Plugged In Podcast
Plugged In Podcast
Episode 25 - The YAM Special
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The milestone 25th episode of the Plugged In Podcast takes listeners behind the scenes of Youth Arts Ministry (YAM) in Massachusetts—a vibrant program where creativity, faith, and community intersect to develop the next generation of artistic leaders.
As students prepare for their annual overnight event and finale performance, hosts Matt, Nate, and Loreita reflect on what makes YAM so special. From the digital communications class producing professional videos to the four-part harmony benediction that echoes through headquarters at the end of each gathering, YAM creates meaningful experiences that transcend typical music education.
The episode highlights how this program has evolved while maintaining its core purpose of discipleship through artistic development. Particularly moving is the generational impact—former students now returning as faculty members, creating a beautiful cycle of mentorship. The hosts share lighthearted "superlative awards" for both students and faculty, revealing the deep personal connections formed throughout the season.
But YAM isn't just about performances. The podcast celebrates the unseen contributions that make the program possible: divisional officers preparing homemade meals, volunteers handling setup and cleanup, and the community of support that surrounds each student. As one host reflects, "The journey is the reward"—while the finale concert provides a wonderful culmination, the real transformation happens in monthly gatherings where relationships are built and young people discover how their gifts can serve a greater purpose.
Whether you're involved in arts ministry or simply curious about innovative approaches to youth development, this episode offers a heartwarming glimpse into a program that combines artistic excellence with spiritual formation. Listen now and discover why YAM has become such a beloved tradition in Massachusetts.
Introducing the YAM Special Episode
Speaker 1hey, everyone, welcome to the plugged in podcast for episode number 25 oh oh, we got a sound effect king over here we're a quarter of the way to 100 25 actually, I think with our uh podcast, a provider on internet, I'm pretty sure that the next award banner ribbon that we get is for 25 episodes.
Speaker 2So this gets us our award, yeah, our ribbon.
Speaker 1It's crazy. Well, if you're tuning in today, it's kind of a mini episode, but we are celebrating everything to do with YAM, which, in the Massachusetts division, you will know, is Youth Arts Ministry, correct. So the release date for this podcast, everyone who's listening, if you're listening on the day that it releases, you should be driving to the YAM Overnighter at the Camp Wonderland Conference Center. Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2Are you guys excited? I'm excited. It's always crazy. I can't believe we're here already.
Speaker 1Yeah, because.
Speaker 2I feel like the Yam Overnighter and the Yam Finale is like the first step into like summer ministries, youth councils, all those.
Speaker 1It is the beginning. How? Not the beginning of the end, but it is the beginning of a very busy season. Yes, it is.
Speaker 2It's wild so I can't believe it's here.
Speaker 1Yeah, ministry, so at least for the overnighters. So everyone is driving to the conference center and we have a rehearsal starting at like 8 o'clock and we rehearse and pretty much go all the way until like 11, where we grab a slice of pizza. Everyone will go to bed nice and tired and then we get up really early and on Saturday it's more rehearsal and then we go to the Boston Kroc Center for the finale performance and that kind of puts a bow on the entire year.
YAM Overnighter and Finale Experience
Speaker 1That's awesome, crazy for the finale performance and that kind of puts a bow on the entire year. That's awesome, crazy. So, talking about YAM for this year, do you guys?
Speaker 2have any? What are some highlights? You got a highlight. I do. I think one of my highlights would be just the amount of content that we pumped out in our digital communications class.
Speaker 1And that's a relatively new class to the arts ministry. So the program has kind of evolved through the years. It still is the same in its kind of core of what it has been. But one of the classes tell us a little bit about what you do in the digital communication class.
Speaker 2So we start off really just kind of giving an overview to what digital communications is, and I think the whole um, my whole uh goal in framing my lessons and my, my uh agenda for the whole year is to equip um, our kids with resources to be able to enhance things that are already happening in their course. Like we have, you know, cameras and we have things, uh, for camp and for music department.
Speaker 2we have, you know, some good equipment for things, but you can make promo videos on your iPhone and you can you can make a good quality graphic with Canva and things that are really just at your disposal, and so how do we use what we have to enhance what's happening? So that's the goal, and then moving down here to the studio, this year in Yam has really expanded our ability to shoot promos. We did a promo for the Sounds of Christmas. We made a bumper video for the Sounds of Christmas. We have a couple of things coming up for the Yam finale, but even just we did some videos with Teague, who loves to do some um, uh, like motivational scripture things on his Tik TOK. So we've but we've just expanded into doing instead of just talking in theory. So that's probably my highlight for the year.
