Forum “To a Child’s Heart Through Christ” held by Khmelnytskyi Eparchy

Participants of the forum. Photo: Khmelnytskyi Eparchy of the UOC

On August 30, 2025, the Church of St. Nicholas in Khmelnytskyi hosted the spiritual and educational forum “To a Child’s Heart Through Christ.” Its main goal was to unite teachers, choir directors, active parishioners, and all those willing to labor for children and for the glory of God. “We want there to be more people in this world who build it on the foundations of love. We believe, and we are confident, that Sunday schools are called to raise children who know how to love, empathize, and help,” the organizers noted.

Although the forum was originally planned only for the Khmelnytskyi eparchy, the topic proved so relevant that it drew participants from all over Ukraine. Representatives came from the Volyn eparchy, Zakarpattia, Rivne region, the Oleksandriia eparchy, Kyiv, and other dioceses. The organizers are convinced that the forum managed to motivate participants, provide them with useful resources, and create a platform for sharing valuable experience.

The event opened with a prayer service for the beginning of a good work. Metropolitan Viktor of Khmelnytskyi addressed the participants with words of encouragement. The plenary session featured reports on modern approaches to teaching the Law of God, Christian ethics, and Church history. Educational programs for different age groups, new methodological handbooks, and practical materials for more effective teaching were presented.

Special attention was given to creative forms of work: theatrical performances, choral singing, pilgrimages, social projects, and charitable initiatives. Speakers stressed that every lesson must be permeated with love, for it is love that opens children’s hearts to the truths of Christianity.

“We want there to be more people in this world who build it on the foundations of love. Sunday schools are called to raise people who know how to empathize and to help,” the organizers emphasized once again. They also placed particular focus on the spiritual growth of the teachers themselves, for only an educator filled with faith can truly lead children to Christ.

The participants stressed the importance of creating Sunday school groups even in small parishes: “Even if there are only three or four children in a church, a Sunday school should be organized so that the children may have fellowship and form the right environment.” They recalled the words of Saint John of Kronstadt: “A child’s soul is a clean tablet. What you write upon it – that it will bear.”

According to the attendees, such gatherings contribute to professional development and strengthen unity among the Orthodox regions of Ukraine.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Khmelnytskyi eparchy would host a forum on the topic of children’s spiritual education.

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