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.
New Life Community United Methodist Church
To offer a year-long study for the congregation and community with a focus on the Psalms, lamentation and prayer that will foster radical hospitality and intergenerational worship.
North Shore Medical Center
To study, create, implement and share innovative worship that engages patients, their families and staff within the hospital and connects with local congregations to expand pastoral care both in and out of the hospital.
Resurrection Lutheran Church
To create worship that both reflects and helps form the unique multicultural congregation by recovering authentic indigenous worship materials and creating art, worship environments, music and educational experiences that reflect the worship traditions, theologies, pieties and vocabularies of the community.
Rockingham District of the North Carolina Conference (Connectional Table)
To offer a series of workshops on visual arts, drama and improvisational preaching for churches in the conference and provide opportunities for the congregations to report to one another on their experience of worship renewal within their congregations.
St. John’s United Church of Christ (2009)
To explore the role of arts in worship through a series of workshops and book studies to encourage members of the congregation to become involved in worship planning and implement what has been learned.
St. Michael and St. Rose Parishes
To provide training in liturgical practices and music for the multicultural youth choirs of two churches that will encourage youth to take an active role in worship as a way to strengthen their identity within the worshiping community.
St. Paul AME Church
To offer workshops for the congregation and neighboring churches to explore music in worship that will cross denominational, cultural, socio-economic and racial divisions.
The Gathering
To create intergenerational worship services by training youth to lead worship and adults to mentor the youth.
The Leadership Program for Musicians
To collaborate with a local planning committee to establish a new LPM program, to develop a model for the establishment of local LPM programs in other areas and to explore new ways of enriching the training.
Trinity Episcopal Church
To explore the practice of hospitality in worship through study, workshops and monthly worship events that will invite adults and youth in the community to participate in worship.
United Congregational Christian Church
To study scripture and create visual art that will find and express God's transforming love and create a venue for the entire congregation including families with young children to fully participate in worship.
Vancouver Chinese Baptist Church
To offer a series of Bible studies, workshops and discussions on the history of biblical worship and its theological foundations that will encourage the congregation to practice in worship what they have learned.