What is OpenOrder?

OpenOrder is a free, open-source web app that streamlines the weekly task of preparing Sunday worship materials. Enter your service details — hymns, scripture readings, sermon title — and generate a print-ready Word bulletin and PowerPoint presentation in seconds.

Search hymns by number or title across the United Methodist Hymnal and The Faith We Sing. Add scripture readings that are automatically fetched and formatted. Choose a bulletin theme that matches your church's style. Hit generate.

What used to take an hour of copy-pasting and formatting now takes less than a minute.

Why it's different

• Hymn search built in. Search by number or title across the UMH and TFWS. Select a hymn and its lyrics are automatically added to your slides.
• Scripture integration. Type a reference, and OpenOrder fetches the full text from the Bible API. Supports BSB, KJV, ASV, WEB, and more — with local caching.
• Two outputs, one form. Fill out the service order once and get both a formatted Word bulletin and a complete PowerPoint presentation.
• Calendar generation. Manage recurring weekly events (worship, Sunday school, prayer meetings) and one-off events. The bulletin's calendar block is generated automatically with formatted dates and a per-week note.
• Template = theme. Your bulletin layout is a Word template with placeholders. Upload your own template, and the app validates it and renders bulletins matching your church's existing style.
• Standalone desktop app. Ships as a single .exe — no Python, Node, or browser required. Configurable data directory for sharing across devices via Dropbox.
• Light, dark, or system theme. Three modes for sermon prep at any hour.
• No subscription. No cloud. Runs locally on your machine. Your data stays yours.

How it works

1. Fill out the service order — hymns, scripture, sermon title, announcements, and liturgical elements.
2. Search and select hymns by number or title. Lyrics are loaded automatically from your licensed hymnal data.
3. Click Generate. OpenOrder produces a print-ready .docx bulletin and a complete .pptx presentation with hymn lyrics, scripture slides, and backgrounds.
4. Print the bulletin. Load the slides. You're done.

Built with

Roadmap

Hymnal data

Hymnal lyrics are copyrighted material and are not included in this repository. You must purchase and license your own hymnal slides from the United Methodist Publishing House.

OpenOrder includes scripts to convert the purchased .ppt slides to JSON format. Full instructions are in the README.