Seasons > Easter >  Easter Decorations for the Church > 6 Foot Cross that tells the Easter Story as a Decorations for the Church

Foam Core and Calendar Cross

These pictures show the last week of Jesus’ life, from the anointing of his feet with nard, to the resurrection and ascension. These pictures were taken from a calendar depicting the life of Christ, which conveniently makes them all the same size and shape. They are mounted on foam core which is an inexpensive material that is very light weight, so it is ideal for making a large decoration to hang on a wall. It is rather delicate, but with proper care, should be able to be used for many years. (If you have the proper equipment to hang heavy items from a wall or ceiling, this cross could be made out of wood instead.) This cross is made from 3 large sheets of foam core--2 sheets to form the vertical portion, and one sheet cut in half for the two side pieces.

This cross may look the same as the one pictured above, but if you look carefully, instead of depicting the last week of Jesus’ life, the pictures represent what Jesus does for us--forgiveness from sins, protection, help in time of need, and eternal life.

Calendars are not the only places to find artwork that would be appropriate for this cross. If you have young artists in the church, you could commission them to draw or paint pictures (these artists could be adults, teens, or even children. If the pictures are entered in a contest, it may encourage better quality.) This could be an annual event leading up to the Easter celebration in the church. Each year a different age group could be challenged to paint pictures.

Another source for artwork could be books of religious art. If you are loath to cut pages out of a book, I think it is legal to make one copy of some pictures in a book as long as you own the book, and don’t do it for profit.

Instead of pictures, another option would be to type  appropriate verses in a large, fancy script on the computer, and print them out and mount them on the cross in place of the pictures. Of course, if you have a calligrapher in the congregation, this could be done by hand. Just make sure that it is large enough to be seen from a distance.

This variation depicts people from different countries to show how Jesus’ work on the cross was for all people--from every tribe and nation. To make a cross with this international theme, you can get photos off the internet, or tear apart old magazines, such as National Geographic. Some organizations, such as Wycliffe, sell calendars every year, and these have bigger pictures than those found in magazines. You could color copy the magazine pictures to make them bigger, as well. These pictures could focus on countries where missionaries that are supported by your church work, or each square could represent a different continent.

If you mount the pictures directly onto the the foam core, it looks a bit amateurish. To make it look more professional, cut pieces of foam core the exact size of the pictures so the pictures come right to the edges of the foam core. Then glue one inch squares of foam core to the backs of these picture squares so that when you mount them on the cross, they stick out from the background. (I am disappointed that this does not show up in the cross photos above, because it makes a huge difference.)

Hints:

1. 1.It is really important to fasten the pictures on straight, or it will look really bad. So before you fasten the pictures to the cross, it is good to lay them on the cross and measure each direction to make sure it is straight, then mark the position with  masking tape, or something that will come off without damaging the foam core, so you know exactly where to put it when you are fastening it to the background (test it on the back of the foam core.) The foam core tends to break if you try to pull it apart to reposition it, so make sure you have it right the first time.
   

2. 2.You may want to mount the pictures with re-positionable tape so that pictures can be changed every year or two for variety.
   

3. 3. Since foam core is so light weight, you can use double stick tape rather than glue. However, double stick tape does come in different strengths, so you may want to test it on the bottom picture over night to see if it is strong enough to hold. If the foam core falls from much of a height, it can dent, chip or break.
   

4. 4.The whole cross, when assembled, does not weigh much, so it can be hung from those adhesive hooks that, when pulled off correctly, don’t damage the wall paint.
   

5. 5.To put the sections of the cross together, I think I just taped the sections of foam core together (it has been long enough that I have forgotten now), You could make the whole thing more secure by gluing strips of foam core across the seams on the back, or glue thin strips of wood across the sections.

Seasons > Easter >  Church Decorations > 6 Foot Cross that tells the Easter Story as a Decorations for the Church