Bishop Hope Morgan Ward was elected to the episcopacy in 2004, becoming the second female bishop to serve in The United Methodist Church’s Southeastern Jurisdiction. She was assigned to the North Carolina Conference in 2012. Previously, Ward served as superintendent of the Raleigh District in the North Carolina Annual Conference, the North Carolina Conference director of Connectional Ministries and as a local church pastor. She earned an undergraduate degree from Duke and an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School in 1978. She has served on the school’s Alumni Board of Directors and the Board of Visitors and since 2010 has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Duke University.
Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants from the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship are designed for worshiping communities. These grants allow a wide range of Christian worshiping communities to focus on projects that connect public worship with Christian discipleship and faith formation. Funding awards range from $8,000 to $25,000.
The grants support year-long projects that show promise in fostering renewed or strengthened worship practices within worshiping communities in the United States or Canada. Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants for teacher-scholars are also available. Applications for the October 15 deadline will open on July 15, 2026.
A learning resource for Christian leaders and their
