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 engage in spiritual practices of liturgical writing, reflection, prayer, and art to collaboratively create a community prayer book that will facilitate the spiritual growth and well-being of the community through both personal and communal use.
To create worship resources that will teach a biblical theology of work to narrow the gap between gathered times of worship and the other six days of the week.
Antonio E. Alonso
To spark deeper conversations about the significance of the materiality of lived Christian practice through theological reflection on the reception of Vatican II liturgical reforms in Asian, Latine, and Black Catholic contexts.
Jonathan Calvillo
To examine how hip-hop can be a resource for building spiritual community among Latinx diaspora by modeling how to integrate experiences of race, social engagement, and spiritual support in ministry with youth.
Joel LeMon
To explore how biblical theology emerges from the intersection of texts and their musical settings across time.
To encourage a deep and ongoing engagement with scripture by singing, teaching, and praying the psalms of ascent as an intergenerational community.
To create space for healing from loneliness and for development of community through creative worship practices, including concerts, community dinners, art exhibitions, and discussion groups.
To facilitate healing of emotional wounds through creating a safe, reflective, and artistic space for biblical reflection, prayer, and the reframing of personal stories through the truths of scripture.
To foster greater embodied participation in worship services through a biblical, historical, and intercultural exploration of physical worship practices.
To help children come to love, learn about, and interact with God through the development of a children's Sabbath program that uses music, drama, visual arts, and other disciplines to teach children liturgical concepts and enable them to participate significantly in worship services.
To encourage greater accessibility and inclusivity in worship through providing support, education, and resources for families and church leaders affected by disability.
To more deeply engage with the arts in worship by commissioning artists to lead the community in creating different art forms to facilitate worship throughout the liturgical year.
