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 study the history of worship in the Old Mission and prayer in order to plan and offer a series of ecumenical prayer services that use music and art of various styles and from different religious traditions and cultures that will transform this historic California mission church into a vibrant place of worship.
To train student chapel leaders, staff and the school community in worship from a variety of Christian contexts that will shape worship in chapel to reflect the 56% ethnic minorities and 275 different churches represented in the student body.
To gather the knowledge and resources of churches of many denominations who worship on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation by hosting monthly ecumenical worship services and discussions that will promote corporate worship and deepen ecumenical partnerships.
To engage youth in leadership training that will help congregations throughout the Presbytery understand that worship is meaningful to people of all ages and encourage congregations to include youth in planning and leading worship.
To engage the congregation in an inclusive, intergenerational, hospitable process of learning about the Church Year and how the Psalms and Vertical Habits can provide a vocabulary for worship that will deepen understanding and participation in worship.
To offer training in music, dance and drama for the congregation so that the Arts can help worshipers better understand and embrace the multicultural and intergenerational diversity that is in the congregation.
To create a learning community within the congregation that will engage with guest teachers in dialogue and collaboration to learn about worship and create new ideas for worship that will connect with the congregation.
To train student chapel leaders to plan and lead worship that draws more intentionally on the theological and spiritual dimensions of the diverse worship practices represented within the school and local faith communities.
To engage the congregation in a study of the Psalms and Vertical Habits as a framework for worship throughout the liturgical year and to create visual arts and language that will remind the congregation that worship is a dialogue with God that can be carried into their daily lives.
To embrace, celebrate and transcend generational and cultural differences through study and practice of reconciliation in congregational worship and in workshops with neighboring congregations that will include learning, worship and sharing in the Lord's Supper.
To engage youth and young adults of 25 congregations in an intergenerational study of prayer, communion and worship planning that will equip worship leaders and develop sustainable habits of intergenerational worship in the congregations.
To explore the role of culture in Christian worship through a series of workshops on the use and creation of visual art, dance, and drama that engages the congregation in a dialogue about what it means to be both Reformed and African-American.
