This is where your church's daily messages will actually live. It sounds technical — it isn't. Follow these steps in order, and by the end you'll have a folder on your computer ready for your first audio or video file.
Open github.com in your browser and click Sign up, usually in the top-right corner.
An email address, a password, and a username. Your username will appear in some of your church's web addresses later, so pick something simple — your church's name or initials work well (e.g. hopefellowship).
GitHub sends a verification code to your inbox. Enter it to confirm your account.
GitHub may ask about your experience level or interests during setup. None of this matters for what we're doing — choose any answer, or look for a "Skip" link.
This is a separate, free app (not the website) that lets you manage files on your computer and send them to GitHub with a couple of clicks — no typed commands required.
Click the download button. It detects whether you're on Windows or Mac automatically.
Open the downloaded file and follow the prompts. Default settings are fine throughout.
When GitHub Desktop opens for the first time, click Sign in to GitHub.com and log in with the account you created in Step 1.
Just a folder that GitHub keeps track of. You'll have one repository for your church, holding every message you ever upload.
You'll find this on the welcome screen, or under File → New Repository.
Use something clear, e.g. hopefellowship-content. Lowercase, no spaces (use hyphens instead).
GitHub Desktop will suggest a location (usually a "GitHub" folder it creates for you). This is fine to leave as-is — just remember it, you'll need to find this folder again shortly.
GitHub Desktop creates the folder on your computer immediately.
Click the Publish repository button near the top of GitHub Desktop. In the dialog that appears, untick "Keep this code private" if you want it public (this is what our setup expects — it's how the app reads your files), then click Publish Repository.
In GitHub Desktop, click Repository → Show in Explorer (Windows) or Show in Finder (Mac). This opens the folder you created in Step 3.
Right-click inside the window → New → Folder (Windows) or File → New Folder (Mac). Name it exactly audio — lowercase.
Same process, named exactly video.
Go back to GitHub Desktop. You'll see the two new folders listed as changes on the left. Type a short message at the bottom (e.g. "Add audio and video folders"), then click Commit to main, followed by Push origin near the top.
audio or video folder may not "stick" until your first real file is added — that's expected, and nothing to worry about. It will appear properly once you upload your first message.
That's the whole setup. You now have your own GitHub account, your own repository, and an audio and video folder ready to receive your church's messages.
From here, every message follows a simple naming pattern (date, optional announcement marker, and a short title) that the app reads automatically — no extra setup needed for each new upload. We'll walk you through that as part of getting your app live.
Apply for your church →