Upcoming Event
A Reformation Sunday worship service commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Accra Confession
October 27, 2024, 5:00 PM
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.
Aquinas Institute of Theology
Nathan Chase
Nathan Chase
To study the connection between sacramental practices and ordinary life (meal, ministry of touch, and oil) through three historical case studies from the early church and Roman Catholic liturgical practice to help Roman Catholic worshiping communities understand the historical origins of Eucharist, healing, and ordination.
Teacher-Scholar
St. Louis, missouri
2024
Boston University School of Theology (2024)
Shively Smith
Shively Smith
To showcase and provide access to the scriptural interpretations of nineteenth-century African American women by curating a web-based lectionary resource.
Teacher-Scholar
Boston, massachusetts
2024
Candler School of Theology
Antonio E. Alonso
Antonio E. Alonso
To spark deeper conversations about the significance of the materiality of lived Christian practice through theological reflection on the reception of Vatican II liturgical reforms in Asian, Latine, and Black Catholic contexts.
Teacher-Scholar
Atlanta, georgia
2024
Dordt University
Kyle Dieleman
Kyle Dieleman
To encourage preachers through exploration fo historical and contemporary Advent preaching to consider how preaching can form people for a life in which pacing, expectations, and longings are recast in light of the kingdom of God.
Teacher-Scholar
Sioux Center, iowa
2024
Duke University
Lester Ruth
Lester Ruth
To produce an anthology of curated primary sources to provide easier access to key documents related to the historical development of contemporary praise and worship music.
Teacher-Scholar
Durham, north carolina
2024
Rollins College
Harold Dorrell Briscoe
Harold Dorrell Briscoe
To research the historical and sociopolitical significance of Negro spirituals in movements of liberation, and to demonstrate through workshops, concerts, and an immersive learning trip how these spirituals can enrich modern Christian worship practices.
Teacher-Scholar
Winter Park, florida
2024
Seattle Pacific University
Mischa Willett
Mischa Willett
To foster greater appreciation for the diverse ways Christianity has shaped human creativity and to explore ways in which Christian literary genres have influenced the spiritual lives of Christian communities through an analysis of hymnody, devotionals, spiritual autobiography, sermons, allegory, and more.
Teacher-Scholar
Seattle, washington
2024
Seattle Pacific University
Matthew Sigler
Matthew Sigler
To chronicle the history of the Charismatic Renewal movement in the Pacific Northwest by gathering stories from living witnesses, digitizing primary sources, and writing a monograph.
Teacher-Scholar
Seattle, washington
2024
Society of Christian Scholars
Julie Canlis
Julie Canlis
To foster deep experiences of living in Christ among Christian worshipers through an exploration of how the early church formed the liturgical calendar.
Teacher-Scholar
Overland Park, kansas
2024
University of Arkansas
Jeffrey Allen Murdock
Jeffrey Allen Murdock
To encourage more inclusive and vibrant worship experiences for Christian communities by developing resources for Black sacred music programs about the historical and cultural influences on the genre, then equipping sacred music scholars and practitioners to diversify worship music selections, educate congregations, and perform Black sacred music in a variety of contexts.
Teacher-Scholar
Fayetteville, arkansas
2024
Wheaton College
Donté Ford
Donté Ford
To uplift the hymnody of twentieth-century Holiness reformer and prolific hymn-writer Bishop Charles Price Jones, and to reinvigorate its use within and beyond the Black Church through crafting arrangements and featuring them at choral clinics, thus enriching the historical, cultural, and theological breadth of local church choir music and congregational song.
Teacher-Scholar
Wheaton, illinois
2024
Wheaton College
Donté Ford
Donté Ford
To uplift the hymnody of twentieth-century Holiness reformer and prolific hymnwriter Bishop Charles Price Jones and to reinvigorate its use within and beyond the Black church by crafting arrangements and featuring them at choral clinics, thus enriching the historical, cultural, and theological breadth of local church choir music and congregational song.
Teacher-Scholar
Wheaton, illinois
2024