CICW has awarded Vital 91ÁÔÆæ, 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.

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Music
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91ÁÔÆæing Communities Music Trauma/Mental Health

Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church

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.

91ÁÔÆæing Communities
Omaha, nebraska
2025
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91ÁÔÆæing Communities Multicultural Music

Broadway United Methodist Church

To cultivate congregational commitments to justice and diversity by training worship leaders to incorporate music from various cultural traditions, commissioning new works, and collaborating with neighboring arts organizations.

91ÁÔÆæing Communities
Indianapolis, indiana
2025
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Teacher-Scholar Music

Calvin University

Forrest Wakeman

To encourage deeper appreciation of God’s redemptive pursuit of God’s people through preparing for (including learning the music and studying the text) a premier performance of a large-scale choral and orchestral work that sets Old Testament texts by the biblical prophets as a dialogue between God and God’s people. 

Teacher-Scholar
Grand Rapids, michigan
2025
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Teacher-Scholar Multicultural Music

Lipscomb University

Aaron Howard

To encourage racial reconciliation in the church by creating a multimedia resource to equip worshiping communities to develop multiracial gospel choirs.

Teacher-Scholar
Nashville, tennessee
2025
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91ÁÔÆæing Communities Music

Made for PAX

To produce new worship music centered on themes of justice, contemplation, and peace through a songwriting retreat embedded within a fellowship program. 

91ÁÔÆæing Communities
University Place, washington
2025
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91ÁÔÆæing Communities Multicultural Music

University Baptist Church

To foster worship that welcomes a diverse community by developing an inclusive-language hymnal that includes multiple languages, promotes faithful anti-racism, and reflects the concerns and style preferences of young people.  

91ÁÔÆæing Communities
Minneapolis, minnesota
2025
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91ÁÔÆæing Communities Missional Music

Advent Lutheran Church

To engage a growing population of people who identify as spiritual, but not religious, and to increase awareness of God's presence in daily life by hosting a monthly worship series that draws connections between familiar secular music and the gospel.

91ÁÔÆæing Communities
New York, new york
2024
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91ÁÔÆæing Communities Liturgy Music

Bellwether Arts

To deepen engagement with Jesus’ teachings by creating songs, liturgies, and visual artwork in response to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount for use in congregational worship and art-making events.

91ÁÔÆæing Communities
Brentwood, tennessee
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Collaboration Music

Bethel Univeristy

Becki Graves

To celebrate the diversity of Christianity through exploring the contemplative, Holiness, Evangelical, social justice, charismatic, and incarnational expressions of the Church as part of the process of creating original artistic, poetic, and musical stations of the cross to share in local churches.

Teacher-Scholar
Mishawaka, indiana
2024
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Teacher-Scholar Cultural Engagement Music

Candler School of Theology

Jonathan Calvillo

To examine how hip-hop can be a resource for building spiritual community among Latinx diaspora by modeling how to integrate experiences of race, social engagement, and spiritual support in ministry with youth.

Teacher-Scholar
Atlanta, georgia
2024
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91ÁÔÆæing Communities Liturgy Music

Church of the Cross

To more deeply engage with the arts in worship by commissioning artists to lead the community in creating different art forms to facilitate worship throughout the liturgical year.

91ÁÔÆæing Communities
Boston, massachusetts
2024
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