— The 2023-2024 academic year is coming to an end. As always, at the end of each academic year, the summaries of the material studied in one or another subject are summarized. The subject Fundamentals of Christian Ethics was no exception. A number of Olympiads and competitions on this subject were held, where the students participated, and, I was invited to some Olympiads as the jury, – says the employee of the mission Hope to People, a teacher of Christian ethics at the Klevan Special School #1 and the Rivne Lyceum Ukrainian, Ruslana Kovalchuk.
— Every competition in the Olympiad required serious preparation, time, and effort on the part of students and teachers, and was full of concerns and joyful moments.
In March-April 2024, the 16th All-Ukrainian Olympiad Young Bible Scholars on the topic “Leadership in the Light of the Bible” was held at the NU Ostroh Academy. The Olympiad was held online. Our organization was one of the sponsors of this Olympiad, and we decided to bless each winner with discounted admission to our summer Christian camps.
From March 8 to May 1, 2024, the All-Ukrainian contest Bible Scholars – 2024, organized by the BF Live, Ukraine! with the support of the Public Council on Cooperation with Churches and Religious Organizations under the Ministry of Education and Culture of Ukraine took place. The tasks were of three levels of difficulty. Each participant, regardless of age, chose his level, depending on the volume of the books of the Bible that he could work on. My students from Special School #1 in the village of Klevan of the Rivne Regional Council participated in this competition of the 1st level of difficulty, where they won diplomas and prizes.
Also, the 7th Regional Student Olympiad Bible Scholars – 2024 was held in parallel, which had three stages (school, district, and regional). The organizers of the Olympiad were the Public Union Called to Win and the Rivne Regional Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education. 31 thousand students of the Rivne region took part in the first stage of the Olympiad. My students from Rivne Lyceum Ukrainian participated in all stages of the Olympiad. They won prizes in the school and district stages of the Olympiad and were participants in the regional stage. The organizers of the Olympiad invited me to be on the jury together with other teachers of the region.
— What can you say about the level of knowledge of the Bible among modern students?
– This year’s Olympiads showed that the thirst for the Bible among secondary school and university students has not diminished, and in some cases, it has increased even more. Despite the very difficult time for our country, students are eager to learn the Word and share their knowledge with their peers. I especially observe this in our region, and as a teacher and a Christian, I enjoyed reading and listening to the students’ performances.
— What is the practical benefit of such events? What goal do their organizers pursue?
– The benefit is enormous, even because each participant spent so much time in the Word of God, reading one or another divinely inspired book of the Bible, examining the lives of biblical characters. The Word of God can never be fruitless, sooner or later it will sprout in the hearts of the students.
The goal of all these events and all our work is both very simple and complex at the same time — to fill young hearts with love for God and His Word so that every Olympiad participant becomes a child of God.
— Can you recall any highlights of the Olympiads or any vivid moments during the time of preparation for them?
— The preparation time for the Olympiad was really amazing! I spent a lot of time with my students when they turned to me for supplementary classes. We could pray a lot with them, study the given topics of the Olympiad, and also talk about various life issues. It was a wonderful time blessed by God!
