Volunteer Highlight – Brent Chavez

An article by Brent Chavez    7 Comments

When putting together our list of volunteers to do our Volunteer Highlight on, Brian asked that I write one up. It’s been a huge honor for me to serve on the worship arts team at Cornerstone and I love getting to work on this blog for the team as well. My answers are below, but Brian was kind enough to send over this intro for my post:

For months now this blog has been cranking along thanks to one of our amazing volunteers. As the Worship Leader in a church like Cornerstone there is just no possible way to get it all done in a weeks time without people like Brent Chavez.

The content, the heart, the talent, the passion and the motivation comes alive in Brent both on and off stage. He’s a great husband, dad & a committed follower of Jesus. Our team has experienced these attributes first hand. We’re grateful for guys like Brent and hope that you’re grateful too. We tip our hats to him for his amazing devotion to helping us grow as musicians, leaders and as a church body especially through this blog! Well done, sir (as he might say).

Be sure to leave him a comment to tell him thanks for all his hard work both on the stage and with managing this blog! Without further ado I introduce to you, Brent Chavez, for our November Volunteer Highlight!

What’s Your Name? Do you have a nickname? My name is Brent Chavez, I have never really had any nicknames (that I know of) Or thankfully, any that have stuck.

What instrument do you play at Cornerstone? I’m a singer, still learning to use my voice as an instrument.

What’s your musical background? I come from a family of singers and musicians, but I never really intended to become one myself. My Aunts have both been vocal teachers, one of whom actually got to tour with Pavarotti at one point, and my dad is an amazing singer and guitar player. My sister always seemed to have the musical genes of us kids, and that was fine with me! In High School, I had a friend who was in charge of booking people to participate in the school talent show. The talent show always sold out, and she was worried because no one was signing up to participate. To help her out, I signed up and figured I’d get my talent together later. Time started running out on me, and so I decided to just give singing a go, so the first time I ever really sang was in front of a packed auditorium of a few hundred. I’m sure I did terrible, and I definitely didn’t win, but it was a start. Once I moved up to Tempe to go to school at ASU, the pastor of the church I started going to heard I could sing, and started raising me up to lead worship. I lead worship for that church for about five years until the pastors took a call to India for full time missions, and the church slowly dissolved. That’s when we heard about Cornerstone!

Who’s your favorite musician? Favorite band? My favorite musician of all time is Jon Foreman of Switchfoot. His music just speaks to me in a way that no other artist I’ve heard is able to. My favorite two bands would definitely be Switchfoot and Needtobreathe. I’m sure if anyone has read any of my posts on the blog, they’d be able to know that already though.

Who are a few of your musical influences? Not to sound like a broken record, but Jon Foreman and Switchfoot, Bear Rinehart and Needtobreathe are the two biggest. There aren’t many singers who fill their music with as much passion as those two. I’m also a big fan of Brandon Boyd because I love the way he shapes his voice to his music and makes it all feel like it belongs together.

What’s your favorite verse, quote, or scripture? 2 Timothy 6-7: 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

This verse will always mean a lot to me. When I left for College I was pretty new in claiming my Faith as my own, and not simply believing because my parents did. When I left my home in Yuma for the last time before moving up to Tempe, my dad gave me an NIV Bible with this scripture written in the cover. I probably read it a hundred times throughout my four years at school. It helped me be bold in my new faith, and strive to keep it alive and growing when everything else in my life seemed to be pushing me the other way. It helps me to retain or re-gain focus, and know that God wants me to break through my timidity and move in His power instead of my own.

How long have you been involved at Cornerstone? What made you want to get involved with the Worship Arts Team? After our previous church disbanded, My family and I began praying for direction on where we were supposed to land. We had both been involved in our previous church the entire time we lived here in the Valley, and it was our first time not having a church home. We attended a couple churches a few times each, and never felt like we belonged. We were a little frustrated because we were looking for something similar to where we had been before (a small church of about 100), because we felt that was where we could really be a part of a community. We had a great talk while taking our dogs for a walk through our apartment community and decided that we should stop looking for somewhere comfortable and just let God lead. We got our mail on the way back to our apartment and in it was a mailer for Cornerstone. We went that weekend and have never left.

I had been a worship leader at our previous church for five years or so, and had let myself become burned out. When our son was born two months premature, I stepped down as leader and took some time off to focus on that situation. I didn’t feel like I was adequately giving enough to the ministry with my head elsewhere. Coming to Cornerstone and seeing how big and professional everything looked and sounded was incredible to us! We attended for about a year before I started feeling pulled to audition. I remember seeing the audition invite called for experienced musicians at a professional level, and thinking that wasn’t me at all. My wife pushed me to give it a try, and I figured the worst that could happen would be that they’d tell me no. The audition went well and I really liked that the emphasis was 50% about the music, and 50% just getting to know the guys a bit to show them my heart and where I was coming from. I’m really proud to be a part of the worship arts ministry, and I have been able to grow a lot in my faith in my skills as a singer.

What was the greatest concert you have ever been to? I’ve been to quite a few in my lifetime, but the one I enjoyed the most was seeing Needtobreathe in a little hole-in-the-wall venue in Tempe. The crowd was small and seemed to be filled with people who really loved the music and knew the songs. The energy was incredible, and they played every song like it was it was the last one they’d ever get to play. They’re coming back to town in December, so I may have to update this then

What is your favorite song? Favorite album of all time? Favorite Album is a tough one…I guess I’d have to say Switchfoot’s The Beautiful Letdown. My favorite song of all time is Switchfoot’s ‘Learning to Breathe’. I have always loved the message, and it’s one of those songs I can’t seem to get enough of. I had a friend that was going through some rough times when I was a freshman in college, and I remember sharing this song with her. A while later, I heard that she tried to take her own life. She later told me that as she was losing consciousness, this song was playing in her head, and she prayed that she would survive after all. Her family found her unconscious but alive, and were able to take her to the hospital in time to save her. She’s alive and happy, and has a beautiful family now! It just shows the power and strength music can carry.

What is your favorite song to play / sing at Cornerstone? I have been exposed to a ton of music that is new to me while in the Worship Arts ministry at Cornerstone. I’d say my favorite would be singing Hillsong United’s “None But Jesus”. I got to sing it with Dara the first Sunday we both sang, and It’s the time of worship that has stuck with me the most. I love the way it came together on that morning. The mood that song brings is so heavy and moving, I always want it to go on and on. A close second would be getting to sing any of Ryan’s songs in our morning gatherings. It feels so powerful to sing songs that were born of the community you call home. We got to sing ‘As We Go’ a couple weeks back and it was amazing to see and feel how much our church family gets behind that song and sings it as an anthem! I’m looking forward to adding some of Brian’s songs to the mix next year too!