Author

Melissa Florer-Bixler

Writer and doctoral student

Melissa Florer-Bixler is a writer and a doctoral student in homeletics at Duke Divinity School. Previously she served as pastor of Raleigh Mennonite Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, and as minister of nurture at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church in Durham, North Carolina. She has an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary and an M.A. in religion from Duke University and is licensed for ministry in the Virginia Mennonite Conference. Her writing has appeared in Sojourners, Geez, Anabaptist Witness, Image Journal and Anabaptist Vision. Florer-Bixler is the author of  “How to Have an Enemy: Righteous Anger and the Work of Peace” and “Fire By Night: Finding God in the Pages of the Old Testament.” 

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Apply for a Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grant 

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.

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