A program for a funeral or memorial
The order of service is ready. You add the names, the readings and the songs, at your own pace.
I · What matters
Little time, a lot to arrange
Ready in an evening
There are only a few days between a death and the service. The program is done in an evening and the PDF prints at home or at a print shop.
Step by step
You choose the service and the order is ready. Each part has a short note on what it is, so nothing is forgotten.
Your officiant reviews it
Send a link to the pastor or officiant. They read the program, leave comments and approve it.
Large print too
Download a large-print version next to the program, for those who no longer read small type.
II · The order
What goes in the program
A funeral program follows the service from beginning to end. The cover carries the name, the dates and often a photo. Inside is the order of service: what happens, who does what and which readings and songs were chosen. Everyone can follow along and sing along, including those who rarely attend church.
The order of a funeral service
A funeral service opens with a prelude, the processional and a welcome by the pastor. Then come the scripture readings and a hymn, the obituary and the eulogy, often spoken by a family member. The pastor gives a message, the congregation prays and the service closes with a benediction and the recessional. A homegoing follows the same shape with its own words and music.
A celebration of life is shaped by the family: a welcome, music, the life story, memories shared by friends, a reading and closing words. A memorial service without the casket present follows either order.
What is fixed and what you choose
In a church service the prayers and the order are set by the church. Your pastor or officiant has the last word. You choose the readings, the songs, who reads what and the words on the front and the back, such as a poem or a thank-you note. Ordofolio puts the fixed parts in the right place and shows where your choices fit.
III · How it works
Four steps
Choose the service
A funeral service, celebration of life or homegoing. The order of service is then ready.
Fill in the parts
The names, the readings, the songs and who does what. Choose from the library or write your own.
Let your officiant review
Send a link. The pastor or officiant leaves comments and has the last word on the service.
Print it
A PDF for home printing on Letter paper, a PDF for the print shop and a large-print version.
V · Questions
Frequently asked questions
How fast is the program ready?
Most families finish the program in an evening. The order of service is ready, so you only add what is yours: the names, the readings and the songs. You can print right after, at home or at a print shop.
What is the difference between a funeral service and a celebration of life?
A funeral service follows the order of a church service, with scripture readings, hymns, a eulogy and prayers. A celebration of life is shaped by the family: welcome, music, memories, a reading and closing words. A homegoing is the funeral service of many Black churches, with its own order. Your pastor or officiant says what is possible.
Do I have to look up the scripture readings myself?
Each reading comes with its reference and a short note. The text of a modern translation you paste in yourself, with the credit line its publisher asks for. The King James Version is free to print and Ordofolio puts it in the program for you.
Who can see the program?
Only you, as long as you do not share it. Everything stays in your browser on your own device. If you share a link with your officiant, the program is encrypted and the key sits in the link. Our server cannot read it.
Can I print the program at home?
Yes. Download the version for home printing: two half-letter pages on each side of a Letter sheet. Print on both sides, fold the sheets in half and staple them in the fold. For a larger run there is a PDF for the print shop.
Make the program
Start the program
This order of service is ready for you in Ordofolio. You add the names, readings and songs.