RUSSIA

All-Church Orthodox Youth Movement (ACOYM) transformed into Synodal Department

Moscow - For the second time, a major Orthodox Youth gathering took place in Moscow from 13 to 16 May 2001. Some 450 youth, youth workers and education officials from the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova shared experience, reflection and projects in a multi-faceted encounter that showed the variety of youth work existing in the Russian Orthodox today.
The gathering followed the recent decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church to transform the All-Church Orthodox Youth Movement (ACOYM) into a Synodal Youth Department. Like ACOYM, the Department is headed by Archbishop Alexander of Kostroma. Chief executive officer is Oleg Reshetnikov, who represented ACOYM at the 1999 SYNDESMOS General Assembly.
The importance of the occasion was underscored by the presence at the opening session of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis of Moscow, His Beatitude Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation. Among the speakers, the challenging and stimulating address by former SYNDESMOS Board member Metropolitan Cyrill of Smolensk was enthusiastically welcomed.
The gathering adopted a document entitled "to the youth," which was read by former SYNDESMOS Board member Hegumen Gennadi (Gogolev) (see p12). At the closing session, SYNDESMOS acting President Hildo Bos expressed the wish that Orthodox youth groups from throughout Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova use the possibilities for contact and co-operation proposed by SYNDESMOS.
The Synodal Youth Department has the heavy task to stimulate youth work throughout the more than 100 dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church. Youth officers have been appointed in all dioceses, who should be cooperating through the Department. Where ACOYM has primarily been focusing on Orthodox scouting group, particular att ention will now be paid to student and
teenager groups. The Department has identified an acute need for leadershiptraining and is studying training processes in a national and international context. SYNDESMOS Eastern Europe Regional Representative Evgeni Petrovski has joined the staff of the Department at the Krutitsky Podvorye in Moscow.
SYNDESMOS wishes him good luck in his new job and hopes that it will create many new occasions for Eastern European Orthodox youth to participate in SYNDESMOS!

International Conference baptises seven-fold

Yakutia, Sakha Republic - An International Conference on "Christianity in the fate of the people of Yakutia" took place last November 2000, in the Sakha Republic. The aims of the Conference were the investigation of the role and meaning of Christianity in the fate of the people of Yakutia, the spiritual revival of the peoples of multinational Russia and the preservation of their cultural and historical heritage, as well as the current development prospects of the Orthodox faith in the Republic of Sakha. During the Conference, with the Blessing of His Eminence Archbishop German of Yakutsk and Lensk, seven indigenous Sakha people and one Korean were baptized Orthodox Christians. Many Years!