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.
Jeff Street Baptist Community at Liberty
To develop intergenerational worship by connecting the seasons of worshipers' lives to the seasons of the Christian year through art, story-telling, music, and education.
North/West Lower Michigan Synod
To equip congregations to welcome persons into a community of faith and prepare them for a lifelong journey of discipleship beginning with baptism through an immersion event and a mentoring program.
Resurrection United Methodist Church
To implement a study of the theology of worship that includes Scripture, Psalms, prayer and communion, and to apply this learning to planning worship events.
St Andrew's Episcopal Church of Denver
To enrich a contemplative worship service and to explore issues of faith, worship, contemplative prayer and the arts.
Twelve: A Foundation for Small Group Ministry
To enrich home-based small group worship gatherings by developing resources of Christian music, symbolic objects and rituals, and creative worship practices.
Celestial Church of Christ Emmanuel Parish
To explore a deeper understanding of the sacrament of Holy Communion and Washing of the Feet in a year-long ecumenical learning program with another congregation.
Central Presbyterian Church
To develop a year-long emphasis on all ages living in the presence of God in worship by encouraging deeper participation in scripture, sacraments, prayer, and the arts.
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
To implement a year-long series of congregation-wide learning events about worship and to anchor the congregation's identity and ministries in its worship life.
Encompass World Partners
To address the shame and trauma of refugee Christians by collaborating with leaders from various refugee congregations to create indigenous expressions of worship that praise God for deliverance from shame.
First Baptist Church of Prineville
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.
First Congregational United Church of Christ
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.
Hillcrest Christian Church
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.