Christ Church Philadelphia has received a grant to expand its worship in a way that considers a range of Anglican musical and liturgical resources. The Worship Renewal grant was awarded by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW), Grand Rapids, Michigan.
“After the Revolutionary War,” the grant proposal says, “when the first emergent Episcopalians were determined to worship in a uniquely American way, though still in harmony with their Anglican forebears, they presented this revolutionary idea in the front of their new Prayer Book: ‘It is a most invaluable part of that blessed “liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free,” that in his worship different forms and usages may without offence be allowed, provided the substance of the Faith be kept entire.’ Further, the forms of worship ‘may be altered, abridged, enlarged, amended, or otherwise disposed of, as may seem most convenient for the edification of the people, “according to the various exigency of times and occasions. Written in Christ Church Philadelphia in 1789, those words allowed the worship of the Episcopal Church to rise from the ashes of the Church of England. That spirit is still alive today at Christ Church, as new forms of creative and transforming worship and praise develop for a new generation of seekers are beginning to emerge in this very old, yet still revolutionary, place.”
“This grant has given us a great opportunity to go deeper in exploring what Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, calls ‘the mixed economy’ of worship styles within one parish that may be the church’s true future,” adds the Rev. Susan Richardson, project director and Assistant Minister at Christ Church. “As part of the grant, Christ Church will sponsor a workshop for both the parish and the diocese on Anglican liturgical and musical resources.”
This year, the program’s tenth, CICW will award almost $500,000 to support a variety of worship renewal projects in 43 churches and organizations across North America. “The proposals we receive from all over North America offer us an expansive education,” says CICW director John Witvliet. “They show us how prayerful, resourceful leaders in a remarkable variety of contexts are thinking about the needs of the church and opportunities for ministry.” 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.
This year, CICW received proposals from 22 denominations and 26 states and 2 Canadian provinces. An advisory board of pastors and teachers from a variety of backgrounds assisted in the grant selection. Grant recipients for 2009 represent congregations and schools from 15 denominations in 20 states and 2 Canadian provinces.
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.