Vanya and Anna Barbă
Training church leaders and strengthening local churches in Ukraine through theological education.
During the war in Ukraine, around 500 churches and religious buildings have been destroyed. Since the start of the war, around 400 Baptist churches have been forced to cease their ministry.
The war in Ukraine has created a serious crisis for many local churches and Christian educational institutions. Vanya works as the academic dean and a lecturer at the Vinnytsia Bible Seminary, where he teaches students the Bible, theology and expository preaching. Vanya is also involved in developing curricula to train future pastors and church leaders. In addition to teaching, he mentors students, provides pastoral care, preaches in churches and leads seminars in the Vinnytsia region, as well as in Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, Mykolaiv and other cities across Ukraine. Our family is also actively involved in the life of the local church through ministry, hospitality and supporting people. We believe that sound biblical teaching is crucial for the health of the church and the spread of the Gospel, especially during this difficult time for Ukraine.
Vision
Our family has prayed earnestly for God to lead us into a ministry where Vanya can put his theological training to use. God answered this prayer when, five years ago, we were invited to serve as missionaries in the Vinnytsia region of Ukraine to help develop the Vinnytsia Bible Seminary. We responded to this call. Our greatest joy is seeing how God’s Word transforms people’s lives, strengthens churches and equips a new generation of ministers.
Our aim is to train ministers through high-quality biblical education, so that they can pass on this knowledge within their own churches. The seminary is not a para-church organisation; it is part of the church. We feel that we are part of the revival which, we believe, God will bring about in this region in the future.
About us
Ivan (Vanya) Barbu and his wife Anna are raising three children: Elizaveta, Mihail, and Margarita.
Vanya repented and came to faith in 2001 at a Baptist church in Moldova. Since then, he has developed a deep love for God’s Word, preaching, and church ministry. For many years, he served as a youth leader and preacher in his local church. In 2008, he enrolled in a part-time programme at Irpin Bible Seminary, which he completed in 2018 with an MDiv degree. He is currently studying for a PhD at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
God has blessed Vanya and Anna with a wonderful family, and together they desire to serve God wherever He sends them. They are grateful to God for the privilege of serving Him and His people in Ukraine during these difficult times.