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Worship Renewal Grant Recipients—Year 2003

You can view posters displayed at Colloquium for grant recipients from the years 2003-2008. Click on the organization's name for an image of the poster. (You may need to zoom in to read the text on the poster.)

Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas To develop a process for worship renewal by linking worship, education, and the mission of the college.

All Nations Christian Reformed Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia To train lay leaders in understanding and communicating Scripture through workshops in several churches, so that Scripture might be integrated into worship in meaningful ways.

Amazing Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Baltimore, Maryland To develop and nurture children as worship leaders in an urban multicultural congregation through a summer camp and after school program.

American Baptist Seminary of the West, Berkeley, California To sponsor a multicultural two-day conference on examining and celebrating differences in worship especially for African American and Asian American churches

Bellevue Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Bellevue, Washington To sponsor a composer-in-residence to compose ten “call and response” invocations (prayers) that will be integrated into all aspects of the church's worship life as a community.

Bethel Lutheran Church, Winchester, Virginia To conduct two worship renewal seminars for small congregations, and invite up to eight congregational worship planning teams to enter into extensive on-site consultation with experts in liturgical music, worship space and environment.

Bethlehem Church (Evangelical Free), Randolph, New Jersey To offer seminars and training for worship leaders in small or ethnic congregations, to plan and carry out joint worship with the participating congregations, and to create original artwork for worship.

Campus Chapel of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, Michigan To develop student worship leaders, increase understanding of worship among the membership, and enrich the visual dimension of worship through installations for the seasons of the church year.

Cascade Fellowship Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan To conduct workshops in biblical storytelling that will provide skills for telling stories in worship and for use in family devotions.

Center for Children at Worship, Lexington Park, Maryland To create a multi-generational collaborative worship design process, to develop an interdisciplinary and multi-generational team to teach the process to pilot congregations, and to host a conference to train church leaders in the collaboration, practice and reflection of this process as an integral part of congregational life.

Chinese Christian Church Music Institute for Worship, San Mateo, California To sponsor a Worship and Music Camp for youth, youth leaders, and church musicians which will include worship planning, hymnology, liturgical dance, scripture dramatization, and a youth orchestra.

Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota To develop a process for worship renewal by linking worship, education, and the mission of the college.

Congregación León de Judá, Boston, Massachusetts To sponsor a two-day regional conference on worship and the arts.

Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, Georgia To develop a process for worship renewal by linking worship, education, and the mission of the college.

Covenant Life Church (Christian Reformed), Grand Haven, Michigan To develop a process of worship renewal within the congregation by training worship leaders, by deepening the practices of prayer and the reading of Scripture in worship, and by commissioning inner city youth to create art for worship. The project will also offer monthly worship services employing all the senses and actively involving the congregation.

Crosswinds Community (Reformed Church in America), Fennville, Michigan To engage the congregation in a study of their worship environment, and to hold a symposium exploring how the arts can help shape a worship setting, especially for churches that do not have a permanent worship facility.

Dallas Baptist University, Dallas, Texas To develop a process for worship renewal by linking worship, education, and the mission of the college.

Diocese of Gaylord, Gaylord, Michigan To offer liturgical training in three locations and through Interactive Distance Learning for church leaders who will assist their churches with liturgical planning and formation, and workshops on liturgical topics.

Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa To develop a process for worship renewal by linking worship, education, and the mission of the college.

Emergent, Laurel, Maryland To sponsor a four-day interdenominational conference exposing participants to a wide range of imaginative and ancient worship experiences which will integrate theological reflection with grassroots practice in the local church.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba To sponsor "Breaking Bread…Breaking Boundaries," a nationwide conference on liturgical renewal which will invite participants to engage in theological reflection on the role of eucharistic worship in the modern era.

First Mennonite Church, Bluffton, Ohio To offer worship resources and training to congregations who desire to be supportive faith communities in times of death and dying.

