1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 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 promote a vibrant experience of the Lord’s Supper in which worshipers experience God’s nourishing presence by engaging in new forms of communion liturgies.
Lisa Milligan Long
To survey worshipers' understanding of the effect of participation in the Lord's Supper, and to offer methods to leaders in a variety of denominational settings for deepening Eucharistic participation.
To renew a robust Communion practice by exploring the ways global, local, and congregational table practices deepen worshipers’ engagement with God and the world.
To build relationships around the table by exploring a dinner church format and by reflecting on Scripture to create new songs that represent this expression of worship.
To strengthen participation in the sacraments through study and reflection on the connections between baptism, communion, faith formation and Christian community.
To live deeply into the Scriptural connection between the Lord’s Supper and social witness, with particular awareness of the contextual challenges of racism and violence.
To develop a missional theology of the table and create worship resources in order to better connect worship with a missional vocation.
To strengthen practices of the sacraments through artistic expressions that will amplify the meaning of the sacraments and strengthen community.
To cultivate youth to lead as well-formed liturgical musicians and ministers, expanding their knowledge of worship in music, ritual, and text.
To articulate a shared theology of worship and understanding of the Lord's Supper in order to enrich worship participation and practices throughout the church year.
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.
To deepen understanding and develop creative practices of communion and community in gathering around the table with people of other Christian denominations.
