How To Prepare a Weekly and Scripture Power Point for Worship

ONE TIME PREPARATION:

 To make the preparation of the Hymns and Lessons Power Point easier, make a file folder on the church’s computer system called “Hymn Visuals.”  Prepare a Power Point for each individual hymn and save it by number and name.  This can be done over a period of a year or two, as the church sings different hymns.  After that time, it would be infrequent that the office staff would have to create a new Hymn Visual -- more and more the staff can use the previously used hymns.

 

WEEKLY PREPARATION:

1. Open a new Power Point (or the template, which can be your starting point for each week - templates are helpful is there are slides that will be used every week). 
2. Start with the first hymn and go to your computer folder, “Hymns Visuals.”  
3. Open the previously prepared power point that corresponds to this week's first hymn (such as "#9 O Come, O Come Emmanuel").
4. Copy and paste this first hymn onto the power point template and save for that week.  (To copy and paste, open the power point for the hymn, Highlight one of the slides in the left side column.  Press Control A, to select all.  Then Control C to copy.  Then move the curser to the Power Point template and place your curser in the left column of slides at the point BETWEEN the slides where this hymn is to go.  Be sure not to highlight a slide, but to click your curser in between the slides.  Press Control V to paste.   
5.  For the Scripture, edit the title on the slide, such as “Psalm 23.” 
6.  Go to www.Biblegateway.com and search for the Scripture, such as Psalm 23.  Copy the text.  Be sure to use the appropriate translation, such as NIV.  Different preachers will use different translations - be sure to use the translation your pastor will be using. 
7.  Open a blank Word Document and paste the Scripture.  You do this because the Bible passage must be edited.  You will need to delete verse numbers and footnotes. 
8.  Space the passage appropriately – try to follow the 5 by 5 rule – five words per line, five lines per slide. Adding blank lines in this Word Document now will make creating individual slides easier later. 
9. Copy the edited text on the Word Document (Control C). 
10.  Go to the Power Point, highlight the slide that you have prepared for the Scripture reading.  Paste on the Scripture slide (Control V). 
11. Select the entire text in the box on the Scripture slide.  Do this by putting the curser in the text on this slide and pressing Control A.  Be sure you are copying all of the TEXT in a single slide and not copying all of the slides.
12. Now that the entire text has been selected, change the font size and the color.  The recommended size for the font is 32 or larger and the recommended color is yellow on a blue background.   
13.  Highlight that slide and copy several times (Control C to copy, then Control V repeatedly to paste).
    
    
    
14. You now have several slides that say the same thing and have too much text.  Begin to edit each individual slide.  Go to the first slide and delete everything except the words meant for the first Scriptslide (select the text to be deleted by using Control C, then pressing delete). 
15.  Go to the second slide and delete everything except the words meant for slide two, and move through each slide in this way.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
16.  When you have finished editing, make sure the slides are in order and make sure there are no duplicate slides. 
17.  Be sure the hymns and Scripture appear in the order they appear in the bulletin. 
18.  The Hymns and Lessons Power Point should be manually set, not as the announcement loop with an automatic or timed transition.  If you use a template, this setting should already be in place.  All hymns and lessons should appear on ONE power point, with the hymns and lessons in order of their appearance in the worship service.  Having one power point for the worship service will make it easier for the Media Team. 
19.  Occasionally there will be a few special slides to go with the anthem (for times when the congregation may sing along, or when a translation of a song is requested by the choir or soloist).  These will also need to be prepared with the help of the musicians.