Filename: Winter16-17WR Visuals Website

Filename: Winter16-17WR—visuals--website

Lent 2017 – Visuals Worship visuals help us encounter God without words—through color, shape, and design. They are a resting place for our eyes and a way to soak in the assurance and knowledge of God’s presence. For this season of Lent, we have assigned a different color to each Sunday, each color representing the week’s focus statement: Week 1 – brown (We hunger) Week 2 – purple (We wonder) Week 3 – blue (We thirst) Week 4 – green (We see) Week 5 – gold (We breathe) Week 6 – orange (We hope) Easter – white (We live) The colors can be used in various ways, depending on the size of the worship space and depth of congregational resources. A set of banners can be sewn, a series of canvases can be painted, or color can be incorporated into the tablescape. It is important to keep in mind the size and scale of the sanctuary. Large spaces need large artwork/visuals. Consider making two sets of banners if the worship space is large. Small visuals in a large space will not be effective. We chose to create a series of layered banners using the colors for each week; a new, successively smaller banner is added each week. These banners can be as simple as seven different colors of fabric strips, as seen in the photograph sample of our work. Between Palm Sunday and Easter, those banners will come down and a white banner will be put in place for Easter. If your congregation will be observing Good Friday, consider using a black banner for that service. If a Good Friday service is not typically conducted in your congregation, the visuals can help bridge the gap between the hosannas of Palm Sunday and the alleluias of Easter Sunday. Palm branches and vibrant, colorful banners at the beginning of the Palm Sunday service give way to silence and ritually removing the banners at the end of the service, an indication of what’s to come during Holy Week. We also chose to create a tablescape that would remain basically the same each week, consisting of brown burlap fabric, rocks, a glass container or vase, and a dark red candle. The one thing that will change slightly on the table is the vase. It is absent on the first Sunday. The second Sunday, it is present, but empty. In weeks 3, 4, and 5, the worship leader or pastor adds water to the vase. Week 6 is Palm Sunday, so palm branches can be displayed in the water. On Easter Sunday, the vase will contain a bouquet of colorful flowers. Banner specifics: These dimensions are appropriate for Belmont Mennonite Church. Every worship space is different, though, so measure your space and adapt the proportions to suit your needs. I hemmed the edges and ends of the banners. You might decide to serge the sides and add rod pockets to the ends of the banners, depending on your available resources and installation requirements. Week 1 – burlap, 47 in / 119 cm wide (full width) x 144 in / 3.7 m long Week 2 – cotton, 44 in / 112 cm wide (full width) x 140 in / 3.6 m long Week 3 – cotton, 36 in / 91 cm wide x 136 in / 3.5 m long Week 4 – cotton, 28 in / 72 cm wide x 132 in / 3.4 m long Week 5 – cotton, 20 in / 50 cm wide x 128 in / 3.3 m long Week 6 – cotton, 12 in / 30 cm wide x 124 in / 3.1 m long Week 7 – polyester, 44 in / 112 cm wide x 180 in / 4.6 m long

Table specifics: The goal is to create a barren wilderness. Start with plain burlap fabric. Layer on various sizes of rocks, include either one or three candles (preferably dark red or purple; odd numbers are most pleasing), and situate the glass container in the middle of the table.