1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary
© 2025 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 train choirs and choir directors of six congregations which include Hmong, Lao, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Anglo- and African-American Christians and represent more than 3400 people, to refine their skills and renew their sense of mission. This project involves conducting retreats and workshops, and commissioning members to write music for the choir that is bi-lingual, appropriate for worship and specific to events such as Pentecost and Palm Sunday.
To offer a worship conference, worship events, and educational workshops exploring how spiritual formation and community dialogue are nurtured by worship in an ecumenical, multicultural setting.
To engage four congregations in a process of worship renewal for adults and youth through an educational retreat, an ecumenical worship service, the development of a new African American liturgy, and instruction on the use of percussive instruments in worship that is sensitive to various cultures while preserving the historical order of worship.
To research and write a Christian education study series of the traditions, including Jewish, Catholic, Scottish, and African American, which have shaped the worshiping community.
To develop a 12-week integrative training course to study the history and purposes of congregational song and to provide participants the opportunity to write, critique and perform original songs and hymns. To teach individuals, both young and old, how to effectively memorize and communicate Scripture for presentation in worship.
To sponsor a two-day conference on worship for small to mid size congregations.
To deepen worship experiences in small, rural congregations through training of worship leaders-including teens, enhancing worship environments, and culminating in an Art As Worship Festival for the community.
To develop teaching materials on contemporary musical settings of the Psalms, with an emphasis on music from Africa and Latin America, and to make these available to the wider church community.
To sponsor two two-day conferences which will focus on worship in the Reformed tradition and create a context in which churches can discuss worship.
To develop a three-year Institute for Liturgy offering 10 courses which will equip participants to offer regional and congregational educational events regarding church liturgy.
To enhance the understanding and practice of worship on the college campus through 2 conferences and a series of monthly meetings to learn about and reflect on the principles of biblical worship.
To offer a Liturgy Summer Camp that will provide a basic understanding of liturgy for lay persons in Michigan and Ohio.
