Students of Sunday Schools of the Mitropolitan District Took Part in the Children’s Drawing Contest “Lamp of Faith”

On June 1, 2025, the Culture Commission of the Kazakhstan Mitropolitan District summed up the results of the children’s drawing contest “Lamp of Faith”, in which students of Sunday schools from all over Kazakhstan took part.

The creative competition – held with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan – took place from April 20 to June 1 and was divided into two age groups: 7–11 years and 12–16 years.

The contest was dedicated to spiritually significant anniversaries: the 225th anniversary of the birth of the first hierarch of the Kazakh land – Archbishop Sofony (Sokolsky) – and the 70th anniversary of the repose of the Holy Confessor Nicholas, Metropolitan of Alma-Ata and Kazakhstan.

The competition was held in an online format. More than 300 works were sent to the organizers’ email address and evaluated by a competent jury. The work of the jury was headed by Honored Cultural Worker of the Russian Federation and Head of the Culture Department of the Kazakhstan Mitropolitan District, L.E. Goricheva.

Based on the jury’s voting, the winners of the “Lamp of Faith” contest were:

Students of Sunday schools aged 7–11

I place – Rakisheva Arina (Sunday school of the Church of St. John in the city of Alatau, Diocese of Alma-Ata)

II place – Balykbaeva Aysha (Sunday school of the Church of St. John in the city of Alatau, Diocese of Alma-Ata)

III place – Chernakova Margarita (Sunday school of the Resurrection Church in the city of Aksu, Diocese of Pavlodar)

Students of Sunday schools aged 12–16

I place – Sidorenkov Kirill (Sunday school of the Church of the Protection in the city of Issyk, Diocese of Aktyubinsk) and Rettikh Natalya (school of the Church of St. Vladimir in the city of Alma-Ata)

II place – Rettikh Kseniya (school of the Church of St. Vladimir in the city of Alma-Ata)

III place – Shaldunova Elizaveta (Sunday school of the Church of Archangel Michael in the city of Karaganda, Diocese of Karaganda)

The winning works will be presented at a drawing exhibition at the spiritual, cultural, and administrative center named after Metropolitan Joseph Chernov in Alma-Ata.