Speaker 3That's very cool, nate, you got one. Oh yes, yes, I do. Let's hear it.
Speaker 2Ready to go.
Speaker 3I have the distinct privilege of playing in the yam band Nice playing in the Yam Band Nice Distinct privilege, led by bandmaster Matt. Lund Suck up and Joel Piercy, that's right, and it is in that band. We play a wonderful piece that we've referenced in the past, very popular Dance Like David yeah, which everyone loves, everyone loves. But in that piece there is an iconic drum solo Iconic, Iconic, yeah, iconic. It stands out. If you pay attention, you'll catch it, even if you're not paying attention you'll catch it.
Speaker 2You'll catch it yeah.
Speaker 3And our percussionist Zia. He rocks out that drum solo and that is always a highlight of Yam Saturdays is just to see him go all in on that drum solo.
Highlights from the YAM Season
Speaker 2Well, and it's cool because we were in Brockton a couple weeks ago and Zia's playing drums in the core worship band. So just to see the tie over too, of participation in the core but also divisional level is top notch.
Speaker 1Yeah, zia and Isaac have held down the percussion section both at Conservatory and YAM for the past couple years. But yeah, zia's drum solo. If you're at the finale concert, don't miss it, because it's pretty cool, it's top notch, it's awesome. Uh, one of my highlights from this year I'll talk about.
Speaker 1So, something new, uh, that chris molinaro has brought to the program is at the end of each yam rehearsal, we've decided to kind of have a united choral benediction. But what's unique about it is, if you've ever been to Divisional Headquarters, you'll know that maybe someone else has a different name for this, but I always call the entryway the atrium, and so you walk in and the middle of the building is this circle that goes from the ground all the way up to the ceiling. Yeah, the rotunda, the atrium.
Speaker 1And if you are in it it has a magnificent echoing, kind of like reverb effect, so it really lends itself to cool uh singing. So, uh, chris has found this piece. Uh, marvelous things, and it's not difficult, it's easy to memorize, it's very singable for all the kids. It's very catchy. So we've learned four-part harmony and for, I'd say for the YAM program, like when you can distinctly hear four part harmony.
Speaker 2It's an accomplishment. It is strong.
Speaker 1Yeah, so uh, but what we have done is for different rehearsals we've had, sometimes the older kids go up to the second floor and the younger kids stay downstairs and then sometimes we switch it. But at the end of these rehearsals you've heard four part harmony. Harmony that says he has done marvelous things, and it's just kind of like floating through the building and I feel like that's kind of put a capstone on each day where the kids look forward to it. You also know, like, whether you're ready to leave or not that kind of like you know.
Speaker 1Okay, now it's time to go. We've kind of done our thing.
Speaker 4He has done marvelous. He has done marvelous things. Okay, now it's time to go. We've kind of done our thing. He has done marvelous, marvelous things. Praise the Lord. He has done marvelous, marvelous things. Praise the Lord.
Speaker 1Praise the Lord, so that's been a highlight for me. All right, so this is episode 25 of the Plugged In Podcast and we're doing our YAM special, so everything to do in this episode today is about youth arts ministry. I think we have some superlative awards that we'd like to give out. Nate, you want to start us off?
Speaker 3One of my roles at YAM is to teach Corps Cadets, which was a new addition this year, and just taking notes and being a part of that class and seeing people who give back and contribute a lot really framed this superlative. Most likely to teach Corps Cadets at YAM in the future Lily Brunel.
Speaker 2Yeah, love, I can see that.
Speaker 3Yeah, she's got the theological knowledge and the heart right behind it. So theological knowledge, theological knowledge, all right.
Speaker 1Good job, lily and lily listens what we think. We think she listens to the podcast we'll find out she does.
Speaker 2We'll find out if she will know.
Speaker 1Yeah all right. So, uh, I'll take the next one. So if you're at yam, you'll see people in the digital communications class, uh, walking around the building at all times pretty much Person most likely to take your picture at YAM. I'm going to say it's Mason from Fall River 100%.
Speaker 1Mason's always got that camera and it's kind of funny because the camera's gigantic. So when I watch him and he's old school, so he'll take the camera. He doesn't want to look in the viewing finder, he's got the thing right up his face so I'll see a person walking around. You can't see his head at all, oh no.
Speaker 2It's only camera. But he's ready to click, click, click, click. It's only camera. I think that's pretty cool I think the staff member version of that would be Jorge.
Speaker 3Oh yeah, he's always around too.
Speaker 2Okay, most likely to be buying snacks from the vending machine. This is Isaac.
