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  • Resources
  • Grants

    Apply for Grants

    Apply for the Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants Program to support and enhance Christian worship practices. We encourage proposals on universal design, cultural engagement, preaching, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and more. Two grant streams are available.

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    All Grants Awarded

    Explore all grants awarded since the program launched in 2000, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.

    Info for Current Recipients

    Explore detailed guidelines and support resources to help you manage your grant effectively.

    Teacher-Scholar Grants

    Apply for the Teacher Scholar Grant to support innovative research and teaching in Christian worship. Proposals from educators and scholars are welcome.

    Worshiping Communities Grants

    Apply for the Worshiping Communities Grant to support and enhance worship practices within your community. Proposals for diverse and innovative worship initiatives are welcome.

    Teacher-Scholar Grants

    Apply for the Teacher Scholar Grant to support innovative research and teaching in Christian worship. Proposals from educators and scholars are welcome.

    Worshiping Communities Grants

    Apply for the Worshiping Communities Grant to support and enhance worship practices within your community. Proposals for diverse and innovative worship initiatives are welcome.

  • Events

    Events

    Join us for our Symposium on Worship and Summer Seminars. Engage in inspiring sessions, workshops, and intensive seminars to deepen your understanding and practice of Christian worship.

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    Calendar of Events

    Consider joining an upcoming event we sponsor or support. An archive is also available for reference.

    Dwelling in the Psalms

    You are invited to join the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in a year of dwelling in the Psalms—the prayerbook and songbook of the Bible.

    Upcoming Event

    Artwork: "Celebration" by John August Swanson, 2003
    From Generation to Generation: A Service of Lessons and Carols
    Join Calvin University choirs for their fiftieth annual lessons and carols service, which coincides with Calvin University's 150th anniversary celebrations spanning the 2025–26 academic year. 
    December 7, 2025, 3:00 PM
    Grand Rapids
    , 
    Michigan
    View Event
  • About

    About

    The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship at Calvin University advances Christian worship through resources, events, and grants. Since 1997, we have partnered with congregations and organizations to fulfill our mission.

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    Mission

    We promote the study and renewal of Christian worship through partnerships at Calvin University.

    What We Do

    We partner with congregations and organizations, focusing on resources, events, and grants.

    Diversity and Inclusion

    We promote worship practices that celebrate diversity and foster inclusion in all communities.

    Partners

    Discover our generous funding partners who make our programs possible through their support and grants.

    Staff Directory

    Find contact information and profiles for CICW staff across all programs.

    Learn at Calvin

    Calvin University offers many options for learners and students of all ages and contexts.

    Learn about MLC

    Learn about MLC

    A program for first- and second-year Calvin University students exploring how their interests intersect with the church.

    MLC Leadership Staff

    Meet the Ministry Leadership Cohort staff.

    MLC Peer Leaders

    Meet the Ministry Leadership Cohort peer leaders.

    A program for first- and second-year Calvin University students exploring how their interests intersect with the church.

    Contact Us

    Get in touch with us for inquiries, support, or more information about our programs and services.

    Executive Director Search

    Learn at Calvin

    Calvin University offers many options for learners and students of all ages and contexts.

    Learn about MLC

    Learn about MLC

    A program for first- and second-year Calvin University students exploring how their interests intersect with the church.

    MLC Leadership Staff

    Meet the Ministry Leadership Cohort staff.

    MLC Peer Leaders

    Meet the Ministry Leadership Cohort peer leaders.

    A program for first- and second-year Calvin University students exploring how their interests intersect with the church.

    Contact Us

    Get in touch with us for inquiries, support, or more information about our programs and services.

    Executive Director Search


  • Resources

  • Grants
    • All Grants Awarded
    • Info for Current Recipients
    • Teacher-Scholar Grants
    • Worshiping Communities Grants

  • Events
    • Calendar of Events
    • Dwelling in the Psalms

  • About
    • Mission
    • What We Do
    • Diversity and Inclusion
    • Partners
    • Staff Directory
    • Learn at Calvin
    • Learn about MLC
      • Learn about MLC
      • MLC Leadership Staff
      • MLC Peer Leaders
    • Contact Us
    • Executive Director Search

  • 1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA

    On the campus of Calvin University

    © 2025 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship


Search Results

Article Cultural Diversity Intergenerational Music/Song

Birgitta Johnson on New African American Ecumenical Hymnal

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism is a new Protestant hymnal compiled by a core committee of worship arts ministers and scholars. It goes deep and wide into the multiple streams of black Christian music and worship.
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Article Pastoral Care Planning Worship Theology

My Refuge and Strength - Psalm 46

A worship service plan shaped by Psalm 46. While much of what we observe around us is marked by uncertainty, we find peace in God's protection. This service aims to draw on God's rest and peace for our soul's nurture.
Article Christian Year Psalms/Scripture

The Song of Mary - Luke 1 (Christmas Eve/Christmas)

A Christmas service plan on the Song of Mary, proclaimed during the months of her pregnancy and filled with an awareness that God is in the process of doing his mighty redeeming work. Part of an Advent series focused on the tension between the message that "Christ has come" and "not all is yet accomplished."
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Article Devotion/Homily Pastoral Care Psalms/Scripture

Coop's Column - There I Have Pledged to Set My Foot, Too

"Being alive is very difficult. Human beings are very complicated. I know. I've spent my whole life being one, and I still can't totally figure it out." So commented one elderly gentleman as he looked back over the seemingly haphazard trajectory of his life's course of events.
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Article Planning Worship Christian Year Devotion/Homily

Worship Service: When God Breaks In: He Stretches Us - Jonah

A service plan for Advent recounting how God "broke into" the story of Jonah, calling him to a task and stretching him until he was willing to be obedient. God also broke into the life of Nineveh through Jonah. Part of an Advent series of anticipation focused on what happens when God breaks in to our lives.
Article Preaching Psalms/Scripture Theology

Worship Symposium Speaks Hope and Grace

The theme of “Living in Hope and Grace,” based on 1 Peter, threaded through much of the three-day Calvin Symposium on Worship that drew some 1,500 participants Jan. 30 - Feb. 1 from across North America and beyond.
Video

Psalms of Lament and Hope from the North Indian Sub-Continent

2019 Calvin Symposium on Worship | Vesper
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Article Psalms/Scripture Faith Formation Pastoral Care

Dying Well - Genesis 25, 49

The sixth service plan in a series entitled "Chapters of Life." The focus of this service is the reality of death--even within the Christian life--and the hope the gospel brings of being able to "die well" and enter eternal glory.
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Past Event In-person

Singing What We Believe: Theology and Hymn Texts

This seminar will explore initially the theology of hymn texts, based on an analysis of some 250 classic hymn lyrics and a similar number of contemporary Praise-Worship texts.
Video Faith Formation Intergenerational Cultural Diversity

Intergenerational Church as a Space for Opportunity, Change, and Learning

In this conversation, pastor Theresa Cho of St. John's Church in the Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco shares joys and insights from a historical congregation that is learning to embrace change and be vulnerable in order to live together as an intergenerational, contextual worshiping community.
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About

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  • Contact Us

1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA

On the campus of Calvin University

© 2025 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship

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