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 engage youth and young adults of 25 congregations in an intergenerational study of prayer, communion and worship planning that will equip worship leaders and develop sustainable habits of intergenerational worship in the congregations.
To offer hands-on intergenerational workshops which combine theological reflection with prayerful creativity to build trust and strengthen ties as they create thoughtful art for worship.
To develop a worship planning group of youth and adults who will host workshops and plan worship using what has been learned.
To develop a focus each month on topics such as the call to worship, doxology, and the practice of listening that will lead the congregation to understand worship as something that acts upon and forms us to be the community that God calls us to be.
To explore diverse traditions, stories and artistic expressions with children, youth and adults who represent multiple cultures, socioeconomic class and denominational traditions and incorporate the learning into worship.
To explore the role and meaning of visual symbols in worship and incorporate them as a catalyst for other types of expression through intergenerational learning experiences that will build a vocabulary of faith.
To engage college students with the congregation in a process of creating intergenerational worship that includes new voices in planning and leading worship.
To initiate avenues for teens and young adults to become involved in planning and leading worship for a growing multicultural congregation.
To explore creative uses of media and the arts in order to engage youth and encourage collaboration between youth and adults in planning worship.
To develop intergenerational, scriptural worship through a series of seminars to help the congregation engage in the beauty, mystery, majesty and holiness of God using photography, music, and speaking.
To explore ways to bring cross-cultural music, dance, and written words more regularly into worship through hands-on training that will develop contextualized urban/multicultural intergenerational worship leadership.
To connect church musicians and pastors of local Chinese Christian churches through a year long cooperative process of learning and reflection on worship and the role of music in worship.