Speaker 1This is Isaac.
Speaker 2And when they aren't getting the snacks, their little circle of them are asking for dollar bills from people.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, they're so funny, this next one. So well, I'll just say it. All right, faculty, the faculty person who's most likely to spill their coffee at Yam, justin Barter, justin Barter, justin and Marsha. You can always count on them having a coffee, you know, but for coming from Pittsfield, they are almost every single time, without exception, the first score to arrive.
Speaker 3They are the first ones there and you need a lot of coffee to make it from Pittsfield and Barrett.
Speaker 1I don't want to know what time they're leaving, but it's early alright.
Speaker 2The next one would be the future bandmaster award superlative to Phoebe. So Phoebe be the future bandmaster award award superlative personal yeah to phoebe.
Speaker 1Uh, yeah so phoebe. So there was um a couple different yam rehearsals where obviously this is about, uh, leadership development as well. Right, and a lot of these kids don't have an opportunity to even get to experience what it's like to conduct a group. So in the yam band we'll take turns, sometimes not all the time, but sometimes going up and conducting. And Phoebe got up one time and she's got it, she's got the skills so future bandmaster could be Phoebe Love it, nate, you got one.
Speaker 3Sure, most likely to be in the top band at Yam next year, mercedes and Leilani from Haverhill.
Speaker 2Yeah, the self-proclaimed Massachusetts twins. Yes, is what?
Speaker 1they call themselves. They've been coming to Yam for several years now, and also conservatory as well, and to watch the progress, not just in the band area, but just they've grown as people.
Speaker 2Yeah.
YAM Superlative Awards
Speaker 1Their maturity, their excitement in being at Yam and being a part of Salvation Army programs. But I fully expect them to be in the top YAM band next year and they'll make that leap this summer at Conservatory and I'm just really, really proud of them.
Speaker 2They're working hard at the core too, which is awesome.
Speaker 1All right, so person most likely to hype you up when you need a hype man.
Speaker 2One, two, three.
Speaker 1Molly.
Speaker 2That was we all knew.
Speaker 1So two, three molly, that was, we all knew so literally at every yam, and this is even before, uh, chris was on the team. Yeah, uh, we. You know, I start yam pretty much the same every, yeah, every month, and I get up there and I say the, the rules that are not fun, but so molly the last couple years. Just like you need a hype man, I got you I got you man.
Speaker 3I got you man. He understood the assignment yeah, that's right, that's right he was our hype guy at youth councils two years ago too. Oh yeah, he's in the tech sheet as hype guy, Yep.
Speaker 2Hype man, amazing, all right, most likely to be caught singing a worship song. Yep, anna Jalene from Lawrence, yeah.
Speaker 1She is, can we?
Speaker 4just say heart so kind.
Speaker 2But yeah, she's always humming something and nine times out of ten it's a worship song she's going to start like music camp and has sung solos.
Speaker 1Uh, at solo night worship songs like that's just her jam she, she loves and she's so good at it.
Speaker 2She was one of the first to sign up for the karaoke night at the young adult retreat and she rocked it so also from lawrence, I'm gonna say a person most likely to be on Broadway, ariana.
Speaker 4Ariana.
Speaker 1Because she's into singing, she's into drama, she's working on the whole thing.
Speaker 2Not afraid of the camera or the stage.
Speaker 1Great stage presence, absolutely. Oh remember during Youth Councils we did interviews with the camera. I remember asking her I was just like, have you ever done this before? You want to try it? And she's like, yeah, of course. And she took that thing and was a news reporter.
Speaker 2And on the spot, coming up with things to say, she was phenomenal.
Speaker 1I kind of gave her a very loose prompt, kind of asked them this, and then she was asking follow-up questions and I was just like well, now I have an hour of footage Because you did such a edit through now.
Speaker 2yeah, exactly, nate, you want to do the next?
Speaker 3one best smile yeah, this guy if you know klerensky from quincy, then you know this kid's smile is just from ear to ear.
Speaker 2It's incredible. It's so genuine. He's such an old soul, that guy. I love him uh.
Speaker 1The next one goes to a faculty member, the person to most likely never need a microphone at any point in their entire life. Ever captain adam boynton. Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, he's got some pipes man.
Speaker 2I mean, we were at Quincy a couple weeks ago and I said to Amanda, his wife I was like why does he have a mic right now in the chapel? And she was like he doesn't. I was like, oh okay.
Speaker 3He was an opera performance major in college, right you?
Speaker 5know something like that he studied.
Speaker 3Yeah, he studied music for sure.
