In a world often consumed by busyness and distraction, one woman is committed to creating spaces where people can encounter the transformative power of Jesus. Cierra Chamot, a ministry leader passionate about serving God, has dedicated her life to organizing dynamic events that blend faith, creativity, and community.
From high-energy music festivals to intimate women's conferences, Cierra's work through Extreme Faith Productions and her own initiative, Cookies N' Cocoa, is making a tangible difference in people's lives. In a recent interview, she shared her inspiring journey and the legacy she hopes to leave.
(We invite you to listen to the conversation between Jalon Caldwell and Cierra Chamot in the podcast below.)
Answering the Call to Ministry
Cierra's path to ministry leadership was paved from an early age. "I grew up in a Christian family, grew up in the church and everything, and so my parents made sure that we were invested in ministry and involved in serving in the church and different ministries," she explained.
As a teenager, Cierra felt a clear calling on her heart. "Starting about my freshman year of high school, whenever someone would ask me what I felt God calling me to, my answer would always be that I feel like I'm going to work for a nonprofit or have my own nonprofit and travel the country Planning ministry events," she said.
This unwavering sense of purpose guided Cierra through college and beyond. "Through college and everything, I volunteered. I interned for Extreme Faith and other organizations as well as my church and everything. And through it all, I just felt God opening the doors and clearly leading me down the ministry route through events, which is what I always felt like he had called me to," she shared.
Diverse Events, Unified Purpose
Cierra's work with Extreme Faith Productions encompasses a wide range of impactful events, each designed to nurture spiritual growth and community.
"Extreme Faith Productions has basically four facets of ministry," she explained. "So we have the Aspire Women's events, we have our marriage date night events, we have Christian concerts, and then we have our big music festival every year called Elevate Music Festival."
The Aspire Women's events, which Cierra oversees, aim to pack the essence of a women's conference or retreat into a single powerful night. "Basically the thought behind it is to pack a women's conference or a women's retreat into a one night event. And so there's a Bible teacher, a Christian comedian, a worship leader there," she said.
The marriage date night events offer couples a chance to renew their relationships through laughter and music. "It's two Christian comedians and a Christian recording artist, and it's really just a night for couples to come and renew their marriage through laughter and music," Cierra explained.
Cierra's personal favorite, the Elevate Music Festival, is a three-day celebration of faith and community. "Elevate, which is our music festival, is definitely the busiest because it's three action packed days right in a row, and it's definitely a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun also," she shared.
Regardless of the event, Cierra's overarching goal remains the same: to help people grow in their faith and encounter the transformative power of the gospel. "All of our events we do is definitely purposeful to not only help grow current Christians and their faith, but also great outreach opportunities as well," she said.
Staying Connected to the Source
With a packed schedule of events and ministry responsibilities, Cierra recognizes the importance of maintaining a strong personal connection with God. She shared her strategies for staying grounded in her faith:
"I definitely try to stay involved in church as much as I can, even though I work a lot of weekends. I actually go to a church with a Monday night service, and so that's been such a blessing, having that weeknight service available. I also make sure that I have my quiet time with God each day, but worship, worship is where I feel God the most, both worship music and just being out in creation with God too. And so I really try to stay as connected to music and worship as possible and then be outside as much as I can so I can experience his creation."
Cierra's boss and mentor, Brian Cole, the director of Extreme Faith Productions, has played a crucial role in shaping her ministry journey. "He has taught me so much, honestly, not only so much about ministry, I worked for other organizations and everything in college, and so I came from more of a corporate world even though I wasn't in necessarily a big corporate job. And so the first few years it was definitely that balance of, okay, this isn't a corporation, it's ministry. And so he taught me a lot in that and still teaching me a lot in that, but he's also teaching me a lot in life in general and faith and really helping grow in all of those areas."
Cookies N' Cocoa: A Legacy of Hope and Joy
In addition to her work with Extreme Faith Productions, Cierra has also launched her own initiative, Cookies N' Cocoa, which holds a special place in her heart. The event was inspired by the loss of her best friend, who passed away in a car accident five and a half years ago.
"The inspiration for it was I actually lost my best friend in a car accident five and a half years ago. So the first Cookies N' Cocoa event was not with the intent of it being an annual event. She was a school teacher. She loved Christmas. I love Christmas, and I really didn't want Christmas to be a hard part of the year for me just because I lost my best friend," Cierra explained.
What started as a one-time book drive for her friend's school has evolved into an annual Christmas celebration that brings joy and hope to families. "Really, the goal behind it is to provide a free Christmas event so families of any income level can come and experience the hope and joy of Christmas," Cierra said.
The event features a festive walk-through experience, complete with Santa's workshop, Rudolph's cocoa stand, and a Frankincense Forest where visitors hear the Christmas story. "They get free cookies, free cocoa free pictures with Santa, and then the very last thing that they see before they exit the event is an area called Frankincense Forest and a bunch of Christmas trees. But they hear the Christmas story when they walk through it, so there's signs telling the whole Christmas story. And then at the end we have a prayer table and the nativity and everything, and every family that walks through gets an invite to Christmas services at a local church."
Preparing for a Mission Trip to Poland
Cierra's heart for ministry extends beyond the borders of her local community. In May, she will be traveling to Poland for a two-week mission trip, an opportunity she is eagerly anticipating.
"I'm going to help with the European Leadership Forum, which is a Christian conference designed for Christian leaders all over the world to come and get resources to take back to their parts of the world to share the gospel," Cierra said.
Drawing on her previous experience in Poland, Cierra is prayerfully preparing her heart for the journey ahead.
"I've actually been on this trip before in 2017, and it was such an amazing experience," she said. "I'm really hoping that this year I can see how the Christian leaders across the world really are appreciative of every single thing that comes their way. And so I think preparing my heart is just prayers a lot for the trip, praying that God will use me in a way that helps these Christian leaders, but also that God kind of restores my heart and renews my heart too through the trip and just seeing what he can do through Christian leaders all over the world."
Furthering God's Kingdom and Leaving an Eternal Impact
For Cierra, the legacy she hopes to leave is not about her own accomplishments, but about the lasting impact she can have for the kingdom of God. "The legacy isn't about me. The reason we're in ministry is to further the gospel and further the kingdom. And so I think the legacy would really just be to know that I was part of something that made a difference for the kingdom and that helped people grow in their faith."
Cierra's unwavering commitment to serving God and her community is a testament to the transformative power of faith, creativity, and community. Through her work with Extreme Faith Productions and Cookies N' Cocoa, she continues to create spaces where people can encounter the love and hope of Jesus, leaving a lasting legacy that will inspire generations to come.
You can reach Extreme Faith Productions at https://extremefaithproductions.com/
You can reach Cookies N' Cocoa at https://cookiesncocoa.org/
You can reach Cierra Chamot on Instagram @CierraChamot