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 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.
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.
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.
To train leaders through study of the theology of baptism and to promote life together in a diverse community through designing and implementing vesper worship services.
To create and implement a twelve-month process of study, conversations and creative engagement in communion liturgy for all ages that will increase the level of comprehension of the meaning and purpose of the Communion service and explore ways of extending the Table out into the world.
To engage a multilingual, multicultural, multiethnic urban congregation in reflection on unity in diversity through artistic expression in the celebration of the Eucharist and its linkage to baptism that will promote integration among English, Spanish, French and Creole-speaking liturgical communities as one community of faith.
To immerse the congregation in baptismal practices, “affirmation of baptism” practices and public and private psalm-saturated liturgical practices that help believers identify themselves as part of the baptized community as seen and practiced by generations of those saturated in the psalms by offering sermons, monthly baptismal services based on psalms and informed by rituals from the global and historic Christian church, and curriculum for family devotions, small group life and children’s ministry.
To immerse the congregation and community in intergenerational study, dialogue and reflection on the communal nature of the Lord’s Supper through worship services, art, music and workshops that will unite believers throughout time and in many places.