Speaker 2Yeah, so you definitely got to have support for that, I have to say the next one, because I can't say these words. I get tongue-tied.
Speaker 1Exceptional musicianship.
Speaker 2A lot of S's.
Speaker 1Yeah, so I'm giving this to Teague from Lowell. Teague sits up in the solo cornet row in the YAM band and Teague's someone right now. That's just putting in so much effort, yeah to be good.
Speaker 2He's doing great yeah, he really, is really, really proud of t he's in the digital communications class as well and again really willing to jump in front of the camera, do whatever is needed. So he's doing great the.
Speaker 1The next one, um, is from the junior yam band, class yep, and someone who's like really, really excelling. So this is called the junior yam student most likely to be in the new york staff band. We're gonna say riley from newburyport, yeah, so riley's been absolutely rocking it seriously yeah she's got her report far down. Uh, recently there was a video on the newburyport core facebook page of their. They got a young beginner band yeah, starting to blossom, and riley is just a real important part of that she's doing awesome, nice.
Speaker 2uh. The next one, um, is kind of funny and I'm gonna divert to you two for the story behind it, but the most improved posture is going to Nathaniel from Milford, yeah.
Speaker 1So in the Yam Band at the beginning of the year. So Nathaniel has this tendency to play the cornet with one elbow on his knee.
Speaker 3That's actually impressive. I know it is impressive.
Speaker 1It's comfortable and I remember at the beginning of the year I was just like Nathaniel, we're going to fix this and by the end of the year, good for him by the end of the year, Nathaniel was really rocking some great posture. Yeah and listen, everything is a win, that is a win and it's something to be proud of. So great job to Nathaniel.
Speaker 2Well, in, I kind of snuck it in because of a story that had been told off air Most observant award.
Speaker 1I mean, this story is embarrassing for me. No, I love it, you have to tell it.
Speaker 2next, the most observant award goes to Jude.
Speaker 1From Lawrence. Do you actually want me to tell it?
Speaker 2No, tell it. I think it's hilarious.
Speaker 1Okay, so last yam I walk into, like the junior yam band class, the beginner band class and a and a couple of the girls are being facetious, little jokesters. So, I walk into the room and they're just like oh, mr Matt, what is different about you? And I know what they're referencing.
Speaker 1Play along, so I'm playing along and I'm just like oh, what do you mean? She's like well, something is clearly different with you and Jude. Now, jude took this very seriously. We're talking about fingers on the chin. He's really studying me and he goes oh, mr Matt grew a mustache when he said that I almost died. It was so genuine.
Speaker 3The light bulb moment.
Speaker 1Oh, it was great, so most observant goes to Jude. Thank you, jude, that's great. Love it For recognizing my horrible facial hair.
Speaker 2I love him Most likely to talk about handbells. Oh yeah, most likely to talk about handbells.
Speaker 3Oh yeah, Ready.
Speaker 2One, two, three.
Speaker 3Chris Molinaro. Oh, got the last name too, and last name.
Speaker 2Always, always, mr Handbells.
Speaker 1Chris wore a t-shirt a handbell t-shirt that I think was made for him by Lieutenant Paul from.
Speaker 2Greenfield. That's so cute though, but yeah.
Speaker 1Chris had a handbell t-shirt at the last YAM gathering.
Speaker 3I thought that was great. You got one Nate, yeah, most likely to greet you wearing a butter shirt. This is pretty specific, but there's only one person. One, two, three Mage.
Speaker 1Mage is so faithful in helping us with registration and taking attendance at the beginning of yam. First of all, when you walk into yam, the person most likely to greet you first is probably Mage, but there was one Yam, and I don't know what inside joke this came from, but she was wearing either a hoodie or a shirt.
Speaker 2It was a bright yellow t-shirt.
Speaker 1It was a yellow t-shirt with the labels of a stick of butter. So there was one tablespoon two, so that was pretty awesome, but we love Mage.
Speaker 2It started out as the person most likely to greet you.
Speaker 4The butter shirt had to be added oh yeah, it's a qualifier Either work.
Speaker 1Either work.
Speaker 2And, I think, our last one.
Speaker 1Yeah, the last one is the most likely person to have taught you Timbrels at any point in the last 20 years.
Speaker 2Yeah, 20 years Wow.
Speaker 1Would be Kristen.
Speaker 2Yeah, would be Kristen yeah.
Speaker 1The one and only so. We were just saying, like Kristen's passion for the art of Timbrels is really unrivaled, Unparalleled yeah. It's unparalleled and the number of students that she saw and the Timbrel class, I think, in my tenure is at an all-time high right now. I mean we're talking like 15 or 16 kids registered for.
