Faces of our Faith Art Mobile—How To Create a Fun & Easy Worship Installation
Who has shaped your faith? Who has nurtured you, baptized you, taught you, transformed you? Who are the figures who have opened your mind to expand your faith? Who are the people who have helped you to feel God's love in startling ways? Who are the faces of your faith?
This summer we're digging deep into 16 bold and untold stories of those often overlooked in our biblical narratives, hoping these characters remind us that we all play a role in shaping God’s story of redemption and grace.
As many churches all across the map join us in using our Faces of our Faith materials, we wanted to offer a creative way to help you name the faces of our your own faith communities.
As a team, we crafted this simple art installation using found objects in less than two hours, so we think you can create something like it too. Just follow the steps below or adapt them based on your own materials and ideas—the possibilities are endless!
Materials:
- construction paper or card stock (preferably in different colors of your choosing)
- string or ribbon of your choosing
- hole punch
- scissors
- Sharpie markers (either black or different colors)
- a large tree branch or curtain rod
Step 1: Cut Out Circles or Shapes & Name Your Faces of Faith
Cut out circles or shapes using construction paper or card stock. Place these on tables in your narthex, or pass them around during worship, Sunday School, or a fellowship hour, inviting members of all ages to write the names of those who have influenced their faith on the shapes. You may wish to collect as many name shapes as possible upfront and then create the installation, or invite members to continue writing names throughout your Faces of our Faith worship series and add to the installation each week. The more names the better!
Invite members to consider naming family members, bible characters, public figures, theologians, authors, activists, creators—anyone who has directly or indirectly impacted their faith.
If you develop the installation over the course of a series, you could prompt members to write a name each Sunday during worship, thinking about a different person who has impacted them in a certain way.
PRO TIP: We encourage you to write names on BOTH sides of the shapes, as the paper and string will move and turn once you hang it!
Step 2: Attach Circles to String or Ribbon & Hang From a Branch
Punch holes in the tops of the shapes and string yarn or ribbon through them, knotting the shapes in place every 6 inches or so. No need to space them out perfectly—the asymmetry of the strands will look great once they are hung.
Fill your string or ribbon with the shapes. We used blue yarn and left a bit on the ends, but you could also fill the string with circles from end-to-end. We didn't measure the length of the strands. We liked that they ended up being varying lengths.
Once you've attached the shapes to your string, then attach the strands to some sort of base. We used a hiking stick that we found, but we love the idea of a large tree branch or a curtain rod. Get creative! You may decide to create multiple mobiles that could attach to one another. Again, the possibilities are endless. Use something you already have or can easily find on a walk in the woods.
Step 3: Install & Enjoy!
How and where you install the art mobile depends on your space and your objectives. Will you suspend it above the congregation in the sanctuary to offer it as a worshipful visual? Or will you place it against a wall in the narthex so that members can read the names before and after worship?
Consider your objectives for the project. Do you want it to be a mark of beauty, of the way we are all connected to one another as beloved community? Or do you want it to be a conversation starter, something people can touch and engage with as they walk by?
Once again, the possibilities are endless and entirely up to you. What you will quickly find is that there is a story behind each name, so the only thing left to do is to dig deep into those stories, sharing them, hearing them, and being transformed by them.
Click here to read the story behind "Cynthia at Mother Emmanuel AME Church."
You may also be interested in . . .
[This study journal is one of many resources in our FACES OF OUR FAITH BUNDLE]
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD ONLY
There are many heroes of the faith, people we admire and wish to be. However, there are even more ordinary people of faith—those doing what they can with what they have to make a difference. We’ve selected 16 bold stories of those often overlooked in our biblical narratives. Using visual art and prompts for reflection, we hope to dig deep into the worlds of these characters, entering their stories with curiosity and openness to what they might teach us.
We invite you to complete this journal at the pace and order that suits you. You may wish to ponder the reflections and prompts individually or with others. We have designed this journal so that it might be used as a personal devotional or as the curriculum for a group study series.
If you're interested in printing multiple copies of these materials for your church or community, please choose one of the other licensing options below based on how many copies you wish to print.
[These banner designs are included in our Pentecost Bundle of resources]
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD FOR ONE-TIME LICENSE
Banner designs by: Hannah Garrity
There is no better season than the weeks leading up to Pentecost to welcome the Holy Spirit with art, preparing a beautiful space for God’s presence. These two designs, inspired by Pentecost imagery in Acts 2:1-21, capture the energy and wildness of the Holy Spirit let loose like a wildfire and poured out like water upon all people. There are several ways you can bring these hand-drawn designs to life in your congregation. Choose the option below to best fit your needs and context.
The photos on the left show the designs as paper lace cut out banners and also as printed 36x48 coloring posters. Both are options for bringing the designs to life. See below for more info.
[This resource is one of many in our FACES OF OUR FAITH BUNDLE]
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD FOR ONE-TIME LICENSE
Whether you are a church with full-time communications staff or one whose pastor handles all communications (on top of everything else), this branding suite provides everything you need to effectively share the Faces of our Faith theme with your community. Download includes files for print and web so you can use them for projecting images and slides in worship, printing on bulletins, study materials, church publications, and advertising your worship on your website and online.
[This resource is one of many in our FACES OF OUR FAITH BUNDLE]
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD FOR ONE-TIME LICENSE
There are many heroes of the faith, people we admire and wish to be. However, there are even more ordinary people of faith—those doing what they can with what they have to make a difference. We’ve selected 16 bold stories of those often overlooked in our biblical narratives, creating visual art to tell their stories.
Print or project these visuals for a sensory journey through this series and the stories that have shaped our faith.