Storykeepers Activity Resource Book

The Storykeepers series is set in 64 AD in Rome under Nero. Along with other Roman emperors, Nero thought he was a god. Since the Christians wouldn't accept his claim and would only worship Jesus as Lord, Nero hated them. One day in Rome there was a fire and Nero blamed the Christians for starting it. He ordered his soldiers to persecute the Christians in the city. It is with this backdrop in mind that the Christians met in secret. They devised a series of signs to acknowledge each other and they sought to pass on the stories of Jesus while they faced persecution and danger from the authorities.
The parallel for us is a striking one. We have the same task as the people in the stories: we need to keep the stories of Jesus alive. Although we may not face the threat of violence and physical persecution, we live in a society where the Christian faith is only adhered to by a minority. One of the challenges we face is helping children to see that they are the storykeepers for today. They too need to hear and discover the stories of Jesus. But there is a challenge in being a storykeeper: just as the children in the story faced persecution, how are the friends of Jesus today going to face and cope with opposition?
The main characters in the stories are four children, one teenager and two adults. Three of the children -- Marcus, Justin and Anna -- lost their parents in the fire and so Ben the baker and Helena his wife took them into their home. Cyrus is a boy from North Africa whom they meet in the first episode. He has been separated from his family. They welcome him too. The children have adventures together and it is in the context of these adventures that the stories of Jesus are told.