Speaker 1Timbrels. That's great, and even like we'll get emails post-registration that are like, hey, we'd like to switch into Timberwolves and out of something, but it's because they love what she's doing so much. And you go even further than that Molly is teaching like the junior Timberwolves class and Molly well, you called him a Jedi apprentice of. Kristen and her Timberwolves teaching and I just want to recognize that that's a really special thing, that she's taught so many kids how to play temples.
Speaker 2And not just play but to love it To love it. I think you said off-air generational. There's like a generational kind of wealth that's been built there, she's great.
Speaker 1All right, at this point in the podcast, this is episode number 25, and we are doing our Yam special At this point in the podcast. This is episode number 25, and we are doing our Yam special. So this will be. We're going to plug or we're going to show you a highlight video on the YouTube channel, but also it'll work audio if you're just listening to the podcast in the car on your way there. So go ahead and watch this highlight of our Yam season and Christ the Lord.
Speaker 4And Christ the Lord. May the King be with thee. ©. Bf-watch TV 2021. When we have the power now, in virtue, be we. O come, let us adore him. O come, let us adore him. Oh, how great is the joy. Oh, how great is the joy In the highest.
Speaker 1Oh, how's just? It's been a crazy year so fast. What an awesome highlight, right.
Speaker 2Oh, it's just. It's been a crazy year, so fast.
Speaker 1It's fun to see and to listen to special moments from throughout the year. All right, next segment. So we have again Everything. Yam. So this is a blind ranking. So I have for you guys, you guys are going to have to joint agree on ranking these. Oh man.
Speaker 1Now if you're listening along and you're a YAM student, maybe you can do the same thing and argue with your friends. If you're a faculty member, take no offense at this list, but we are going to blind rank the YAM classes for the older students. So here are our. No, it's a blind ranking. I'm not going to tell you here's your options. Okay, so here are. No, it's a blind ring, I'm not going to tell you here's your option.
Speaker 2Surprise, I almost ruined the whole thing.
Speaker 1Okay, let's start off with all right. So you have seven slots, okay. Okay, here's the first one Worship hand Ooh One through seven Worship hand.
Speaker 2Let's say let's give it a three.
Speaker 1Wow, hey.
Speaker 2Hey, now Look at that agreement.
Speaker 1Okay, this one could be a conflict of interest, but we're going to go with digital communication, loretta's class. Where are you putting that One in my heart?
Speaker 2Good answer I was going to say like a two.
Speaker 3You're really feeling yourself, aren't you?
Speaker 1You said one, yeah, yeah, you literally said that okay, I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding.
Speaker 2I agree with two all right, two, we're gonna go two.
Speaker 1Okay, I think my students will agree, so yeah digital communication two worship band three all right, here it is band with me, my band band with me what do you got?
Speaker 2I mean, even though your repertoire is great, I gotta, I gotta, be careful larita I gotta, I gotta go seven, seven seven.
Speaker 1Yeah, are you, are you?
Speaker 2anti-band. No, I just like you know me I think, maybe I don't know, we gotta. There's some good stuff in there, but like band of all the things, of all the classes.
Speaker 1All right All my band students, I need you to like give it to Loretta when she shows up.
Speaker 2Ok, band number seven. If you agree with me, high five as you walk in the door today.
Speaker 1Ok, wow, ok, the anti band podcast.
Speaker 4Whatever, number 25.
Speaker 1Your father would be so disappointed.
Speaker 2We'll skip over this section of the episode.
Speaker 1OK, let's. Would be so disappointing We'll skip over this section of the episode. Okay, let's do drama, drama I'd go four.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah, that sounds right.
Speaker 2Drama four, drama is something that I enjoy watching, can't do myself.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2I don't know what's going to be one, but keep going.
Speaker 1All right, so you have. I mean, you can probably figure out the classes. What's left, so, digital communication two, worship, the glasses what's left so, um, digital communication two, worship band three drama four, band seven, so we still have one five and six okay, uh, dance dance I'm tempted to put dance at one.
Speaker 3I'm trying to think of what else. What else is left?
Speaker 2don't think about what this defeats the purpose of the game. I'm just, I'm tempted to put dance at one, just because I feel like it's. I don't know, I feel like it's super, I don't know. What do you think? Quick number, maybe five?
Speaker 1Five, okay, a little five. Dance at five, big jump from one to five.
Speaker 2I know, when you have two, three and four taken, this is hard.
Speaker 1Okay, timberl's Ooh, number one, One, number one in Nate's heart, number one in my heart.