First Presbyterian Church, Emporia, Kansas To focus fresh attention on proclaiming God's forgiveness, offering prayers of confession, and receiving God's assurance of pardon in corporate worship, through learning opportunities for members of the congregation, pastors and leaders from the community, and to develop worship resources.

Friends of the Groom, Milford, Ohio To offer creative worship experiences, using theater and the arts, to five to seven congregations, and to teach them how to create artistic expressions of worship that will deepen the worship life of the congregation.

Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts To develop a process for worship renewal by linking worship, education, and the mission of the college.

Grace United Church, Sarnia, Ontario To bring together artists and theologians to create pieces of art that illustrate and communicate the connection between the arts and theology, and to offer times of reflection and discussion, seminars and a Festival of the Arts.

Grace United Methodist Church, Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania To explore the connection between worship and outreach by developing appropriate worship services that speak to three target groups—children and youth, seniors, and individuals in 12-step programs.

Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church, Washington, D.C. To teach children the significance of the elements of worship and the children's roles as participants and leaders by offering training and worship leading experiences in congregations throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

Holland Home, Grand Rapids, Michigan To develop and pilot a hospitable worship model for persons with mid- to late stage dementia. Based on their learning, they will prepare a handbook presenting the concepts and rationale for planning worship experiences and activities for persons with dementia living in a residential unit. The project also includes workshops, training sessions, and a one-day conference for worship leaders.

Immanuel Christian Reformed Church, Brampton, Ontario To offer leadership training for Immanuel and neighboring churches that will include workshops, resources, and worship planning and evaluation experiences for musicians, readers, worship teams, worship planners and dramatists.

Inter-Faith Chapel, Silver Spring, Maryland To develop meaningful liturgies, rituals and special worship services which connect worship and important life issues faced by older adults. They plan to engage staff and residents of nursing homes, assisted living and independent living communities in discovering new and creative ways to conduct meaningful worship in those settings. They will convene a regional conference to share insights about worship and older adults.

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship – Great Lakes East Region, Ann Arbor, Michigan To equip IVCF chapters in worship leadership by offering a worship team curriculum and assisting worship teams in skill development, which will diversify and theologically strengthen the worship expressions of IVCF chapters so they might be a welcoming community for students from many countries.

Jubilee Fellowship Christian Reformed Church, St. Catharines, Ontario To sponsor a two-day conference on worship and the arts.

Judson College, Elgin, Illinois To sponsor a two-day conference to discuss church architecture, its impact on evangelical worship, and how excellent church architecture can be developed within the evangelical community.

Knox Presbyterian Church, Mitchell, Ontario To teach skills in sermon preparation and delivery to 15 lay preachers from rural/small town congregations in southwestern Ontario. They will come together for times of study, sermon preparation, and individual mentoring.

Leadership Program for Musicians Serving Small Congregations, South Riding, Virginia To train worship/music leaders in the theological foundation for worship and the practical aspects of leading worship and music, especially in small, rural congregations.

Lexington Presbyterian Church, Lexington, South Carolina To support a conference for pastors, worship leaders, seminary and university students, and laypersons on the theological foundation of worship and practical skills for leading worship, with an emphasis on the use of visual arts.

Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota To offer a two week intensive seminar on the liturgical prayer life of the church for parish liturgical leaders so that they connect corporate prayer with daily prayer and living. The seminar will include times of theological study and reflection, and practical sessions on developing liturgical skills.

LOGOS System Associates, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania To develop a team of educators and pastors from various congregations and denominations to deepen their understanding of Christian worship, and to develop a plan that will help children comprehend and encounter the essence of Christian worship and the significance of what the parts of worship contribute to their spiritual experience.

Messiah College, Grantham, Pennsylvania To develop a process for worship renewal by linking worship, education, and the mission of the college.

Metropolitan New Life Baptist Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts To host several one-day seminars for the congregation and the ecumenical community of Boston and Cambridge. Seminar topics include: The Theology of Worship, Exploring Theological Ideas in the Songs of Our Faith, and Reaching a Multi-Cultural Community through Worship.

