2009.07.01
Photos: Poages Mill Church Of The Brethren Vacation Bible School
From June 21 to June 26 the congregation of Poages Mill Church Of The Brethren invited children of all ages to come and live in Ancient Rome for the week. The theme for the Bible School was ROME: Paul & The Underground Church. While they were there, they experienced what it was like to live in the ancient Rome as the early churches were beginning to form. They worshipped in an underground cave to avoid persecution, visited Paul The Apostle on house arrest with his guard Brutus, trained to be Roman Firefighters, Army Recruits, Architects, Olympians, and even got to spend denarius in a Roman marketplace each night.
Attendees were grouped into mixed age “families” with roman names like Casssius, Octavius, Pompeiius, Tiberius, Maximus, and Servius, lead by an adult family leader and a youth assistant leader. As they explored themes such a as God’s Love is a gift, God’s Love changes us, God’s Love saves us, and God’s Love is Worth Sharing, they saw daily dramas illustrating these themes unfold before their very eyes each night, from a senator freeing a slave, a food merchant forgiving a thief and saving him from flogging, to a metal worker having her shop closed down by roman guards simply for being a Christian, each night brought a new experience.
The attendees raised money for the Heifer International (http://www.heifer.org), with the goal of sending an Ark to needy families across the globe, and even got to play with animals from Roanoke’s first and only mobile petting zoo, Little Critters.
Overall everyone had a culturally immersive experience that allowed them to better understand both the period in history, as well as grow closer to God. Poages Mill Church Of The Brethren hopes all enjoyed themselves and invite you and your family to future events!
Submitted by Zachary F. Emerson
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