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 develop spiritual habits in students in the context of worship in order to promote a sense of belonging, to deepen transformation, to encourage genuine fellowship, and to tell stories of transformation through the development of Christ-like patterns of living.
To equip children to embody the Christian story through drama in order to deepen their understanding of the God revealed in Scripture.
To cultivate in children an awareness of the beauty of God in worship while teaching them skills for leading worship through music, dance, and visual arts.
To cultivate deep hospitality that allows students from diverse backgrounds to feel at home and be formed in worship by a common vocabulary and common values around spiritual formation and chapel services.
To immerse children from varied religious backgrounds in reflection on worship practices by engaging them in music composition, singing, liturgy writing, and Scripture reading, and to expose adults to the worship styles and traditions of those children.
To equip youth to reflect on contextual needs as they plan, lead, and evaluate worship.
To provide training, internships, and experiences of liturgical music from various traditions and cultures to high school students with potential to be future liturgical pastoral ministers.
To collaborate with another church to explore worship for diverse ages, cultures and lifestyles, and foster a rich heritage of intergenerational worship practices.
To deepen the understanding of multicultural worship in a unified church by integrating songs and prayers that reflect the language and culture of the various groups in worship.
To facilitate culturally-varied worship experiences that will engage students in grades four through eight to make real connections with God in worship.
To nurture the gifts of the often-excluded community of those with special needs and promote a vibrant worship celebration that embraces the gifts of all.
To cultivate youth to lead as well-formed liturgical musicians and ministers, expanding their knowledge of worship in music, ritual, and text.