Monmouth Bible Institute, Farmingdale, New Jersey To offer four workshops for pastors, musicians and church leaders on music and preaching, with special emphasis on the Christian Year and Revised Common Lectionary. By enriching worship leaders' understanding of worship and their skills in worship leadership, the congregation will better understand the role of scripture and music in worship.

Neumann College, Aston, Pennsylvania To offer summer courses in liturgy and catechesis, a fall liturgy conference, and monthly campus Ministry Training days. These programs will encourage worship renewal on the college campus and in Catholic high schools and parishes throughout the area.

New City Church, Jersey City, New Jersey To create an urban school of worship for teenagers, which will develop individual worship leaders and musicians and forge them into teams to lead worship for teen peers on Friday nights, for smaller children on Saturday and for supporting churches on Sunday.

New City Fellowship, Chattanooga, Tennessee To sponsor a four-day multicultural music conference to teach church musicians diverse stylistic skills.

North County Training Center, Watertown, New York To bring together church leaders in northern New York of various denominations and traditions to explore the Biblical foundations and expressions of corporate worship, and then to discuss what has been learned and share what each church has put into practice.

Nu'uanu Congregational Church, Honolulu, Hawaii To undertake a year long process focusing congregational life on renewal of authentic, meaningful worship which is pleasing to God, biblically based, and welcoming to all. The project will include worship services, classes and an ecumenical worship renewal conference.

Office of Theology and Worship, PC(USA), Louisville, Kentucky To offer the Emerging Worship event, a gathering of pastors, seminary professors and lay leaders to concentrate on ways the church can engage the changing culture without compromising the integrity of the Reformed tradition. They also plan to develop useful tools for worship, and to encourage a network of church leaders to more effectively nurture vital worship in congregations through shared resources and critical reflection in study groups.

Office of Worship and Christian Initiation, Archdiocese of Santa Fe, Albuquerque, New Mexico To train parish liturgical leaders to function competently in their own communities, especially in locations that are served by non-resident clergy.

Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma To develop a process for worship renewal by linking worship, education, and the mission of the college.

Orange United Methodist Church, Chapel Hill, North Carolina To renew worship by focusing on the Lord's Supper through observing Eucharistic practices in a variety of contexts, exploring the Lord's Supper though a workshop for the congregation, and developing worship practices, visuals or drama appropriate to making the Lord's Supper more meaningful.

Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota To develop four two-day gatherings for in-depth, hands-on training in worship leadership for adults and youth in smaller urban churches.

PACEM (Pacific Academy of Ecclesiastical Music), San Diego, California To conduct a seminar to address the need for clergy, choirs and congregations to better understand the Psalms and how the Psalms deepen the prayer life of congregations and nurture their faith.

Park Avenue Church (United Methodist), Minneapolis, Minnesota To study the worship practices of the members of the congregation who are of European-American, African-American, and Hispanic backgrounds through a church-wide forum and focus groups, and to develop materials and education classes to continue discussion and incorporate new practices into worship.

Philadelphia Liturgical Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania To sponsor a one-day conference on mystagogy of the Eucharist and a one-day ecumenical presentation on liturgical renewal.

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minnesota To develop two different types of Sunday evening worship services to reach the de-churched and postmoderns, and to offer a contemplative worship retreat.

Power House Youth Center, Inc., New Haven, Indiana To become a catalyst for worship renewal in the community by training youth and mentoring them individually, so that they understand the basics of worship and can participate in planning worship services.

Presbyterian Association of Musicians, Louisville, Kentucky To sponsor a national worship and music conference to renew corporate worship and recognize the diversity of the body of Christ especially for members of these racial-ethnic groups: African, Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Native American.

Redeemer University College, Ancaster, Ontario To develop a process for worship renewal by linking worship, education, and the mission of the college.

