Calvin News

The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship is pleased to announce its Worship Renewal Grant Program recipients for the year 2001. Funds were granted to the following churches and organizations to do the following:

Alliance Evangelical Friends Church, Alliance, Ohio

To establish a series of workshops for worship leaders and children to develop a philosophy of worship for children’s worship and age appropriate activities for use in children’s worship ministries

Bethel-Bethany United Church of Christ, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

To encourage the use and appreciation of multicultural music and liturgy in the worship services of four Lutheran and Reformed congregations located in a multicultural neighborhood through the development of a congregational/ecumenical model for worship renewal

Calvary Memorial United Methodist Church, Snow Hill, North Carolina

To host a Liturgical Arts Festival – a workshop in worship ministry for children, youth and adult worship leaders where adults will empower young people in the planning and implementation of meaningful worship experiences, and local churches will find new ways to share in worship ministry

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Kansas City, Missouri

To educate a parish and other diocesan congregations about worship rituals and the liturgical life of their communities during a cathedral renovation project

Christ’s Community Christian Church, Avondale, Arizona

To sponsor a three-day retreat for pastors and worship pastors to understand the theological framework of worship, to refine core worship values in the evangelical tradition, and to apply those principles to relevant, contextual worship services

Christians in Theatre Arts, Greenville, South Carolina

To share with participants at regional CITA conferences and meetings for pastors and church leaders the results of prior exploration and discussion on the role of theatre in worship

City Impact, Inc., Oxnard, California

To develop a 15-week course through Ventura County Worship Renewal Project on the history and development of Christian worship, plan creative congregational and public worship services, including a worship service practicum, and to facilitate cross-cultural worship experiences amongst churches

College Hill Reformed Presbyterian Church, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania

To provide a forum for composers working on contemporary renderings of psalm texts and music, and to introduce these to worship leaders and the Geneva College worshiping community

The Common Ministry at Washington State University, Pullman, Washington

To train and equip student leaders to offer meaningful and theologically rich worship experiences for college students

Corpus Christi Church, New York, New York

To collaborate with neighboring religious institutions to form an increased awareness of the relationship between private spirituality and public discipleship through a Lenten Vesper Series

Covenant Presbyterian Church, Roanoke, Virginia

To create a four-part worship series on the Psalms using the gifts of a contemporary composer, a brass quintet, and adult and youth choirs

Daylesford Abbey, Paoli, Pennsylvania

To create works of art for five multicultural congregations under the direction of Nancy Chinn

Diocese of Gaylord, Gaylord, Michigan

To establish an Institute for Liturgy to train lay leaders in worship leadership, including a distance learning classroom

Eighth St. Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana

To provide vision for and promote engagement in ecumenical worship through a series of planned worship services and other events

Eliot Presbyterian Church, Lowell, Massachusetts

To partner with International Christian Fellowship Ministry in introducing the musical and worship traditions of East Asians and Africans into their congregations as a means of outreach to other immigrants

Faith Reformed Church, Brookings, South Dakota

To formulate a thoughtful and creative interdisciplinary introduction of a new hymnal through worship team leadership, adult church school class, and banners illustrating theological themes of the hymnal

Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions, Region VI, Toledo, Ohio

To offer a Liturgy Summer Camp to provide a basic understanding of liturgy to lay persons in Michigan and Ohio

First Christian Reformed Church, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

To compose songs based on scripture, catechism, creeds, and the Contemporary Testimony for use in worship

First Covenant Church, Oakland, California

To plan Worship 2001, a conference for musicians and worship leaders with an emphasis on music

First United Methodist Church, Winnie, Texas

To develop an educational program of Fine Arts in Worship for children and youth

Granite Springs Christian Reformed Church, Rocklin, California

To conduct a series of five teaching sessions, concluding with a two-day retreat for worship planners and songwriters on the use of the Psalms in worship and to compose new psalm settings

Hope Centre Christian Reformed Church (Hopelink), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

To sponsor "Enlarging the Circle," a three-day, cross-disability conference on inclusive worship

Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Warrenville, Illinois

To support a composer-in-residence program along with an education program on music in worship

