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 explore the role of drama in worship that will help the community more fully engage in God’s Story by offering discussion book groups, mentoring, guest teachers and workshops and will lead to increased understanding of how the classroom intersects with faith.
To create congregational liturgy and proclamation of the Gospel that reflects the diversity of the community through study and research of best practices in music, visual arts, storytelling and kinesthetic experiences that will engage worshipers of all economic and education levels.
To immerse the congregation in learning that will develop a deeper understanding of worship, incorporate the arts through creativity and demonstrate theological integrity and biblical knowledge.
To offer the campus community, through example, instruction, worship and intentional conversation, the tools to express their individual faith stories that will allow them to connect with the larger narratives of faith and build relationships among students who come from many countries and diverse faith experiences.
To explore and enrich understanding of public prayer in two congregations through an extensive study of prayer with a focus on the Psalms to shape the practice of congregational prayer that extends to the personal prayer life of individuals.
To create an Hispanic Music Ministry Formation Program to engage musicians throughout the Archdiocese in a study of Hispanic music and the role of the music in each liturgical season that will inform the leaders to select and lead music that is liturgically appropriate.
To engage teachers, composers and hymn writers in a study of practices and repertories of congregational song in North America that includes a collaborative consultation, a year-long partnership with congregations across the country and a concluding event to give new insights into the patterns in place and imagine prophetic renewal of the church’s song and leadership.
To equip pastors and worship leaders in the free church tradition to recover the observance of the Church Year through a series of workshops and seminars to shape the worship life and spiritual formation of adults and children.
To explore how Christ is proclaimed and remembered in the context of the weekly Lord’s Supper liturgy through study and workshops that will train an intergenerational scripture reading team and the congregation so that speaking and hearing scripture will deepen the observance of communion.
To partner with local congregations by offering “hands-on” experiences in the visual arts as a means for artists and congregations to study and respond to the Creation Psalms.
To equip church musicians and worship leaders in a geographical area where church leaders often feel isolated by offering a day long gathering for training and discussion, book study groups sharing their learning throughout the year and a final gathering to celebrate what has been learned.
To examine how songs, prayers and sermons point worshipers to God through quarterly workshops which include historic hymns and catechisms to educate the congregation and leaders in other congregations.
