JP & Ely Longeron
National Director - Târgu Mureș
JP (Jean-Philippe) is French and his wife Ely (Elisabeta) is Romanian. They have three sons: Nathan, Elias and Joel. They have served with YFC Romania since 2011.
Their passion is to inspire, train and release Romanian youth workers to share the Gospel in Romania. More info at: jpely.eu.
Adalberto & Miranda Hawkins
Support team - Paris
Adalberto and Miranda Hawkins are missionaries in Paris, France. They serve primarily with refugees and victims of sex trafficking. They currently live in community with new believers from a muslim background, disicipling them through every day life.
While they are passionate about sharing the gospel and teaching people to obey Jesus, they desire to equip other missionaries to go and reach the lost.
This is what they hope to bring to the table with YFC Romania. Having already led two french youth teams on mission trips to Romania; they hope to encourage more youth to discover the mission in the coming years and support local missionaries in the field through discipleship and leadership training. In the long term, their goal is to extend their work to anti-human trafficking efforts in Romania.
When they are not serving or working; Adalberto loves spending his time reading theology and skateboarding, and Miranda enjoys cooking and playing with their dog.
Adi Ognean
National office administrator - Târgu Mureș
Adi has been part of our staff for a while and he works as an assistant for the teams that serve in the field. He helps JP (Jean-Philippe) for things that involve documents, the administration part and other operations. He is involved in a church in Targu Mures where he serves there by the gift of God. With the help of the Lord, he’s leading a Bible study group for willing Christians. He is eager to see dedicated disciples of our Lord Jesus and as many Christians as possible who will become spiritual parents for the present or next generation.
Jenő & Emese Nagy
Member of Support Team & National office administrator - Târgu Mureș
Jenci and Emese are both Hungarians born in Romania. Their home in Livezeni, near Târgu Mureș, is full of life thanks to their daughters Éva and Johanna and the many visitors they host.
‘Dream Guesthouse’ is a ministry where they accommodate guests free-of-charge: jenciandemke.wixsite.com/guesthouse
Jenci and Emese have a heart for unity among Christian believers and wish to facilitate the Kingdom in all they do using their experience in the ministry field.
Elie & Evelyne Dufour
Pastoral Care
For 15 years Elie and Evelyne served as missionaries in Africa. Elie worked in administration and Evelyn in discipleship and serving as a nurse. They then moved back to France where they pastored a church for 15 years and then managed a Christian home for students in Marseille for another 6 years. Since their retirement, they have collaborated with YFC France and with YFC Romania starting in 2019. Elie and Evelyne have 3 children and 8 grandchildren.
Eric (Myung Soo) Merchie
YFC Romania founder & Board Vice-President - Poarta Oilor, Gârbova
Myung Soo was born in Korea and adopted at the age of five by a family in Belgium. He found faith in Jesus Christ when he was 17 and decided to visit Romania in 1992. In 1997 Myung Soo officially pioneered YFC in Romania. He has remained involved in YFC Romania ever since (as National Director, later Board Chair, then YFC leader in Arad and currently a YFC leader in Gârbova). More info at: myungsoo.ro
Ștefan & Emilia Grancea
YFC Leaders - Augustin (Brașov)
Ștefan and Emilia work in different villages close to Brașov (Augustin and Ormeniș) among the Roma community and have three children: Matei, Seth and Abigail. They are called by God to work with kids and teens at risk in a poor area where kids are inadequately loved and educated. Their personal testimony and encounter with God helped them understand the pain that some of these teens go through, which is why they are committed to do whatever it takes to share the Gospel to these kids.
Sorin & Mihaela Mihalache
YFC Leaders - Brătășanca (Ploiești)
Sorin and Mihaela have one daughter: Miriam. In 2010 they started a festival to share the Gospel through music. After many years of running the festival, it has now evolved from Youth Music Fest to “The Kingdom” (thekingdomfestival.ro).
They both serve at their local church in Brătășanca and lead various evangelistic programs for kids, girls and youth in general. Sorin also runs music classes.
Zoltán & Csilla Schuller
YFC Leaders - Târgu Mureș
Zoli and Csilla Schuller have three children: Abigél, Dániel and Naomi. Zoli was raised in a non-Christian family. While he was in the army, God called out to him through a fellow believing soldier. After receiving Christ in his life, he began to serve as a youth leader and met his future wife, Csilla.
After they got married, they continued to serve together as youth leaders, according to their calling from God. They are now both serving full time with YFC Romania. “We like to serve God in full time mission among young people, because we strongly believe that they need to know Christ and have Him influence their lives.”
Enci & Robi
Staff - Târgu Mureș
Enci and Robi are volunteers in the youth ministry which is led by the Schuller couple.
They joined the ministry starting from 2020.
