On October 24-25, 2026. The Moscow Theological Academy hosted the participants of the IV Orthodox Youth Forum "Meeting". It brought together more than 350 students from 25 Russian cities. The main topic was the development of the student Christian movement under the auspices of the Russian Orthodox Church and the creation of Christian clubs in secular universities.
The organizer was the project of student initiatives of the Moscow Theological Academy "Meeting". The co-organizers were the Association of Orthodox Scientists, the Project Council of Orthodox Entrepreneurs, the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports and the Orthodox media "Thread".
Representatives of theological academies and seminaries, Orthodox universities and secular educational institutions attended the forum. Among them are students of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Higher School of Economics, Lebedev Russian State University of Justice, Voronezh State University, Lobachevsky Nizhny Novgorod State University and other universities.
The first day began with guided tours of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and the Academy. The participants visited temples, a Bible study, icon painting workshops and a Museum of Christian Art. Then the assembly of the student Christian movement took place. Representatives of the youth communities spoke about their work and discussed the first steps to create a Christian club at the university. The practical part of the program consisted of sessions on event management, video content creation, and project management.
In the evening, the participants prayed at the all-night vigil in the Pokrovsky Academic Church, joined the evening prayers of the students of the academy and met at a creative evening.
The second day opened with the Divine Liturgy and prayer singing for the calling of the Holy Spirit's help. The head of the Meeting project, the Vice rector of the Academy for Licensing and Accreditation, Priest Andrey Lysevich, greeted the audience. Further work continued in thematic sections.
The participants discussed the creation and preservation of a Christian family with TV presenter Tutta Larsen, who came with her family. At a meeting dedicated to Christian motifs in world culture, Yu.A. Pronin, the production designer of Soyuzmultfilm, spoke about Russian animation and the creation of kind visual images for children.
The young monks of the lavra and the academy, together with Alexei Melnikov, the founder of the Nit media, spoke about monastic vocation, prayer and self-restraint in the digital age. The "Victory over Oneself" section was dedicated to the interaction of the Church and the sports community. The meeting "Money, Conscience and Orthodoxy" discussed the professional development of young professionals and the impact of their worldview on business life.
A separate event was the round table "Followers of St. Sergius at the origins of Russian civilization." Representatives of spiritual and secular universities examined the importance of the spiritual heritage of the Sergius tradition for Russian history and culture.
The forum ended with a plenary session in the format of a panel discussion led by Priest Andrey Lysevich. It was attended by representatives of church structures responsible for youth work, cooperation with universities, public organizations and the media. The program of the forum combined joint prayer, exchange of experience and practical preparation of students for the development of Christian communities in the university environment.