Mark R. Gornik (Ph.D., University of Edinburgh) is the director of City Seminary of New York. He and his wife, Dr. Rita Aszalos, live in New York with their sons, Peter and Daniel. He is the author of "To Live in Peace: Biblical Faith and the Changing Inner City" and "Word Made Global: Stories of African Christianity in New York" and is completing a book about his friendship and ministry with Allan Tibbels.
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.