Last week was a very busy week for me making a new bulletin board at my church. Normally, I would post a "sneak peek" picture on Facebook to spark interest but not this time. Because of the content, I had to be "mum" about it and let me tell you that was hard.
The majority of the boards I do at my church do not coordinate with a specific sermon series or themed event. Of course, God always uses them in the capacity He chooses to effect those who see them.
The week before last, I was suppose to get working on putting up a new board for the main hallway. I knew the board I wanted to create (it was an idea off a graphic I saw) but was lagging in getting started. Little did I know that God was keeping me from starting on something that was not a part of His timing. I received a call from my friend Debbie, who works at the church and is my co-creator in the making of these boards, and she told me of a financial challenge that was going to be put out to the congregation. She felt that a coordinating bulletin board regarding the challenge would be a great idea. In the middle of our conversation, I knew why God was having me lag on getting the other board started.....He had a better plan. We met later that week and formulated the idea for the board.
Okay, so the financial challenge that has been set before the church congregation is to pay down the church mortgage of $80,000 and build up capital by tithing an extra $20 a week per family for the next 6 months.
Immediately when I heard this idea, a big personal check came to mind. We brainstormed from that idea and came up with the concept of a board that looked like a person's bill paying session and a check written for the $20.
Here is a picture of the completed board.
So, let me give you a run down of the board and all the elements that were made.
The first element made, which is my favorite, is the checkbook.
The outer part of the checkbook is a black display board that would be used for science projects, etc. I cut this to fit the standard size piece of white foam board being used for the check "stack". On top of the white foam board, I place the check which was created freehand on a sheet of 2 sided blue poster board. The one side looks exactly like a check and the other is the royal blue color used at the top of the check where the perforation would be. The check is being written/coming from "Your Faithful Steward Sojourner on Earth Heaven Bound" and is made out to "God's House". On the top of the checkbook flap, a "post-it" has been place with the verse Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." As I said before, the check is my favorite element of this board.
The next element is the note pad ledger. I used a piece of left over foam board from another project. What I like about this piece of board is that the surface is paper and not glossy like most foam board giving it that true paper look. It also makes it a lot easier to erase pencil marks from. Also, to make it truly look like a note pad, I put two lines of black artist tape at the top mimicking the binding/perforation part of the pad and wrote "mead" in silver sharpie. Of course, I put the purpose of our challenge at the top of the "note pad" and then made a ledge sheet portion for the date paid, amount paid and balance. This will allow the congregation to see the progress that is being made on the challenge. I did not do all 24 lines for the 6 months of updates because the board would be too busy.....so when we do run out of lines I plan on putting a piece of paper/card stock over the ledger portion with a ripped top so it looks as if a portion of the page has been ripped exposing another page to continue the ledgering.
Now when it comes to note pads and notes, I'm a doodler so we only felt it was appropriate to include a little doodling on this note pad. As Debbie and I were talking about this, it came to mind that most of my doodlings tend to be bulletin board driven. Jokingly I told her that I should doodle a picture of the bulletin board I had intended to put up. Well, I did exactly that and let me tell you that board doodle is so appropriate to the theme of this current board. It is a picture of a moving box and on the outside of the box is Philippians 4:19 "And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." God will supply that $20 extra dollars a week or the "need" that has to be met via that $20 we give to Him.
I know I have post it notes strewn all over my "home central" area where family paperwork is done so it seemed appropriate to include some on the board. These are just pieces of 8 1/2 x 11 paper cut into 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 squares with written messages on them.
Now you can't write a check if you don't have a pen, so using a left over piece of the paper style foam board I cut a replica of our church's ballpoint pen. Using a Copic marker in red and a silver sharpie, I colored the pen appropriately.
The only item cut with the Cricut was the title "Paying Down Building Up" which we done in the appropriate "accounting" colors of red and black. They were shadowed in ivory so they wouldn't blend into the brown background.
This board is a longer term board than normal so I may add one or two other small elements as the months go by..... we'll see.
I really enjoyed making this board and am looking forward to seeing the progress that is made in meeting the challenge of paying down the mortgage and building up capital. May God bless those abundantly who give cheerfully for the purpose of further His Kingdom.
As always, thanks for stopping by!
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