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 worshipers to connect their faith stories with the story of God, while facilitating the active participation of all.
To engage in collaborative worship planning and leading that deepens the multicultural expressions of the congregation through visual and musical arts.
To collaborate with another church to explore worship for diverse ages, cultures and lifestyles, and foster a rich heritage of intergenerational worship practices.
To strengthen practices of the sacraments through artistic expressions that will amplify the meaning of the sacraments and strengthen community.
To deepen the understanding of multicultural worship in a unified church by integrating songs and prayers that reflect the language and culture of the various groups in worship.
To reflect on the intersection of worship and culture and compose multiculturally accessible songs for worship to promote unity among diverse congregants and overcome racial and ethnic barriers.
To train members of four churches to tell their stories of faith in order to strengthen each congregation’s local worship practices and deepen a shared identity in an ecumenical, multicultural alliance.
To facilitate culturally-varied worship experiences that will engage students in grades four through eight to make real connections with God in worship.
To promote active participation of all ages in worship through intergenerational activities throughout the liturgical calendar that tell the stories, customs and traditions of African American culture.
To cultivate youth to lead as well-formed liturgical musicians and ministers, expanding their knowledge of worship in music, ritual, and text.
To promote worship that engages the congregation and surrounding community through cultural stories that show how God forms the identity of God’s people.
To bring together different demographics of language, ethnicity, and tradition on campus in worship and to share in fellowship and discipleship activities.
