The latest project of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship suggests it’s as important to give as to receive.
After receiving renewed funding from Indiana-based Lilly Endowment Inc., the Institute has announced its 2005 recipients of Worship Renewal Grants. It is awarding almost $700,000 to 54 churches and organizations, using the support of its Lilly Endowment grant to give funds to congregations and other Christian organizations for projects they design to enrich and transform worship.
For instance, a Baptist congregation in Cincinnati will study and incorporate historic traditions of African- American worship through a 13-week study program. A Presbyterian congregation in San Francisco will work to extend hospitality throughout its multicultural and multigenerational congregation. A Christian Reformed Church in Salt Lake City will train area church choirs in music leadership. And a Lutheran congregation located near a large medical facility will reflect on practices of prayers for healing.
“One of the most heartening parts of this process is discovering so many faithful and creative people at work outside the limelight, in ways that nourish the church but don’t make headlines,” says John Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. “It’s a testament to the number of vital but unheralded forms of the ministry of worship being carried out across North America.”
The Worship Renewal Grants program, which began six years ago, is itself the beneficiary of a grant. The Worship Institute has received renewed funding from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., totaling $7.5 million for three years of programming through 2008. The grant, the largest foundation grant in the history of Calvin College, will help the Worship Institute continue its work as catalyst for renewal among a broad international, ecumenical constituency.
Says Witvliet: “We aim to do what church-related colleges and seminaries do best: mark off time and space for learning and teaching about what it means to live faithful Christian lives, and then push for implementing that vision in Christian communities.”
Among the 2005 grant recipients are the following Presbyterian churches and denominational ministries:
Church of the Redeemer, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Los Angeles, Calif.
To share innovative and creative methods for spiritually renewed, culturally relevant, and multi-generational vibrant worship experiences within small to mid-size traditional churches, with particular emphasis on children and youth, young adults, the preached and spoken Word, leadership development, and sacred music and the arts in collaboration with eight local churches.
Eliot Presbyterian Church, Lowell, Mass.
To develop liturgy and multicultural worship so as to portray the congregation’s unity in a diverse community by considering language, dance, media, visual art, music, attitude, understanding, practice, leadership, and congregational participation.
First Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, Calif.
To create new, engaging and enduring habits of worship through a study of visual arts in worship with an emphasis on communion, baptism and the unity of believers.
First United Presbyterian Church, San Francisco, Calif.
To train Asian and Anglo Americans of all ages to better plan, lead, and participate in a newly established multicultural, multigenerational worship service through discussion groups, liturgical art, retreats, and a conference.
Grandview Park Presbyterian Church, Kansas City, Kan.
To develop a deeper understanding about the theology and practice of worship, educate and train worship leaders from the church’s diverse membership, and explore ways art can enhance the multicultural worship experience in an urban setting.
Hastings College Chapel, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Hastings, Neb.
To explore the shifting cultural contexts of worship and to identify a theology of worship that is rooted in the past and open to the future, through a yearlong consultation on worship leadership with student leaders of the Hastings College Chapel and local pastors, musicians, and lay leaders.
Jan Hus Presbyterian Church, New York, N.Y.
To study hospitality as a model for worship and missions through workshops and Bible studies with members of the three congregations who worship in the same sanctuary: Jan Hus, Indonesian Presbyterian Church, and St. John’s Independent Catholic Community.
John Calvin Presbyterian Church, Salisbury, N.C.
To provide experiences and guidance through lectionary-based activities enabling participants of all ages and abilities to discover their own gifts and employ them in worship services within an urban community.
Montreat Presbyterian Church, Montreat, N.C.
To offer workshops in North Carolina and Texas to address processes and principles of developing and leading multi-sensory worship.
Office of Theology and Worship, PC(USA), Louisville, Ky.
To reflect on shared practices of prayer and service among pastors and church leaders and to provide for a series of on-site consultations to identify and strengthen pilot churches who are intentionally seeking to connect sacramental practices with mission and service commitments.
Winnetka Presbyterian Church, Winnetka, Ill.
To acquire knowledge about successful techniques for integrating multiplychallenged children into corporate worship, develop and implement a model for training clergy and lay leaders to welcome these children and their families, and help participating parents gain skills and confidence in exploring faith practices with their children, creating forms of artistic expression for worship.