Speaker 2Nate did.
Speaker 3Timberl's as a I did.
Speaker 1I did Timberl's at Star Search many times I mean we already mentioned it when all 15 of them are up there, it's really impressive.
Speaker 2No, it is really impressive.
Speaker 1Let's go one, they green.
Speaker 2They look so good. Yeah, it was pretty cool.
Speaker 3I think in terms of continuity as well, just like I don't know, it's iconic.
Speaker 1Okay, so you're hearing this here on the Plugin Podcast Captain's Nate and Lorena ranking Timbrel's number one Big Timbrel fan Band is seven, seven, and then the last one we have is Chorus.
Speaker 3Oh yeah, it's a six. Sorry, chris, we love you.
Speaker 1Okay, so everyone listening. Here's the rankings from the Divisional Youth and Candidate Secretary Timbrels one Digital Communication. Two no bias there at all. No, no Worship. Band three Drama four Dance five Chorus six Band seven I feel like you don't like me and Chris very much.
Speaker 2Oh, that's not it at all, man.
Speaker 3It's not you, it's me.
Speaker 1It's you, okay. Actually, I feel like on the way to this episode you were like I hate to admit it, but I don't think I made many chorus rehearsals this year.
Speaker 2He did say that.
Speaker 6I didn't.
Speaker 3I was prepping for Corkadets. And I also did say that my highlight of the entire higher season is Zia's drum solo.
Speaker 2There's some contradictions in this episode, and then I put band as the absolute worst.
Speaker 1Contradictions, Not worst just seventh, Not worst just seventh Lowest, just lowest, alright we need to move on before.
Speaker 3Nate says something. There's no science to this.
Speaker 1So if you're listening to this episode in the van ride to the Yam overnighter, I'd like you to have your own ranking. We'd love to hear these rankings. Either post them on social media at MassYouth or MassMusic, or just write them on a piece of paper and hand it to us when you get to the Overnighter.
Speaker 3We'll check your work. We'll check your work.
Speaker 1So we have one more segment to talk about, but before we do that, we do want to highlight a video that was made for the sounds of Christmas. The digital communication class made a video, so we asked for a couple of different videos to be made. If you've been to the sounds of Christmas, it is. I mean, there's over a hundred performers a hundred.
Speaker 1It's crazy. So it takes a. It takes a lot to pull off, but there are times when we need to shift people on and off the stage. So we kind of made the decision, instead of people sitting there awkwardly as people get on and off stage, let's put together some video presentations. So we had a couple of different testimonies, but tell us a little bit about the video that we're going to watch.
Speaker 2So, um, we had, um pulled not just the digital communication kids from my class but a lot of the different faces from Yam, and we had a script that talked about one of the scriptures of the Christmas Jesus birth account and just pulled people in and had them read one or two lines. And so when we were building it, it was very choppy and they're like what am I reading? But as you put it together, it creates a story and it's told by many voices and faces. You put it together, it creates a story and it's told by many voices and faces, and it was just very cool in those moments in that big space to see and hear the kids telling the account of Christ's birth and talking about being the Prince of Peace and all those things. And so it was choppy and a lot of different one-liners merged into the story of Christ yeah, Awesome, All right, so we're going to roll this video.
Speaker 1If you're just listening, you'll hear the audio. If you want to hop over on YouTube to SA Mass Music, please subscribe to the YouTube channel, but go ahead and take a look at this video, another great highlight from our yam season.
Speaker 6Long before the birth of Jesus, the prophets spoke of a time when God would send his people a Savior. The prophet Isaiah spoke of Jesus as a great gift for all mankind.
Speaker 5For unto us, a child is born.
Speaker 6Unto us, a son is given.
Speaker 5God offered us redemption with a gift we could never buy a Savior, a spotless lamb, A son.
Speaker 6Unto us, a child is born. Yes, jesus was fully God, but he was also fully man.
Speaker 5Jesus came not only to die for our sins, but to live. To live and experience our joys, our struggles and our sorrows Unto us a son is given.
Speaker 6God gave his best for us, his only begotten son. It was a picture of how much he loved us, and the government will be upon his shoulders. In ancient times, a ruler's shoulders were often seen as the emblem of their power and responsibility. By saying that the government would be upon his shoulders, isaiah emphasized that Jesus would assume the weight of guiding and governing not just the nation but the entire world. While we wait for the day of his return and the coming of his kingdom, jesus rules in our hearts. He will be called the Wonderful Counselor. Wonderful Counselor, wonderful Counselor. Isaiah's words remind us of Jesus' divine wisdom and insight.
