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.

Vertical Habits/Psalms
Select Year
Select State/Province

St Luke's Lutheran Church

To develop a six-week series on understanding and applying liturgical practices in daily life that will include orders of worship focusing on each practice, a sermon series, and weekly family activity booklets.

91ÁÔÆæing Communities
Grand Rapids, michigan
2005

St. Thomas Episcopal Church

To develop resources for the four parts of the Episcopal Eucharist service, four activity sessions for young people and a Vacation Bible School program for ages 6 through 12 around the Vertical Habits themes, focusing on how these themes are aspects of a healthy relationship with God.

91ÁÔÆæing Communities
Terrace Park, ohio
2005

The River Community Church

To teach Vertical Habits through a series of seven worship services that will include creative elements focused on Scripture and a person in history who cultivated a specific Vertical Habit.  The series will include take home materials that will help both adults and children practice the habit throughout the week.    

91ÁÔÆæing Communities
Edmonton, alberta
2005

Third Christian Reformed Church

To integrate the speech we offer to God in worship with our words and lifestyles outside of corporate worship, through teaching basic worship vocabulary of faith, building Christian community, and connecting people with each other and existing ministries within the congregation.

91ÁÔÆæing Communities
Zeeland, michigan
2005

Trinity Reformed Church

To plan and create a Lenten series accompanied with a devotional resource,with particular attention to the relationship of worshipers to God and to the development of this relationship outside of worship.

91ÁÔÆæing Communities
Orange City, iowa
2005

Tualatin Presbyterian Church

To develop worship services that focus on our relationship with God with emphasis on youth involvement in planning and leading as well as worship team development, and to stimulate an awareness of the continual spiritual dialogue of daily life through three community spiritual formation projects.

91ÁÔÆæing Communities
Tualatin, oregon
2005

United Theological Seminary

To recruit and train a core of ecumenical colleagues for leadership of a Lenten catechetical study in their congregations that will culminate in an Easter Vigil service planned with the participation of the catechumens.

91ÁÔÆæing Communities
Dayton, ohio
2005

Unity Christian High School

To develop, with student leadership, ten or more complete chapels focused on Vertical Habits that can be used or adapted for use in other schools, to create a team of students to develop visuals for worship, and to pursue a deeper understanding of the uniqueness of high school worship.

91ÁÔÆæing Communities
Hudsonville, michigan
2005