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.
First Congregational Church of Webster Groves, United Church of Christ
To connect two diverse congregations in a collaborative effort to build community, transform space and inspire worship through the incorporation of visual arts into liturgy and the worship space.
First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham
To engage in study and reflection with leaders from several congregations on how visual arts, technology, drama, and liturgical movement can deepen corporate worship.
Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church
To educate all members of the congregation in New Testament worship through a series of workshops and small group discussions that will explore the elements of corporate worship to develop a lifestyle of worship.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
To engage in a year long renewal of God's promises in baptism and the book of Revelation through sermons, Bible studies, liturgy and education that will culminate with the Easter Vigil.
Grace Episcopal Church
To explore with children, youth and adults what it means to be a baptizing community by focusing on the ways baptism impacts worship, vocation, and outreach.
Granite Springs Church
To immerse the congregation in the Psalms through regular reading and memorization of the Psalms, a retreat, preaching, and pastoral care education that will teach people to pray all the emotions expressed in the Psalms.
Guild House Campus Ministry
To partner college students and congregational members in a study of worship and the arts that will lead to worship planning that encourages testimony and students in leadership roles.
International Council of Ethnodoxologists
To provide training through a collaboration of five congregations that will give a biblical perspective on the connections between global worship and the local church to develop a vision for multi-cultural worship.
Jordan United Church of Christ
To train youth to become active, mature leaders in worship through a year-long series of worship services that will incorporate their leadership and contributions in drama and music.
Kirk O’The Valley Presbyterian Church
To offer workshops in the theology and practice of worship, congregational singing, drama, movement and visual arts and implement what is learned into congregational worship.
Lancaster Theological Seminary
To engage the pastor, choir director, organist, a member of the worship committee and a young adult from 10 small rural churches in Pennsylvania and Maryland in a year long process of learning about worship planning and congregational music that will include seminars and on-site consultations.
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
To explore the role of the arts, liturgical gifts and an understanding of space in worship through a series of learning events that will integrate chapel more deeply in the life of the seminary.