Road Trip

Sean Noble from Genesis Church in McKinney, TX brings us this design that incorporated road elements and some environmental projection.

Their theme was a Road Trip. They were looking for anything you might see on a road trip (road signs, construction cones, license plates, tires). Thanks to another children’s pastor in the area and several families in the church loaning them some really great items, they were able to accomplish this set design for only $10.

In the pictures, you can see some signs on the floor and wall. They taped them all over the kid’s room to the floor and walls (clear packing tape covering the signs on the floor, gaff tape for the signs on the wall). You can get a 6-pack of clear packing tape from Sam’s Club for under $20. They were road signs with Christian sayings on them, made out of paper similar to card stock. Those signs are the only thing they paid for in the entire set, and they can be purchased from Oriental Trading.

The traffic cones you see in both pictures were loaned to them. They decided to repurpose some small par-can lights they bought and placed them inside the cones to light them.

They got the speed limit sign and other road signs from a friend, but if you don’t happen to know anyone who just has road signs lying around, there are other ways to get your hands on some. Aside from the obvious “check Craigslist” response, look around for construction in your city. Usually on construction cones or on the back of portable road signs, you will see the owner’s initials or company name. It doesn’t hurt to call them up and see if they will let you borrow or rent some. The last time they did a set that required road signs, they contacted a local company (Dallas Lite and Barricade) and they let them borrow several full-size signs for free.

The traffic light on stage left was one they found on Craigslist for $125. They replaced the bulbs that were already in the traffic light with 25W utility light bulbs to make it easier on the kids’ eyes.

They used their environmental projection to put pictures of what it would look like on the side of the road if we were on a real road trip on either side of their “car”. On the left wall they used some caution tape they had on hand to wrap around the edges of the banners. If you don’t have caution tape on hand you can easily buy a huge roll of it on Amazon. On the right wall they simply attached a few license plates that they borrowed from people in the church.

They decided to create a “construction area” in the back right corner of the room. They set up the stanchions around it to discourage the kids from playing inside the area. The road signs were all borrowed, as well as the tires. They created the little “road” using white spike tape and red painters tape, but you could use pretty much anything you have that won’t leave a residue on the floor (painters tape, gaff tape, spike tape). Helpful hint: never use duct tape or gorilla tape on the floor or walls.

Last, but certainly not least, they had their “road” they created down the center aisle. This was probably the most time consuming thing they did for this set. They started by using some black kraft rolled paper that they already had left over from another event. They bought the 48 inch x 200 ft roll at Mardel and it lasted them for many events. They rolled it out and taped around the edges with black gaff tape. They decided to cover the whole road with gaff tape since it would get walked on so much. The only reason for having the paper on the floor was for easier removal. This took a lot of gaff tape. You could do it much cheaper by using clear packing tape, but it was what they had on hand. They used some glow in the dark tape to make the edges pop (but you could use any light colored tape for this). They cut the white strips out of card stock and taped them to the road with clear packing tape.

Creating Themed Stage Designs on a Budget

Themed stage designs offer churches a powerful way to create immersive environments that reinforce sermon series and engage congregations visually. This road trip design from Genesis Church demonstrates how creative sourcing and community collaboration can produce stunning results with minimal financial investment. The $10 total cost represents an extreme example of budget-conscious design, but the principles apply across all budget levels.

The success of this design relied heavily on leveraging community connections and thinking beyond traditional stage design suppliers. By reaching out to other children’s pastors, church families, and local businesses, the team assembled a collection of authentic road trip elements that would have cost hundreds of dollars to purchase new. This approach of “asset mapping” within your community can uncover surprising resources that add authenticity and visual interest to your designs.

Environmental projection played a crucial role in extending the design beyond the physical stage elements. By projecting roadside imagery on the walls flanking the stage, the team created an immersive 180-degree environment that transported the audience into the road trip experience. This technique of extending designs beyond the proscenium line can dramatically increase visual impact without requiring additional physical construction.

The construction zone area in the back corner demonstrates how negative space can become a design feature. Rather than treating the corner as a problem to work around, the team embraced it as an opportunity to add depth and narrative detail to the environment. The stanchions served both a practical safety function and contributed to the overall aesthetic, showing how safety considerations can be integrated into design concepts.

Related Designs

• Rise Up – Discover how The House Modesto combined LED tape with marquee-style lettering and chevron shapes for a dynamic conference stage.
• Reverberation – See how Fair Haven Church created a stunning LED cross design using u-channel and tape lights for their worship space.
• Faithful Creation – Learn how Southern Hills Church built a budget-friendly 12-foot cross using coroplast and simple 2×4 framing.
• Wrapped in Ceiling – Explore how Blue Ridge Community Church used translucent ceiling tiles to create a stunning vertical backdrop design.
• Ground Zero – Discover how Pleasant Valley Church created a haunting memorial stage design using foam board and LED lighting.

Pro Tips for Themed Stage Designs

Build a Resource Network: Create a contact list of local businesses, construction companies, and other churches who might loan or donate materials. Many companies have items sitting in storage that they’d be happy to lend for a good cause. Document these relationships and express gratitude publicly to encourage ongoing support.

Plan for Floor Protection: When using tape on floors, always test in an inconspicuous area first. Different floor surfaces react differently to various tape types. What works on concrete may damage wood or tile. Keep a supply of gaff tape, painter’s tape, and spike tape on hand for different applications.

Consider Sight Lines for Kids: Children’s ministry spaces have unique sight line challenges. Kids are shorter and often sit on the floor. Test your design from a child’s eye level to ensure key elements are visible. The traffic light in this design was positioned at a height that would be visible to children sitting on the floor.

Document Your Process: Take photos during setup and breakdown to create a visual guide for future teams. Label all components clearly and store them together. The investment in documentation pays dividends when the design needs to be reinstalled by different volunteers.