator for the Camps team.

person Support a national missionary

Paul & Val Bowman Paul Bowman is the Director of Josiah Venture UK. He is excited to encourage and equip leaders for ministry in the UK and across Europe, and to mobilize prayer, people, and resources for ministry in Central and Eastern Europe.