Speaker 5His counsel is beyond ordinary human understanding, but he preached truth and righteousness to whoever would listen and accept His words.
Speaker 6He will be called the Mighty God. The Mighty God. Isaiah foretold that Jesus would not simply be a powerful leader of the Jews, but God Himself become flesh. The Messiah's divine nature means he possesses the strength and capability to accomplish God's tempted plan. He lived a sinless life and gave himself as a ransom for many. He endured the pain of the cross and triumphed over the grave. He is mighty. Indeed, he will be called the Everlasting Father. The Everlasting Father.
Speaker 5This title reflects Jesus' eternal nature in His role as a loving, caring Father.
Speaker 6He provides for His children, protecting them and walking beside them through the trials this life can throw our way, and he seals us with the Holy Spirit, keeping us secure in his love for all eternity. He will be called the Prince of Peace. The Prince of Peace Jesus could have come as a conquering king with sword in hand. He could have come as a lion to destroy his enemies.
Speaker 5But Isaiah saw that the Messiah would establish and govern a kingdom of peace instead.
Speaker 6The peace of Jesus isn't a temporary peace like the world offers us. It's an everlasting peace that comes from being reconciled with God. Jesus' peace provides comfort and assurance in the midst of life's challenges. He is the Prince of Peace.
Speaker 5He has already conquered every stressful day, every anxious thought and every temptation we give into.
Speaker 6God used prophets like Isaiah to give his people a glimpse of the soon-coming King.
Speaker 3Isaiah's words brought hope that a Messiah would come for Israel and all the world.
Speaker 6Praise God for the gift of his Son. Praise God for sending us the wonderful Counselor, him mighty God. Praise God that Jesus is the everlasting Father and our Prince of Peace. Praise God for the wonderful gift of Jesus.
Speaker 1All right, and we are back in our final segment of episode number 25 of the Plugged In Podcast, which is our highlight of an awesome season of youth arts ministry.
Speaker 2Yay.
Speaker 1Affectionately known as YAM.
Faculty Rankings and Digital Communications
Speaker 2Our YAM special episode.
Speaker 1Did my phone go off? Is that yours? I think it's me. I'm sorry.
Speaker 3How unprofessional. How long have we done this?
Speaker 1podcast 25 episodes in a minute.
Speaker 2You know the production value here.
Speaker 3Ranking you seven and then letting sounds go off. This is.
Speaker 1Before we wrap up our episode, our final segment.
Speaker 3What was?
Speaker 1that noise.
Speaker 5I don't know what that was like. That was the.
Speaker 1AI in him just generating a sound. No, we did want to say thank you to a lot of people.
Speaker 1We have an incredible volunteer faculty first of all, that comes out one Saturday every month, really from September through April, and they donate their time, their talents, their patience, their expertise. It's really impressive. And this faculty is made up of officers, employees, volunteers, soldiers. It's really like a wide, a huge width of talent. So we're really thankful to our faculty first of all, and we have a divisional officer staff who's really supportive of this program.
Speaker 1So, first of all, we get to use a divisional headquarters as a rehearsal space. That doesn't happen in every division and I know that we talk to the YAM students every Saturday about this is a place of business and don't go where you're not supposed to go and don't throw candy wrappers, and we really try our best to respect the space. But outside of that, every saturday. So if you know the format for yam, the kids come and it's really a music school, music and art school, and then so we do feed everyone lunch in the middle of the day and I'll just say, uh, the last couple years, uh, extra efforts have gone, uh, to make food. That's not just, you know, dominoes or not just like order pizza which is what it has been.
Speaker 1Well, yeah it's my favorite, but that effort has really been led by the divisional officer staff, and so I just want to say thank you to Majors Everett and Pat Henry. I want to say thank you to Majors Elijah and Valerie Kahn. We had Doris and Larry Majors Doris and Larry Setti helping out. Major Irene, recently promoted to glory, was helping in the kitchen and serving lunch at YAM.
Speaker 1And then in the most recent iterations of YAM, we've had Majors Judd and Lori Laidlaw, and so they have all been. I didn't miss anybody, right? Nope yeah. And so they have all been. I didn't miss anybody, right? Nope yeah. So they have been really lovingly and in a sacrificial way, taking their time and preparing really home-cooked meals.
Speaker 2It's really been great For the whole season there was like really good food this year.
Speaker 1It was good food yeah.
Speaker 2I mean, there was what did the cons make? Like a jambalaya. It was from New Orleans, whatever it was, whatever it was, and it smelled so good.
