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 history, theology and practice of multisensory worship, and to promote creative responses to the preaching of the gospel through interactive worship stations.
To create a template for developing multisensory celebrations of the Eucharist during each season of the liturgical year and collaborate with worship leaders to coordinate music and visual art with lectionary texts.
To create worship experiences that draw multiethnic congregations closer together and develop deeper spiritual connections to the city surroundings and global community through global music, arts and media.
To strengthen and encourage intergenerational worship through the church year and creative excellence in all aspects of worship including music, visual arts, sacred space design, spoken and written proclamation, prayer, and liturgy—all guided by the psalms.
To engage people from different ethnic communities in the practice of basic Christian worship principles in order to promote unity, faith formation, hospitality and missional opportunities expressed in culturally diverse forms.
To develop and deliver culturally relevant drama and visual arts training for worship leaders in prison settings as a means of promoting a vivid awareness and heartfelt response to God.
To explore alternative means of worship using drums from around the world, to promote diversity, multiculturalism, inclusion, and outreach in worship.
To train leaders through study of the theology of baptism and to promote life together in a diverse community through designing and implementing vesper worship services.
To provide music, worship, dance, and art opportunities to train young congregants for participation and leadership in worship.
To develop innovative and informal worship services involving global music to connect with spiritual but not religious persons in the community.
To develop a community through bilingual worship that reaches out from the historic black community to the growing Latino community, and to learn each other's songs and worship traditions.
To explore forms of prayer from various Christian communities in different times and places that will inform and enhance times of communal worship on campus.
