Week 13: Final Destination! Rome

Rome was one of the 2 largest cities in the world in the 1st Century with a population of 1 million people. It was the political capital of the Roman Empire. It was surrounded by a wall over 13 miles in circumference. There were many temples to various gods, theatres, forums, palaces, baths, roads and gardens.

Paul arrives in Rome to appear before Caesar and plead his case. He is under house arrest which allows him to find his own place to live, but he was required to be chained to a Roman soldier at all times.

Paul requests a meeting with the Jewish leaders to explain what had happened and tell them his story. The Jewish leaders agreed that they had heard nothing bad about Paul and allowed him to tell the the good news about Jesus. Some believed that Jesus was the Messiah and put their faith in him. Paul remained a prisoner in his house in Rome for 2 years. Many people visited him to hear about Jesus. They were impressed that Paul wasn't depressed and complaining about his situation. He used his time by sharing God's message of love and salvation with everyone he could. He also used this time to write letters to his friends and churches. The journey ends with Paul still under house arrest in Rome. It is believed that Paul was eventually executed in Rome.

The kids finished the time by playing some types of games that would have been played during Paul's time. A dice game called "Seven" was popular as well as games such as Pente and Mancala.

The last week will be a time for the kids to redeem their dollars they have been collecting for attendance, bringing their bible and saying the memory verse.