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 support worshipers with mental health challenges by promoting mental health awareness, training congregants to offer peer support, and encouraging mental well-being through music ministry.
Clair Mesick
To study New Testament texts on despair, suicide, and mental disorder (“madness”) in their historical and cultural contexts and to consult with experts in pastoral care and psychology to consider implications for the contemporary church context and to provide resources for preaching on these topics that do not demonize mental illness.
To study and develop trauma-informed worship practices in order to provide hospitality, healing, and home to those who have been harmed by the church.
To minister to survivors of sexual abuse through an arts-based storytelling project and worship services designed to honor pain and foster healing and through training for church leaders in trauma-informed care.
To foster healing-centered worship among Punjabi immigrants by incorporating music, meditation, and psalms into trauma-informed liturgical practices.
To more deeply experience the healing power of the gospel by developing interactive, arts-infused worship experiences.
To deepen the spiritual lives of staff, guests, and ministry hosts through a monthly day of prayer, staff discipleship cohorts, training in worship practices, and a “Longest Night” worship service.
To build healing-centered, trauma-informed worship practices using the psalms and the arts through a variety of community events and workshops.
To encourage the holistic peace (shalom) of a diverse community of immigrants and refugees by developing multilingual, culturally relevant, and trauma-informed preaching and worship practices.
To facilitate healing of emotional wounds through creating a safe, reflective, and artistic space for biblical reflection, prayer, and the reframing of personal stories through the truths of scripture.
HyeRan Kim-Cragg and Mona Tokarek LaFosse
To train international graduate students experiencing the trauma of migration and immigration in practices of trauma-informed worship leading so they can implement the practices in their worshiping communities.
To support and diversify our ministry to those struggling with mental health by working with psychologists, theologians, ministers, therapists, worship leaders, and artists to create prayers and songs for the worship context that acknowledge and express experiences of psychological suffering.