Reformed Bible College, Grand Rapids, Michigan To assess current worship services, events and courses at the college, and to explore ways to offer diverse worship services built on a biblical foundation of worship.

Rocky Mountain Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Denver, Colorado To offer a series of one-day events in eight locations on the connections between worship and discipleship. The workshops will help revitalize the worship and empower the ministries of the 182 congregations of the regional synod.

Salt Lake Theological Seminary, Salt Lake City, Utah To develop a congregational worship education program that can be used in Sunday school classes or small group studies, and to guide pilot churches in implementing the curriculum, especially in small rural churches.

Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, Washington To develop a process for worship renewal by linking worship, education, and the mission of the college.

St. Andrew Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Olathe, Kansas To sponsor one-day workshops where participants explore the worship environment and consider the effects of that environment on the worship experience.

St. Clare of Montefalco Catholic School, Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan To train members of the school faculty and staff to prepare children for increased participation in worship through training in music, liturgical rites, the dramatic portrayal of scripture, dance, puppets and art.

St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan To conduct a retreat and workshops for six churches on the purpose of worship, preparation for worship, prayer, biblically-based praise, preaching/teaching, giving, congregational participation and holiness of life.

St. Michael Parish, Milwaukee, Wisconsin To train choirs and choir directors of six congregations which include Hmong, Lao, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Anglo- and African-American Christians and represent more than 3400 people, to refine their skills and renew their sense of mission. This project involves conducting retreats and workshops, and commissioning members to write music for the choir that is bi-lingual, appropriate for worship and specific to events such as Pentecost and Palm Sunday.

The King's University College, Edmonton, Alberta To develop a process for worship renewal by linking worship, education, and the mission of the college.

Third Christian Reformed Church, Denver, Colorado To research appropriate uses of technology in worship and to offer area churches a conference on using presentational technology wisely in worship.

Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights, Illinois To develop a process for worship renewal by linking worship, education, and the mission of the college.

Trinity Lutheran Church, Mission, Kansas To sponsor a three-day conference “Tending God's Garden: Arts Ministry in the Church” which will include arts ministry, dance, non-Western church music, visual arts, environment, literary arts, preaching and worship, and church architecture.

Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio To offer a daylong symposium and to develop resources for singing the psalms in worship. The project will acquaint worship leaders with choices involving musical styles, methods and modes of presentation and accompaniment, and equip worship leaders to teach others to embrace the psalms.

United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio To assist at least two congregations as they initiate ministries to young adults on university campuses. The project will provide theological reflection, consultation and training for worship team leaders in music, visual arts, media and Biblical storytelling, and assist these congregations in a process of recovery, development and testing of the adult catechumenate.

Wake Forest University Divinity School, Winston-Salem, North Carolina To offer a worship conference, worship events, and educational workshops exploring how spiritual formation and community dialogue are nurtured by worship in an ecumenical, multicultural setting.

Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California To develop a process for worship renewal by linking worship, education, and the mission of the college.

Whitworth College, Spokane, Washington To develop a process for worship renewal by linking worship, education, and the mission of the college.

Worship Subcommittee of the Northeastern Ohio Synod (ELCA), Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio To establish a series of workshops utilizing musical resources and ethnically appropriate instruments to teach songs of the global church, and to make the instruments and music available on loan to congregations following the workshops.

Zion Korean United Methodist Church, Warwick, Rhode Island To create a multigenerational worship model through bilingual weekly communion and music. To reach this goal, they will develop a monthly “worship and spiritual formation school,” train worship planners, and develop resources for creating culturally sensitive worship environments that bring together young generations and older generations in Korean American congregations.

Zion Lutheran Church, Ferndale, Michigan To engage four congregations in a process of worship renewal for adults and youth through an educational retreat, an ecumenical worship service, the development of a new African American liturgy, and instruction on the use of percussive instruments in worship that is sensitive to various cultures while preserving the historical order of worship.

Click here for information on the Worship Renewal Grants Program.