Our Church Staff
Our staff are full-time, paid employees of the church, responsible for implementing the elders' vision for ministry. Some, but not all, of the staff are elders. The staff fill various roles - from counselling to administration to planning children's curriculum - in an effort to enhance the collective ministry of UCCD.
The staff have offices at the Dubai Evangelical Church Centre. Office hours are Sunday through Thursday from 9am to 5pm.
Meet Our Staff
John Folmar, Senior Pastor
John and his wife Keri moved to Dubai from Washington D.C. in 2005 to serve UCCD as the Senior Pastor. After graduating from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, John served on the staff of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC for several years before being called to serve UCCD. John and Keri have three children: Ruth, Chloe, and Andrew.
John's email: john@uccdubai.com
Richard Ngwisha, Associate Pastor
Richard and his wife Catherine moved to Dubai from Zambia in 2009 to serve the church as the Associate Pastor overseeing UCCD's small groups, or Care Life Groups. Richard worked for many years in the private sector - most recently for World Vision, before joining the staff of UCCD. Richard and Catherine have three children: Wezi, Jonathan, and Benjamin.
Richard's email: richard@uccdubai.com
John Welkner, Associate Pastor
John and his wife Lisa moved to Dubai from the US in 2006 to serve the church as the Associate Pastor overseeing Youth and Family ministries. John graduated from Moody Bible Institute and served for several years at a local church in Chicago before joining the staff at UCCD. John and Lisa have four children: James, Ben, Luke, and Hannah.
John's email: johnw@uccdubai.com
Anand Samuel, Assistant Pastor
Anand and his wife Priya moved to Dubai from India in 2002 to work as physiotherapists. Anand joined UCCD and ented our Pastoral Internship Program in 2009. In 2011, UCCD called Anand to serve the church as the Assistant Pastor overseeing our Discipleship initiatives, as well as leading our internship. Anand and Priya have three children: Rohan, Aryan, and Daven.
Anand's email: anand@uccdubai.com
Bethany Tapp, Children's Ministry Director
After growing up in the Middle East and Africa, Bethany attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in the US. After serving a local church in Texas for several years, Bethany joined the UCCD staff in 2004. Bethany directs our Children's Ministry, Fort Sand.
Bethany's email: bethany@uccdubai.com
Yuri Ayliffe, Administrative Secretary
Yuri grew up in Japan, where she studied English and communications before moving to Dubai in 2002 to work for Emirates Airlines. During her 9 years with Emirates, she joined UCCD, where she met her husband Jonathan. She took the role of Administrative Secretary at UCCD in 2011.
Yuri's Email: yuri@uccdubai.com
Isaac Mangalaram, Office Assistant
Isaac moved to Dubai from India more than twenty years ago. Since 1998 he has served the UCCD staff as an all-purpose office assistant.