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 encourage members to engage scripture by memorizing a weekly scripture passage with accompanying devotions, sermons, and other creative means.
To encourage active participation in the rhythms of worship (gathering, thanksgiving, response, and transformation) through weekly meals, rituals of gratitude, testimonies, and exploration of varied ways to live out faith in daily life.
To encourage the integration of worship, Bible knowledge, and faith practices through the exploration of spiritual disciplines in multisensory and intergenerational workshops.
To encourage baptism-oriented adult Christian formation across denominations by producing and disseminating high-quality and theologically robust training videos for congregations across North America.
To encourage meaningful connection to the idea of Christian community within a Hispanic context through the exploration of community-oriented worship practices.
To revitalize the congregation’s worship ministry and strengthen the spiritual life in our families by promoting the reading and understanding of the Bible through the celebration of family devotions based on Psalms.
To use Vertical Habits to disciple young adults with developmental disabilities, and to help churches break down barriers to the full, conscious, active participation of those young adults in worship.
To introduce African Church to Western liturgical concepts and to introduce Western religious communities to the African concept of community worship and daily life through a five week series that focuses on five basic elements of worship, including planning and creating music, dance, sermons, testimonies, dramas, oral story telling, and artwork by various ages in the congregation that echo African cultural traditions, and also through intercessory prayer for Africa, the national leadership of Africa, victims of HIV-AIDS, the economic development of Africa, and the Christian church in Africa.
To encourage continuity of worship practices in daily life by studying with local pastors, educating and training congregational leaders in Adult Sunday School, presenting a monthly drama that focuses on particular practices to encourage the development of that habit in personal life, and designing and displaying monthly banners to reinforce each practice.
To develop a 28-day curriculum to teach and examine habits of adoration, confession and assurance, thanksgiving, and supplication in worship planning and preaching, prayer services, Sunday School lessons for all ages, Wednesday evening history lessons on a historical or contemporary person who exemplifies a specific habit, small group lessons, and personal or family devotions.
To plan and implement an eight week series on Vertical Habits for both a traditional and a contemporary service, with special attention to original drama, dance, slide presentations, music, fine arts, and short original films.
To help participants learn about Vertical Habits in Sunday worship and carry them into daily life through an eight-part sermon series and multi-sensory worship which will include congregational art and multimedia components, a series of articles by church leaders, and the development of an online web log of daily devotions which includes artwork of children.
