Beyond Evangelism: Establishing a lifelong faith in Jesus
Beyond Evangelism: Establishing a lifelong faith in Jesus
Dr. Richard Gardner — FFICM Founder & President
Richard grew up in Philadelphia, PA, in a loving family, and received Christ at age 21. Within six months he had enrolled at Reformed Episcopal Seminary, completing his M.Div in 1981. He married in 1985 and moved to Portland, Oregon, where a missions conference in 1988 introduced him to Wycliffe Bible Translators. He joined later that year, trained in linguistics, and was assigned to Nigeria.
From 1991 to 2005, Rich and Janice Gardner lived in Nigeria, raising five children while working on the Izere New Testament, which was dedicated in 2006. After returning to Portland, he spent eight more years with The Seed Company, a division of Wycliffe, flying back and forth to Nigeria as a Scripture Engagement consultant specializing in evangelistic and follow-up tools in the vernacular.
It was during this period — across 27 years on the mission field — that Rich kept encountering the same painful gap: outreach events would draw hundreds forward to commit their lives to Christ, but few of those new believers ever had the support to follow through. Convinced this needed to change, he enrolled at Western Seminary, completing a doctorate in missiology in 2011 with a dissertation on post-conversion follow-up.
In September 2013, Rich organized a board and founded Firm Foundation In Christ Ministries to focus fully on that calling. FFICM’s training materials are built directly from his doctoral research, refined with input from the Community & Rural Life Enhancement Initiative and FFICM’s team of trainers around the world. Since then, the ministry has continued to grow, now training evangelists and discipling new believers across primarily Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Asia, with additional trainings in Eastern Europe and the US.
Dr. Paul Wides – Executive Director
Paul Wides has served as the Executive Director of Firm Foundation in Christ Ministries since April 2026. Prior to stepping into this role, he spent 27 years as the Pastor of Global Outreach and Care at Christ Community Chapel in Ohio. Before answering the call to full-time ministry, Paul also spent several years working in the business sector.
He holds an undergraduate degree in business, completed his seminary work at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and earned his PhD from Columbia International University.
Throughout his career, Paul has had the privilege of traveling globally to help share the gospel with unreached populations. He is deeply energized by a foundational passion: seeing the global church grow and multiply through authentic evangelism and intentional discipleship.
A long-time resident of Northeast Ohio, Paul is an avid fan of his hometown sports teams and remains perpetually hopeful that the Cleveland Browns will bring a Super Bowl title to Ohio soon. When he isn’t cheering on his teams, he loves spending time outdoors hiking and biking the local trails. Above all, Paul cherishes time spent with his two grandchildren and his three adult children, who all live nearby.
Dara Searcy-Gardner – Vice President
Dara serves as VP for FFICM, writing new believer curriculum for adults and children, leading the integration of arts into all resources and events, and directing communications and prayer initiatives.
Dara’s path into theological writing, music, teaching, and communications began close to home. After her masters, she served as Ministry Associate at Forest Grove United Methodist Church, leading adult and youth discipleship before joining FFICM as a Communications Specialist. Over time, her role grew into Director of Communications and now Vice President.
Dara grew up in Jos, Nigeria. Raised alongside four siblings amid Nigeria’s rich oral tradition, she became a teller of stories long before she became a writer of them — a gift later shaped by the realities of conflict in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. Today, her passion for the experiences and valuable insights of the global church shapes the songs, stories, and discipleship materials she creates for believers around the world.
Dara holds a Master of Arts in Theology from Houghton University and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. She is a poet, classical and crossover singer, and fiction writer. She is the author of three poetry collections — Salt, Magic, and Voices in the Garden, the latter a cross-cultural collaboration with Brazilian poet Tathyane Ludwig. For Dara, the arts and faith have never been separate pursuits; both are part of the same calling to draw people toward the presence of God.
Her favorite thing to do is spend time with her highly creative and beloved kids and husband, and their menagerie of sixteen pets.
Stephanie Roberts – Communications and Prayer Coordinator
In Stephanie’s role, she bridges connections between global ministry partners, engaging with brothers and sisters in Christ across various countries to support them in prayer as challenges and opportunities arise. She also creates and updates crucial communications daily so that our ministry partners and friends know what is going on in the field, and supports critical fundraising initiatives.
A native of Portland, Oregon, Stephanie developed a foundational work ethic early on through a rigorous high school work-study program that placed her in weekly internships across local corporate and non-profit sectors. She also dedicated much of her youth to academic volunteer work. Stephanie went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in English from Warner Pacific University, establishing a strong foundation in storytelling, media, and professional writing. Prior to joining FFICM, she sharpened her skills as a Communications Intern for Multnomah County’s Department of Community Justice.
Following a profound personal season of health challenges and healing, Stephanie felt a distinct calling to align her professional skills with her faith. She views her work at FFICM as a providential answer to prayer—an opportunity to utilize her communications background to serve God, strengthen her own spiritual journey, and uplift the global church.
Jennifer Aitken- Lead Editor, Children’s Program
Jennifer serves as Lead Editor for Children’s Materials at FFICM, overseeing the development of resources designed to disciple children in the knowledge and love of God. Her work focuses not only on what children know about God, but on how they respond to Him—cultivating wonder, trust, worship, and habits of faith that will grow with them into adulthood.
She also serves as Children’s Ministry Director at Valley Hope Church in North Carolina, is an adjunct professor of voice at Montreat College, and maintains a private voice studio. Her background in music and education gives her a particular passion for incorporating creativity and the arts into children’s discipleship resources.
Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and completed post-baccalaureate teacher certification and graduate coursework in Elementary Education. Before entering full-time ministry, she taught elementary school, an experience that continues to shape her understanding of how children learn and grow in faith.
When she is not writing or editing children’s materials, Jennifer enjoys gardening, making music with her husband and daughters, sharing life with her church family, and meeting friends for coffee.
Stacey Lloyd – International Director of Multimedia
Stacey, a long-time volunteer with FFICM, coordinates our multimedia efforts including editing of pictures and videos for crucial fundraising efforts.
He helps with our website, electronic data management, and other projects in the office. He has been a long-time partner, even traveling to Nigeria to film the Izere New Testament dedication.
