Adrian and Ema Ban
Location: Oradea, Romania
Timeline: On-going
Status: Currently operating
Topics: Family and Marriage Counseling, Children’s Ministry
The Need
As the Romanian believers suffered through the trials of Communist regimes, they banded together to avoid persecution. Because resources such as Bibles and literature were not available to the people, the pastors of the churches became unapproachable and revered as almost god-like. In these post-Communist years, Romanian churches have had the opportunity to shed these old habits, but they are generally unsure how this should be done. As a result, many churches have not changed with the times. Christians are hesitant to seek godly counsel when they have problems. This is leading to a widening gap between ministers and their congregation, as well as a lack of discipleship among younger Christians who need godly examples to follow. This is a growing problem as Romanian families face problems associated with never having learned how to resolve conflict in their relationships. It is exacerbated by the influence of western pop culture as seen in the mass media.
Description
Adi and Ema are in the process of leading a “Young Couples Fellowship” for Romanian newly-married couples and pre-married couples. The couples study the word of God together and share what they’ve learned regarding topics such as communication, conflict resolution, and godly intimacy. To Adi and Ema, this is a line of defense against affairs and divorces. It allows younger Christians to function in their marriage appropriately, so that they grow stronger and become more willing to serve their Savior in other areas of their lives.
Adi and Ema also personally invest in and equip all of the Sunday School teachers for the children’s ministry of their church. Many of them had never been trained to teach a Bible lesson, so Adi and Ema conduct leadership sessions to empower them to teach in such a way that the children experience the joy of knowing Jesus. They are working to develop a Sunday School curriculum that will create continuity between age groups and classes.
Adi travels to Eastern Romania several times a year to teach a group of pastors about Biblical counseling and to coach them in providing emotional and spiritual support to their congregations. He helps them realize the value of responding to hurting people with an attitude that accepts the person, challenges their sin problem according to God’s word, and volunteers to walk beside the person as they learn to become more Christ-like.
Adi Ban using his gift of teaching to strengthen the Romanian church.
Goals
- See the Young Couples Fellowship reproduced in churches all over Romania.
- Find new ways to minister to Romanian families in crisis.
- Create a Sunday School Curriculum for their children’s ministry at church.
Needs
- Monthly supporters to allow Adi and Ema to focus on ministry full-time.
- Prayer for Adi and Ema as they swim upstream in the surrounding secular culture.
Who’s Involved
- ITMI to provide support, guidance and US exposure.
- Piotr Zaremba, ITMI’s European Director to offer additional oversight.
Adi and Ema are visionaries who are asking God to work on a large scale in Romania to save families from the destruction our enemy would love to see occur in every family. They envision building a Center where families could receive marriage counseling, enjoy children’s programs and the shepherding support they need as they strive to build godly families. They would like to see the Center become a place where non-believers also feel welcome enough to seek help, and in the process, have the opportunity to hear the Gospel of Christ.
The Ban Family