When Enci was a teenager, she helped out many different youth ministry events and church meetings. Already then, she realized that life is more than just meeting expectations (like graduating from school, university, getting married, having children, etc.) and she seriously considered serving the Lord in a missionary field.
When she became a volunteer at YFC Targu Mures youth ministry, she was still working in health care, and after six months of volunteering, the Lord showed her that now is the time to dedicate herself and she remembered what she had decided to do when she was still a teenager.
“I fell in love with the ministry and I’ve decided that I would like to do it officially and full time. I want to turn it into a lifestyle because I see the meaning, the results and the blessing when I obey God and serve Him!”
Daniel Budai
YFC Leader - Brașov
Daniel currently lives in Brașov with his wife and serves as a pastor in the Hungarian Baptist Church.
He likes to spend time outside, finds winter sports a lot of fun and enjoys competition on a sports field. He feels called to serve the generation he belongs to and that is why he is involved in the work with young people at the local and national level. He finds youth work very exciting and is happy to serve them.
In his own words: “I see tremendous potential in the years of youth and I want to use my time as well as possible by serving . I saw an opportunity to do this in YFC ministry”
David & Rebeca Clinkscales
YFC Leaders - Slatina
David and Rebeca have been in church and youth ministry for decades, serving God in different churches, locations and cultures. By God’s amazing grace, their ministry journey has led them to YFC Romania in Slatina and they are passionate about seeing youth come to know Christ.
Since August 2018 they’ve lived in Slatina and served with Grace Church to reach youth and families for Christ. God has placed in them a special love for their youth and co-laborers. They are reaching out to youth from 6 to 18 years old through English classes, youth clubs, camps and many more. If you would like to learn more about their work, see what they’re doing, you can contact them through their website: hopeforslatina.weebly.com
Thomas & Coralie Gyger
Managers of Poarta Oilor - Poarta Oilor, Gârbova
Thomas is an engineer and Coralie is a trade employee. They are Swiss and have two children: Yana and Ilan. They decided to leave their country and their comfort to follow God’s calling to join YFC Romania in Spring 2020 and manage the Poarta Oilor center.
Coralie has known the village of Gârbova since her childhood as her parents collaborated with a local humanitarian association in the village. She loves praying with people about their daily challenges and situations, witnessing what God produces in people’s lives. Thomas is passionate about mountain biking, trekking and has a heart for music and worship.
Emma Berg
Volunteer - Bratasanca and Moreni
Hi I’m Emma! I am from the vast prairies of Saskatchewan Canada. I have a passion for sharing God’s love through investing in the lives of youth and kids, while also having a chance to explore God’s creation and learning about other cultures. I have been working with youth for about 7 years just part time and have recently had a new found passion/excitement for full time ministry. I am here in Romania for 1 year to grow my relationship with God and learn what it means to serve in full time ministry. I am working alongside the team here in Bratasanca and Moreni whenever I may be needed!
Some fun facts about me! I grew up as a pastor’s kid and spent most of my childhood in the church. I have a big family of 10, my mom and dad, my older brother, his wife and their 2 boys, my twin brother, and my younger sister and her husband. I love anything to do with the outdoors and that is where you will find me spending most of my free time!
Ivan & Adina Goncalves
Staff - Moreni
Three continents in one family! This is the De Lima Family!
Ivan is brazilian, Adina romanian and together they have a little girl Thandeka born in South Africa. Through God’s providence, they made Romania their home after many years of service in churches in Ireland and South Africa.
Together with the team from Moreni and Brătășanca, they bring the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the children and teenagers from the Ascendant Center in Moreni.
Both Ivan and Adina are involved in serving and growing the local church in Bratasanca through: discipleship, evangelism and growing together in the knowledge of Christ.
Their challenge as a family is to divide their time between Ivan’s secular job, ministry, and family time.
What they want as a family is that their lives bring glory to Christ!
Viorel și Mădălina Crăciun
Staff - Moreni
Szilard Mogyorosi
Staff - Targu Mures
Szili is a young Hungarian native born in Romania. After his redemption, as he searched more and more for God’s purpose for his life, he came closer and closer to God’s mission for him. His heart is to minister through worship music, and although he has worked as a musician in many areas and served in churches, he is only now beginning his ministry as a full-time missionary worker. He feels challenged by this new chapter in his life and is grateful to God for the call. He joins the team of Schuller Zoli & Csilla and Szederjesi Enci & Robi at YFC Târgu Mureș, where besides evangelism and spiritual leadership, his main tasks are music leadership and training young people in worship.
“As a worship leader, I feel most at home in serving God, and I want to share the transforming power of this with others. And while I feel that there are many areas of growth in my life, I want to grow in faith and obedience primarily as an instrument of God.”
