Winners and Runners-Up Announced for the “On the Way to Bethlehem” Online Quiz

On December 22, 2024, with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, the Commission for Educational Ministry of the Astana Diocese organized an international youth online quiz titled “On the Way to Bethlehem.”

In addition to young participants from Kazakhstan, teams of school and university students from Russia and Lithuania also took part in the intellectual competition. A total of 19 teams participated in the event.

The quiz was divided into two categories: Sunday schools and youth clubs.

The quiz questions covered events from the Gospel narrative and the liturgical features of the feasts of the Nativity of Christ, Theophany, and the Presentation of the Lord.

Based on the results of the intellectual competition, the following teams were recognized as winners and runners-up:

Sunday School Category

First Place:

• My Joy (Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov, Baikent village, Almaty Region, Kazakhstan)
• Little Rays (St. Nicholas Church, Tonshaevo settlement, Nizhny Novgorod Region, Russia)
• Seeds of Faith (Combined Sunday School Team, Kerch, Republic of Crimea)
• Forget-Me-Nots (Iversky Parish, Boraldai settlement, Almaty Region, Kazakhstan)

Third Place:

• Stanichniki (Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Presnovka village, North Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan)
• Well-Wishers (Central Sunday School, St. Nicholas Cathedral, Almaty, Kazakhstan)
• Protection (Church of St. Eleutherius of Rome, Stepnogorsk, Kazakhstan)
• Joy of Faith (Church of St. Sebastian and Magdalene, Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan)
• Blagovest (Annunciation Cathedral, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan)

Youth Club Category

First Place:

• Galilee (Church of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg, Konaev, Kazakhstan)

Third Place:

• Agape (St. Michael the Archangel Church, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan)
• Byzantium (Church of Christ the Savior, Almaty, Kazakhstan)
• White Lily of the Valley (Family Club, Almaty, Kazakhstan)

The questions from the recently concluded intellectual tournament are available on the Orthodox Internet Carousel website. The next mini internet-carousel, titled “Countries and Peoples: South Africa,” is scheduled for January 26, 2025.