Serving as a space for communal prayer, worship, reflection and meditation on God’s word, Point Loma Nazarene University’s Brown Chapel allows students to encounter God together. Through music, a core element of the Christian tradition, many students have the opportunity to serve their peers by offering their musical gifts during chapel services.
While many Christian universities tend to keep the same worship teams throughout the year, according to their respective websites, PLNU’s Worship Arts program rotates both worship leaders and musicians every service.
“We’re really passionate about getting as many people involved as possible,” Chloe Westra, a third-year music education major and Worship Arts intern, said. “That’s why we run Worship Arts like this, because most schools have set teams throughout the year.”
Chloe Westra, a third-year music education major and Worship Arts intern, feels that leading worship in chapel has helped her grow in her faith and taught her to focus on God instead of people’s opinions.
“Definitely being a worship intern has been a growing process of learning how to truly do everything with the Lord and for him because it’s really easy to lead worship [and] be thinking about what other people are thinking of you,” she said.
Esther Freeman, a fourth-year commercial music production major and Worship Arts intern since her second year, said that she looks to God amid feeling nervous before worship.
Westra said that, while it’s been a challenging process to get past the fear of what other people might think of her, she knows that ultimately her worship is for God alone.
“Stepping into that space is just being focused on the Lord and just looking at him and knowing that whatever work you do, no matter how it sounds or what notes are hit, it’s pleasing to him,” she said.
Wyatt Thomas, a third-year finance major who recently joined the Worship Arts pool this semester, said that, compared to his home church, Brown Chapel’s services are much more technically produced, which makes the experience exciting.
“That was definitely fun getting used to,” he said. “I feel like they prepare you so well in showing you how to handle the ropes.”
While he was nervous to play bass during his first chapel service, Thomas said he tried to focus on the music and on God’s presence.
“I’m trying not to focus on what other people are playing,” he said. “It’s just like, ‘All right, I’m playing this instrument; Just meet [and guide] me in this, Lord.’”
Freeman said that, while offering worship to God can be done in any space, Brown Chapel provides an intentional place for the PLNU community to fellowship.
“I think what’s special to me is that it’s a place [where] everyone comes together for one purpose: to worship God and to be in the presence of God,” she said. “It’s reserved for things that are communal and for seeking after God together as a school.”
Hadley Halbert, a PLNU alumna and the Assistant Director of Worship Arts, said that the heart of worship in chapel is a desire to experience God’s presence as a community.
“We want worship to be both deeply rooted in Scripture and responsive to the stories, situations, joys and griefs of our campus community as we live out life together,” Halbert said in an email interview. “Each week, our goal is not just to fill a slot of time in a service order, but to create a space of meaningful worship through song where students can be honest before God and reminded of who they are in Christ.”
While the larger PLNU community only sees the worship team on stage, there are many behind-the-scenes elements that may go unnoticed.
With guidance and input from Director of Worship Arts George Williamson, Associate Director Dan Bos and Halbert, the student worship interns choose the songs and Scripture for the screens, create chord charts and slides and lead the band’s sound check and rehearsals.
“Everything we’ve musically mapped out beforehand, which … for me, it takes a lot of time to plan a set,” Freeman said. “So there’s a lot of intentionality that goes into every chapel.”
Halbert said that while musical skill does matter when evaluating student leaders and musicians, the primary goal of Worship Arts is to cultivate faith and pastoral growth in students.
“We look for students who see worship as ministry,” she said. “People who are willing to serve, listen and lead from a place of humility.”
Both Westra and Freeman emphasized that student leaders need a strong, personal faith in God, and said that this is one of the most crucial parts of leading well.
“You can’t necessarily be a worship leader if your heart’s not in it with the Lord,” Westra said. “So much of what we put out on that stage is what comes from our personal walk with Christ.”
Halbert commented on the many faith opportunities at PLNU and her hopes for the future ministry of Brown Chapel.
“This place is beautifully saturated in opportunities to engage in spiritual practices,” she said. “I pray that chapel becomes less about ‘going to worship’ and more about becoming a worshiping people. If students walk away from PLNU with a deeper love for God and a gentler love for others, then I think our program has done its work.”
Adee Tulcan 
Olivia Roberts