All-Ukrainian conference for Sunday school teachers held in Kyiv

An educational conference at the "Skoroposlushnitsa" ("Quick to Hearken") temple complex. Photo: Cosmas

On May 2, 2025, the second All-Ukrainian educational conference for clergy, Sunday school teachers, youth group leaders, and organizers of educational and charitable projects from the eparchies of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church took place. This was reported by the educational project "Cosmas".

The conference was held at the temple complex dedicated to the Icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hearken" in Kyiv.

The event focused on finding solutions to the challenges faced by Orthodox educators in raising children and teenagers.

Representatives of the Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Nizhyn, Ovruch-Korosten, Odesa, Poltava, Khust, and Cherkasy eparchies of the UOC participated in the conference.

The event was organized and financially supported by the Odesa Theological Seminary.

The forum was opened by the head of the Synodal Department for Youth Affairs, Archbishop Jonah of Obukhiv. Before the conference began, the archbishop led a prayer service and greeted the participants.

Archbishop Jonah emphasized that even under difficult circumstances, a community of Orthodox educators and like-minded individuals is forming in Ukraine. "I am sure that the Lord will bless these efforts as He blessed the labors of the apostles," said Archbishop Jonah.

During the conference, participants shared experiences and thoughts on the spiritual, moral, and psychological education of youth.

The vice-rector of the Poltava Missionary Theological Seminary, Archbishop Veniamin (Pohrebnyi), in his report, addressed the problem of bullying through the lens of Christian history. He highlighted the importance of Sunday school and family education as the foundation for building a resilient personality and determination in children.

Speakers also shared reflections on the importance of harmonious interaction between children and parents, as well as the role of the family as the "minor Church". Tatiana Vashchenko presented the program "Foundations of the Orthodox Family," developed in response to the needs of children themselves.

Father Serhiy Yushchik, in his presentation on youth subjectivity, outlined the tasks of parents and educators – teaching children to love God and live by Christian values not only on feast days but in daily life.

Yuri Reshetnikov drew attention to the opportunities and challenges faced by Christian educators, spoke about the peculiarities of teaching Christian ethics in Ukraine, and shared international experiences in this field.

Father Serhiy Chertylyn emphasized the need to help youth see examples of personal fulfillment, honesty, and inner support within the Orthodox community. In his opinion, this could stimulate interest in spiritual life and stability in faith convictions.

Father Vitaliy Zharykov shared his experience of organizing Orthodox scouting camps.

The rector of the Odesa Theological Seminary, Fr Dmytro Yakovenko, concluded the conference and highlighted the importance of supporting spiritual education and sharing experiences of Christian upbringing.

"Such meetings are very important—both for each individual and the entire Church. They help us find answers to new challenges that did not exist before and share experiences with those who work constantly with children and teenagers," he said.

As part of the forum, the educational online platform "Cosmas" was presented. The platform was created to collect and systematize the achievements of Orthodox pedagogy and to exchange experiences in Christian education of children and youth.

"It may seem that new approaches are unnecessary because everything has already been written by the holy fathers a thousand years ago. But for our children and parents to appreciate the teachings of the holy fathers, much preparation is needed. We must convey this wise advice in modern language, using modern methods, so that children can see the beauty of our faith. That is why the support and participation of everyone is so important for our Church," said one of the moderators of the "Kosma" project, Father Andriy Yurchenko.

As reported by the UOJ, the first conference "Christmas Educational Meetings" took place in January this year.

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