I like banners without words. Most visuals do just fine by themselves if kept simple enough. Sometimes, though, it's just too difficult to illustrate a Scripture passage or concept with a graphic. In those cases we resort to words. But often the words are scattered across too much fabric and end up looking like so many elementary-school bulletin boards.
Visual Reinforcements
This particular design uses the text "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God" (Rom. 15:7). I used the New International Version, which uses "accept." You might find the King James Version's "receive" or the New Revised Standard Version's "welcome" more fitting. This banner could be used any time during the year, of course, but I've included it here as a possible visual to accompany your congregation's emphasis on hospitality (see pp. 1619 for a host of other ideas).
Many Hands Make Great Work
I've written before about the benefits of getting lots of people involved. For consistency, the same person might cut out the words that are silhouetted against the bright-colored stripes, but the background fabrics could/should reflect the samples (and tastes!) provided by a variety of people. To insure that the words can be easily read, the fabric should be bright enough to provide contrast and its design should not be too ornate.
Production Construction
I don't sew and find it increasingly difficult to find people who do. This banner is held together by Wonder-Under, an iron-on adhesive interfacing. Wonder-Under is simple to use and easy to clean when complete. Check here for step-by-step instructions for making the pattern and adhering the fabric pieces together.
Download
Download the pattern below.