1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary
© 2024 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
CICW has awarded Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants for over 20 years to teacher-scholars and worshiping communities in 45+ states and provinces and across 40+ denominations and traditions—including Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, non-denominational, and other Protestant communities.
While worship styles and practices vary greatly across these traditions, the grant projects typically explore at least one of CICW’s ten core convictions related to worship. Explore the hundreds of projects we’ve funded across both streams of the program.
To deepen understanding and develop creative practices of communion and community in gathering around the table with people of other Christian denominations.
To strengthen youth ministry and worship through youth interns who will learn about worship, participate in worship planning and leading, and develop intergenerational relationships throughout the congregation.
To bring together multiple generations to plan liturgies that connect Sunday worship to daily life and to enhance the liturgy through artistic interpretations of scripture.
To develop a year-long emphasis on all ages living in the presence of God in worship by encouraging deeper participation in scripture, sacraments, prayer, and the arts.
To provide music, worship, dance, and art opportunities to train young congregants for participation and leadership in worship.
To gather families for worship in order to promote a practice of family-based worship and intergenerational spiritual formation.
To connect a theology of worship and the arts with the mission of the church through a monthly series of ecumenical worship services partnering with local homeless shelters, hospitals, and nursing homes.
To enter a church-wide intergenerational exploration of the gospel through the arts of drama, song, dance, storytelling, and sculpture and to integrate these artistic forms in worship experiences through the seasons of the church year.
To equip pastors and lay worship leaders in planning and leading intergenerational worship experiences by offering workshops and seminars that will benefit churches of various denominations and ethnic backgrounds.
To engage the congregation in learning about the importance of intergenerational worship through book studies, retreats and workshops and by connecting adult worship leaders with youth worship leaders in active mentoring relationships to bring the generations together in worship, serving, sharing and learning.
To provide a series of workshops, discussions and special activities on worship that engage children, teens, campus, singles, married, Spanish and mature ministries and lead to deeper participation in singing, scripture reading, prayer, Communion, baptism, small group participation and becoming mission focused to reach out to their neighbors.
To facilitate conversations and learning about worship through congregational roundtable discussions and workshops that will lead to greater participation in worship in a large, growing, socially, culturally, economically and educationally diverse, multigenerational congregation.
