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 create resources for those unable to worship with the gathered Sunday congregation through a collaborative study of church history, ecclesiology, and liturgy.
To connect weekly worship with daily living by encouraging personal and family Bible study and discussion that will be further explored through the Sunday sermon, drama, and congregational discussions.
To study scripture, examine traditions steeped in liturgical mystery and awe, create visual arts, and plan Lenten services of contemplation with lay leadership.
To design contemporary worship services that are planned collaboratively, are biblically based, proclaim the gospel through Word and Sacrament, and send people out to share God's grace.
To foster hospitality by creating multi-cultural and intergenerational worship planning and leadership through a collaborative study of worship, tradition, and culture.
To share the richness of the experience, history, and spirituality of the African American Catholic tradition with the local community through worship services and workshops.
To connect the congregation's worship life and its mission by studying how biblically embedded beliefs and practices, such as celebration of communion, adherence to the liturgical calendar, and use of a common lectionary, have formed congregations for service and witness.
To study liturgy, music, and art as an interdenominational group of local pastors and lay leaders and to plan a combined worship service.
To train youth in a low income and refugee community in Bible study, worship leadership, and musical skills and to develop a youth band and gospel choir that will lead intergenerational worship services.
To deepen musical leadership through the formation of a committee of choir directors and musicians from local churches that focuses on congregational singing.
To study the theology of worship and incorporate the wisdom and practices of the Northern European, Latino, African American, Haitian, Korean, and Liberian cultures from the community into worship planning to empower the leadership and unite the congregation.
To design a new baptismal font through a collaborative process of artistic and educational engagement around the significance of baptism.
