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 provide workshops, retreats, and intergenerational worship experiences for pastors and worship leaders in order to transform the public worship of their churches.
To equip congregations to welcome persons into a community of faith and prepare them for a lifelong journey of discipleship beginning with baptism through an immersion event and a mentoring program.
To elevate and strengthen the worship experience of young adults through the creative arts of music, dance, mime, and spoken word.
To implement an alternative worship service that includes an innovative and participative liturgy using musical styles from around the world that appeal to all ages.
To explore the meaning of worship by creating engaging community worship experiences that involve the creative gifts and talents of the congregation in art and prayer.
To implement a study of the theology of worship that includes Scripture, Psalms, prayer and communion, and to apply this learning to planning worship events.
To deepen understanding and develop creative practices of communion and community in gathering around the table with people of other Christian denominations.
To enrich a contemplative worship service and to explore issues of faith, worship, contemplative prayer and the arts.
To create participatory worship experiences utilizing visual, musical, and dramatic arts to promote a multisensory awareness of God' presence, especially for the deaf community.
To enrich home-based small group worship gatherings by developing resources of Christian music, symbolic objects and rituals, and creative worship practices.
To help seminary students and faculty discern theologically sound and effective uses of technology and visual media in worship through a year-long process of learning about best practices for chapel worship.
To create a multicultural church music and liturgy mentoring program to develop the skills and knowledge of high school and college musicians in order to build the liturgical capacity of the parishes in the dioceses of Southern California.
