- May 14, 2018

Seabury Awarded Vital Worship Grant

The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship announced that it will fund 44 Vital Worship Grants projects for 2018-2019 as part of its Vital Worship Grants Program.

This year’s recipients include 27 congregations, one high school, six colleges and universities, one seminary, and nine other groups, including two community organizations, three denominational organizations, a retreat center, and a retirement community. They also represent 17 different Christian denominations, 25 states and two Canadian provinces. Notable this year are a number of collaborative projects between two or more congregations.

Each grant (ranging from $6,000 to $18,000) will fund a year-long project beginning in June that promotes vital worship and faith formation. This June, project directors and representatives of all 44 grants will gather on Calvin’s campus to dialogue not only with CICW staff, but also with the recipients of the 2017 grants, who will come to campus to share the results of their year-long projects at a poster session.

“The grants event is always an energizing time of conversation and sharing stories,” said Kathy Smith, leader of the Vital Worship Grants team. “Every year, some attendees are inspired to write their own proposals for new grant projects. We look forward to receiving those applications for the next round of grants” (due January, 10, 2019).

Seabury Resources for Aging is proud to be one of this year’s Vital Worship Grantees. Seabury’s project will fund the creation of two four-part worship series at Seabury at Friendship Terrace and Seabury at Springvale Terrace. These accessible, participatory worship series will focus on life stories and intergenerational storytelling and will be specially designed to encourage the full participation of older adults and people with disabilities. Seabury will partner with local Episcopal and United Church of Christ congregations in creating and implementing these services. All services will be open to the public. Local congregations interested in partnering with Seabury in this endeavor should contact the project director, Billy Kluttz (bkluttz@seaburyresources.org), or Seabury’s Congregational Resources Coordinator, Elizabeth Boyd (eboyd@seaburyresources.org).

Since it began in the year 2000, the Vital Worship Grants Program has now awarded 827 grants to churches, schools and organizations across North America for projects that generate thoughtfulness and energy for public worship and faith formation at the local, grass-roots level. An advisory board of pastors and teachers from a variety of backgrounds assists in the grant selections, and the program is generously supported by Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. Founded in 1937, the Endowment’s major areas of programming are religion, education, and community development.

For more information on the grants program, including a complete list of this year’s grants recipients, please see worship.calvin.edu/grants.