“You say yes to opportunities that are going to be mutually beneficial for you and for the service of the Kingdom of God.” – Wesley Curell
Who is Wesley Curell?
Wesley Curell is a senior studying general Multimedia Communication. One big part of Curell’s life is his passion for live event media, specifically live audio. This passion began all the way back when he was 12 years old. He started playing around with the sound board at his church and the rest is history. Curell then went on to work audio at his church throughout high school, and has also continued that passion during his time at Olivet Nazarene University.
Live Audio Experiences
Video by: Tyler Chapin
One way that Curell has continued working with his passion of live audio is through the media services team on the campus of Olivet. Some of his favorite jobs included running audio for chapels and other campus-wide events. During Curell’s time on the team, he has also been able to work alongside mentors Matt Steinacker and Chase DeMott.
Another way that Curell has continued his audio work at Olivet is through being a part of ministry teams. He has been the sound guy for the band The Narrow for the past 2 years. Through this opportunity, Curell has been able to not just run audio at chapels, but also to travel to different states in the region and run audio at different churches, youth camps, and other church retreats.
Curell’s audio experience doesn’t just stop on campus. He is also one of the sound guys at Kankakee First Church of the Nazarene. While attending the church for a couple of years, as well as being an intern there for the past year, Curell has spent a lot of time mixing for K1’s Sunday morning services.
Impact On His Life
When reflecting on these opportunities, Curell feels that they’re not just jobs he was able to do., but they have all left a significant impact on his life in many different ways.
One impact is the strengthening of his relationship with God. By saying yes to joining the media team and ministry teams, he has been able to further God’s reach and witness how God is moving in the lives of both youth and adults at not only Olivet, but also in other districts in the region.
Curell also sees audio as a form of worship. He feels that because he’s engulfed in the music he is mixing, and working in a church environment, he is able to authentically worship day in and day out.
Curell also has learned many valuable skills through media and ministry teams. Not only has he learned more technical skills such as ways he can improve when running audio and learning the ins and outs of the console, but he was also able to grow interpersonally.
When looking back at when he first started at Olivet, Curell recalls being very socially awkward and lacking a lot of social skills. However, Curell says that by greeting people, serving with others, and building genuine conversation, he was able to significantly improve his interpersonal skills. Which, as mentioned in a Sound Engineers article by Dwight Beal, is a set of skills that are very important in the media industry.
Looking Ahead
As for continuing his audio passion in the future, Curell would love to continue down the path of live event audio and pursue it as a career. He feels that God would not have given him these opportunities that built his audio skills if he wasn’t going to use them later on. So he feels there is somewhere God could be calling him to within the audio realm.
