News Release

CALVIN INSTITUTE OF CHRISTIAN WORSHIP

ANNOUNCES GRANT RECIPIENTS!

    Grace Presbyterian Church has received a grant to engage in a process of learning and reflection on the use of music, drama, and art that will create intergenerational worship services for the congregation and other churches in the community.  The Worship Renewal Grant was awarded by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in Grand Rapids, Michigan.   

     Project Director, Gerry Watson, invites the McCloud Presbyterian Church and all churches in the Weed Ministerial Association to participate with Grace Church as they bring in consultants to better equip them to use drama, art, and special music in worship services.

    This year, the program’s eleventh, CICW will award almost $500,000 to support a variety of worship renewal projects in 40 churches and organizations across North America.  "These projects have much to teach us aboutprayerful, resourceful leaders in a remarkable variety of contexts are thinking about the needs of the church and opportunities for ministry," says CICW director John Witvliet."We are eager to learn from them."  For a complete list of this year’s grant recipients and summaries of their projects, see the Grants section of the CICW website, www.calvin.edu/worship.
    For 2010 grant recipients, learning begins in earnest this June when project directors gather at Calvin College to dialogue with 2009 recipients and CICW staff.  Pastor Jim Howe and Project Director Gerry Watson will attend a Worship Renewal Grant Colloquium in Grand Rapids, Michigan, June 29th – July 1st, 2010.  

    “Ecumenical conversations with congregational leaders who have created a year long process of worship renewal provides encouragement and innovative ideas for renewal,” says Betty Grit, Program Manager of the Worship Renewal Grants Program.

    This year, CICW received proposals from 22 denominations and 24 states and 3 Canadian provinces. An advisory board of pastors and teachers from a variety of backgrounds assisted in the grant selection.

    Grant recipients for 2010 represent congregations and schools from 15 denominations in 16 states and 1 Canadian province.  The Worship Renewal Grants Program is generously supported by Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. Founded in 1937, the Endowment’s major areas of concern are community development, education, and religion.

WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH THE

WORSHIP GRANT?

     As we near the end of our grant year I want us to look back on what we have accomplished during this time.  The prime purpose of our grant request was to use visual art, music, and dramatic readings to enhance our worship during Advent and Easter week.  

    We first started doing things different in worship on Pentecost Sunday by using red balloons to symbolize the Spirit coming down from heaven.  Next we used a large staff during a sermon about the Prodigal Son demonstrating how the father could have reacted to his son’s request and upon his return. We had a dramatic reading, a telephone call from God, our children sang the Ten Commandments, and a voice delivered the Commandments during a sermon on the Commandments. We had a Christian draw a painting during a sermon; the drawing was about the scripture being used.  We had a skit by the children, decorated the sanctuary, and had dramatic readings all during the Advent season. We also had a mission project along with our Advent theme.  

    We had a bible study during Lent, did a Lenten banner, held a Maundy Thursday Worship Service (with a Passover meal), held a good Friday service (both with McCloud), held an Easter service with dramatic readings, and started a Pentecost banner.  During this time we utilized visual arts, to enhance each service. We have seen many images of Christ in our services.

 We have utilized the screen as a bulletin for our services. With our new and larger screen we will be able to make a better presentation.  We had Kelly Ballard, a worship consultant, visit us twice as we first started to get us off on the right track. Kelly helped to organize our worship design team along with the grant team. He assisted in planning our Advent services.  We had Betsy Halstead visit with us and make suggestions about the use of the arts and music in our worship. Many of the images we have used in worship came from her.  We had Kristin Peterson come and do a Christian painting during worship. We enjoyed a mission program from Dustin Peterson.  We had Bill Dyrness come and do a workshop on worship and preach at the Ministerial worship service. Bill pointed us in the way to Lent and Easter services.  

 Paul Detterman was with us on April 30 for a workshop on worship and music and he preached on May 1.  Four other churches have joined with us in our worships.  One major change has been our music program with Mona and Leon leading the choir. This has really livened up our Sunday worship.  

 We have prepared and forwarded to Calvin Institute of Worship Renewal a one page summary to be distributed to all other recipients of the 2010 grant and the 2011 grants, and pictures and information for a poster to be displayed at the meeting in June at Calvin.

    We think we have accomplished what we started out to do, but you, the congregation will be our ultimate judge.  Please let Pastor Jim, Elder John Christ, Neil McDowell, or Elder Gerry Watson know what you have gained from this years worship services. Give us your likes and dislikes. Make suggestions on what to do going forward.

Gerry Watson