Judson College, Elgin, Illinois

To promote the creation of architecturally inspiring worship spaces that serve the Protestant evangelical community through a two-day conference

Knox Presbyterian Church, Mitchell, Ontario, Canada

A liturgy training program for lay people in six rural/small town Presbyterian congregations in southwestern Ontario

LaSalle Street Church, Chicago, Illinois

To effect greater immediacy in worship for worshippers by combining research on the church calendar and worship planning around the liturgical year

Leadership Program for Musicians Serving Small Congregations, Denver, Colorado

To begin a program for training worship leaders and musicians on the theological underpinnings of leading worship and music and developing practical skills in worship leadership

Leadership Program for Musicians Serving Small Congregations, Burke, Virginia

To enable Local Program Coordinators from ten targeted geographical areas to participate in a national Leadership Program for Musicians Leadership Development Conference

Lower Susquehanna Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

To begin and nurture the adult catechumenal process in churches by the combination of a retreat, a worship service, and a one-day training session with follow-up consultations

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Prospect Heights, Illinois

To evaluate and expand an arts enrichment program that will impact public worship

Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago, Illinois

To equip ten pastors from congregations of different geographic and ecumenical contexts to creatively preach on worship and sacrament in a way that combines the worshiper’s reflection with biblical stories and images

Masterworks Performing Arts Company, Chesapeake, Virginia

To sponsor a Worship Arts Conference, including the areas of drama ministry, vocal and instrumental music, and other related worship arts

Mt. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

To study ways to renovate the sanctuary of a small urban church to meet current needs through the involvement of musicians, artists, architecture students, a professional architect, and the church’s congregation as well as permit architecture students to explore options for area churches with similar needs

New Covenant Presbyterian Church, Anderson, South Carolina

To sponsor a conference for the Presbyterian Church in America in upstate South Carolina on the theological underpinnings and practical implications of renewal in worship and the arts

North American Association for the Catechumenate, Pataskala, Ohio

To support a conference on programs to integrate worship, evangelism, hospitality, and small group ministries in the process of welcoming new members to a congregation

Primera Iglesia Evangelica Hispana Metodista Libre, Tampa, Florida

To begin a certification training program for musicians, pastors and music leaders in Latino churches

Salem United Methodist Church, Bremen, Indiana

To fund a one-day conference for hymnwriters from Northern Indiana on writing hymns and other songs for worship

Salvation Army, Flint, Michigan

To develop a worship service called Cross-ConneXions, and other discipleship programs for youth and young adults

Saint Andrew Christian Church, Olathe, Kansas

To help churches develop stimulating and meaningful worship environments and sacred spaces for their congregations during a one-day workshop

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Dallas, Texas

To enrich worship through learning, singing and sharing worship music from around the world, helping celebrate the diversity of the neighborhood, city and church

St. Luke Lutheran Church, Summerville, South Carolina

To provide education about worship, to train youth in the arts, and to empower them to participate in and lead worship

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Powhatan, Virginia

To explore, in conjunction with the Commission on Small Churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia, methods where small congregations can design excellent intergenerational worship practices

St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Indianapolis, Indiana

To prepare college, university, and seminary students for musician and clergy positions in churches through a worship conference

St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, Chicago, Illinois

To conduct a series of workshops that focus on the role of art and its impact on worship

Takoma Park Presbyterian Church, Takoma Park, Maryland

To conduct an ecumenical workshop in liturgical dance to train leaders in the use of liturgical dance in worship, and to hold a liturgical dance concert

Turning Pointe School of Dance, Holland, Michigan

To plan a two-day Sacred Dance Conference to teach the principles and guidelines for using dance in worship

Urbandale United Church of Christ, Urbandale, Iowa

To provide opportunities in the research, writing and dramatic presentation of lectionary texts through Project AWE: Arts in Worship Experience

Anyone interested in receiving a brochure on how to apply for a Worship Renewal Grant, please contact the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, 3201 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546; worship@calvin.edu, or print the brochure from www.calvin.edu/worship. The next deadline for receiving grant proposals is September 1, 2001.