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Sumy Theological Seminary held a seminar on the organization of Sunday-school
With the blessing of the Archbishop of Sumy and Akhtyrka Evlogii on October 28, 2015 on the basis of the Sumy seminary was held the seminar-presentation on the topic:"The organization of Sunday school. Methods of work with children of different ages and in small groups."
The event was organized by the Department of Religious Education and Catechesis of Sumy Diocese together with Sumy Seminary. The seminar was attended by priests from all deaneries of Sumy Diocese, directors and teachers of the parish Sunday schools. The aim of the seminar was to help the rural pastors in organization of Sunday schools in their parishes, to share the experience of those who have it well organized.
The participants readly shared their experiences, pedagogical and methodological secrets. Directly and openly talked not only about the successes, but also discussed the problems arising during the learning process. Speakers were so open, emotional and interesting that the five hours of the seminar (despite of the physical tiredness, because many of priest come from distant rural parishes) spended in living discussion and dialogue with a favor for all partisipants.
Experience of work with children is priceless, as the opportunity to share it with others for a common cause - the salvation. The Head of the Department of Religious Education and Catechesis of Sumy diocese - Archpriest Sergei Lutskin in his report, "Sunday School - the foundation of the parish in the near future," pointed out the importance of paying attention to children, because often they - the children - lead their parents to God and these families became a parishioners of our churches. Archpriest Georgiy Seriy literally moved listeners to deanery of Akhtyrka, exactly in the Sunday school "Yangolyatko" at the Church of the Archangel Michael, telling in detail about it life and sharing their experience. An interesting experience of Sunday School of Church of the Resurrection in Lebedyn sounded by teacher Nina Fyodorovna Semenikhina: to motivate high school students, trust them to teach the individual themes to younger children like the self-days in schools.
Besides individual experiences of various parish schools, which told the reporters, participants at the seminar learned about the latest methodical editions, presentesd by Rodicheva Elena Evgenevna, head of methodical cabinet of Department of Religious Education and Catechesis about the subtleties of the organization of children's pilgrimage - from the head of the department of pilgrimage -Cherkashina Anna Nikolaevna. The participants of the seminar saw what the original and filigreed may be the product of applied art, presented by folk art master Olga Konstantinovna Pronnikova (deanery of Lebedyn) from inexpensive materials, made by children. The head of the Department of Youth of the Sumy Diocese Archpriest Vladimir Ravlyuk in its report "Children-teenagers. Education in the faith and good thing" shared his experience in working with young people. He talked about such important things like sacrifice, true spirituality, trust children to adults, and invited brother-priests to engage in a constructive dialogue, united the efforts of all the parishes of the diocese to work with young people.
In the hall of the seminary was organized a small exhibition of creative works of the rural Sunday schools, and at the end of the seminar, participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the exposition of the Orthodox painting, to see photos of all the Sumy Archpastors and chronicle the religious life of the school.
