One of the most beautiful experiences is getting to witness your creation of banner and sanctuary art using our designs. Take a moment to browse the beautiful creations shared in our Facebook Community group. We crave adornment and beauty for our sanctuaries—especially in holy seasons such as Advent. We love equipping you with the tools and inspiration to create together.

But as many of us face a displaced and dispersed Advent season, how might we still seek adornment and beauty? How might we still create together, even if apart? Our newest Advent resources, Those Who Dream, include beautiful banner designs depicting the holy family by Hannah Garrity. Here are a number of ways you can bring these designs to life in this unique and holy season.

Create paper lace banners for your sanctuary

If you are hosting socially-distant worship, or filming online worship in your sanctuary, you can follow the instructions we provide with the banner designs to create large paper lace banners. Paper lace is a graceful medium—no matter what, the end result is always beautiful. Play with light and shadow where you install the banners. Consider backing the banners with fabric or gold. Make them the feature of a larger installation. If you are filming or live-streaming your worship, focus the camera on the banners during the prayers or hymns to include them as visual meditation during the service.

From left to right: 1) The mockup of our Those Who Dream Advent Banner Designs 2) Our A New Creation Banner Designs brought to life at First Pres, Corvallis, Oregon 3) Our What Can’t Wait? Banner designs brought to life at University Community Church, Windsor, Ontario 4) Our What Can’t Wait? Banner designs brought to life at Christ Presbyterian Church, Tallahassee, Florida

Create Paper lace window displays at home

You can print the banner designs on 11x17 card stock to distribute to individuals and families at home. Using an Exacto knife (with thick cardboard backing the card stock), cut away the black shapes on the backside of the design. As you cut away, you can simplify the shapes. As you can see in our mockup below, we simplified the design by not cutting away every shape (particularly the really small ones). When you’re finished, flip the paper lace over and tape the designs to a window to add beauty and imagery to your sacred space at home. You could get creative with your window display by adding lights or backing the paper lace with colored tissue paper (mimicking stained glass). Consider hosting creative fellowship hours via Zoom for you to connect and create the paper lace pieces together. Be sure to encourage your community to take photos of their displays so you can share in the many ways God’s holy story reaches us, even as we worship apart.

Install the banners outside your church building

While our church buildings may not be where we meet and worship right now, many of us have church campuses nestled in busy cities, near downtowns, or along roadways with lots of traffic. Therefore, in this season, an outdoor art installation can be a gift to your larger community. You could print our designs as a weather-proof mesh vinyl banner (we provide a large print file with the banner designs and recommend printing via GotPrint) and install it in an entryway, courtyard, or along an exterior wall. You could also create paper lace banners and install them in large windows facing the community.

Print the designs as coloring pages

Lastly, one of the easiest ways to bring our Advent designs to life is by printing them on 11x17 paper and sharing them with your community as posters to color in with markers, colored pencils, or paint (we provide a coloring page file with the banner designs). No matter the medium you choose, we hope you carve out space for creativity and beauty this Advent season.

“Mary gazes off beyond the frame, dreaming of the future while simultaneously anchoring herself in this priceless moment. As she holds Jesus, Joseph holds Mary—delighting in the birth of their holy son, imagining the joyful personality that has just changed their lives and the world, forever. Doves dance through the fabric of Mary’s dress, representing the unexpected, exciting, and empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.”
—Hannah Garrity, banner design artist and Founding Creative Partner of SA

Lisle Gwynn Garrity (she/her) is a Pastorist (pastor + artist), retreat leader, and creative entrepreneur seeking to fill the church with more color, paint, mystery, and creativity. She founded A Sanctified Art with the conviction that, in order to thrive, the church needs more creative expression and art-filled freedom.