Although Joel Dougan-Davies says he’s never had a ‘light bulb moment’ calling from God, his life shows a desire to serve Jesus wherever he is.

In his twenties, Joel worked in France after becoming involved in the skiing world during his time at university. Clubs, parties and festivals were all part of his daily life – because he worked running a Ski Angel team, similar to Street Pastors, helping to keep people safe.

He now lives near Newquay, working for St Gregory’s Church and studying for stipendiary ministry.

Joel has always been part of a church and was taken as a child to Lymington Baptist Church regularly by his parents.

He says: “When I was 14, I had an experience of the Holy Spirit at a youth camp. It was then I made that commitment to Jesus.”

After finishing school, he left his hometown in the New Forest to attend university in Durham to study Theology and Philosophy.

He remembers: “At university I was very involved in the British Ski scene. There was lots of partying and lots of really crazy stuff. I was also part of a really good church. During uni I also worked doing club promotion.

“I can see a real thread of God giving me different things to do to prepare me for the next step. In my first year of uni, I worked for 10 weeks in a French ski resort. I met some guys leading a church in Méribel and when I finished uni I went to live in France. I was employed there and one of the main things I did was run the Ski Angels. This was where we worked with clubs, bars and music festivals trying to make sure people were safe.”

Joel explains when bars closed each night, people would ski home. He and the Ski Angel team would be on hand to make sure people were able to get back safely.

“I had some amazing conversations, talking to them and praying for people,” he says.

A couple of years later he returned to the UK where he and his wife began living in a van.

He says: “We were trying to discern where God was calling us to be.”

They started looking for jobs in the Southwest, from Bristol to Penzance, and his wife, who was a teacher, secured a position in Bodmin.

Joel says: “We felt God really called her to that place and community.”

During this time, they connected with Anna Hyde, who is now Church Leader at St Gregory’s, and believed in her vision of planting a church, an off shoot from Kings Cross Church London, in Newquay.

They moved to the town and in 2022 a group of about 12 people started meeting and in 2023 they began to worship in a primary school at St Gregory’s.

Joel was now working for Cornwall Community Foundation, and then the Salvation Army, helping others across the county. He felt it was a great way to connect with the people and places where he lived.  He then worked as the Social Responsibility Officer as well as the Change and Renewal Engagement Officer at Diocese of Truro.

Over this time, he was questioning more often how God wanted him to be a leader in the church. He started having conversations with people, getting their opinions on ordination and weighing up if this was for him. He remembers being given prophetic words, including one from his time in France when a lady sensed he would be involved with the Anglican church. This was something he’d not considered before, having never attended a Church of England church at that time.

He decided to start the discernment process and met and talked with many in the Diocese of Truro.

“It was a really encouraging process,” he says. “More and more I began to feel as if doors were opening. I didn’t feel a massive light bulb moment, I still haven’t had that.

“I continue to take little steps. This is what I am still doing now, taking the next step.”

He is now studying at St Mellitus in Plymouth full time while working a part time placement at St Gregory’s. He is due to become a curate in June with the plan to work in the Benefice of Towan Blystra Benefice of St Wenn and Withiel.

“It is really exciting; I have a massive heart for this community around Newquay,” he says.

Find out more about ski angels here: https://www.skiangels.co.uk/