Speaker 3The whole building smelled so amazing. It was well seasoned. It was very good. Yeah, three different types when?
Speaker 1people were going up through the lines. They were just like do you want the spicy or?
Speaker 2the mild Right yeah, or the sampler.
Speaker 1Yeah, and I was. That was one month we had walking tacos.
Speaker 2Walking tacos are always a fave. They're always so good.
Speaker 1I know someone put together meatball subs. That's another favorite. What else do we have?
Speaker 3Mac and cheese and chicken tenders, oh yeah.
Speaker 2All these things that I'm saying aren't just the meal, because we have dietary, dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian, so each meal always has substitute meals and, even taking into consideration those things, we've always had hands in the kitchen. Barbara Rivera was always in there, major Kevin Pulido is always helping out. It's just seeing everyone come together. And then the cleanup. Oh the cleanup after walking tacos is no joke.
Speaker 3Sweeping the floors, wiping down the tables, all that.
Speaker 1Yeah, and even outside the divisional officer staff there's people that are coming with their kids who have like I mean to be honest have not been asked or assigned to help Jump in, but they're there to help.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1And so that's a lot of the officers that are driving the kids. I'll just walk in the kitchen and they're wiping down tables or they're taking out the garbage and so, yam, is this? It's a unique thing, it's a really special thing, and I think when everyone's kind of pulling in the same direction, you kind of look at it as that. I think you've probably heard this phrase before but the journey is the reward. So, like, whatever happens at the finale concert, that's not really the point of the whole season. Yeah, like that kind of puts a pin on it and it kind of wraps everything together. But seeing everyone, uh, work together, spend their time, whether you're a student, a teacher, a faculty support member, an officer, like everyone's kind of coming together in the name of we're not just here to get good at what we're doing, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1We're not just here to get good at what we're doing, but we are here to give glory and honor back to God and to recognize that we've been given talents. It's actually our responsibility to discover what they are and then use them.
Speaker 3Use them for his glory.
Speaker 2no-transcript humbled and excited that just by association of us being in here, jackson gets to sit in things and picked up a pee trumpet.
Speaker 1Yeah, he's been in the back of the van.
Speaker 2Yeah, he's testing it out. But again, just this idea of community and fellowship and kind of just discovering those things, discovering those gifts, discovering those abilities, in community with each other and in encouragement. It really is just a beautiful representation of Christ. And you're right, the finale is kind of like the bookend of the season, but there's been so much in the six months that we've been journeying together you can't capture it all in a two-hour performance.
Speaker 1And I think, where I think maybe I have an advantage over you guys or someone like Kristen Not an advantage, that's a weird way to put it, but we've been here a little bit longer, yeah, and so you start to see like Angelina and Jorge were YAM students.
Speaker 5And now they're on the faculty.
Speaker 4Yeah.
Speaker 1Jolina and then someone just escaped Molly. Yeah, you're looking at people who Joel Piercy.
Speaker 5They're going to keep popping up as I'm talking.
Speaker 1You're looking at people who are a part of the YAM program, who you know at some point found enough value in it as a student that they are finding a responsibility to give back to the new wave of students and that's just really special to see. I think that's very cool and that's kind of the ideal when you think of a program like this. Eventually, it's run by alumni and people that care about it and care about its progress, and so, yeah, it's been a really fun season.
Speaker 5And.
Thanking Volunteers and Final Reflections
Speaker 2I'm just going to ask Loretta, we just want to pray over the overnighter, the finale, and just kind of the growth of all of our students and yeah, so I'll just let's close our episode of prayer today, let's pray, heavenly Father, what a gift it is to be in community with one another, the gift you've given us of others, the gift you've given us of friendship and relationship, and I thank you, lord, for the blessing of Yam. I thank you for this past season. I thank you for the time, the talent, the investment that has been made, not just in the program but in the individual lives of the people who represent the program. I thank you for the many hands that go unseen to make the setup and the teardown and everything in between happen. Lord, I just pray specifically right now for the overnighter, for all the preparations, all the last minute practices, all the things that are going to be happening in the next 48 hours.
Speaker 2Lord, I just pray that you would, father, that you would just have your hand of blessing over it, father, that you would give us your peace, that you would give us your portion, that you would give us your capacity for grace and for knowledge and for remembering all the things that have been put into this time, into this season.
Speaker 2Lord, would you just bring peace upon the performers and the nerves that they might be feeling in these moments. Lord, would you just have your way is what we're asking, lord. Have your way in the finale, have your way in this overnight, or have your way in the beautiful image of community that is represented here in Massachusetts through this program. Father, we love you and we just pray that you would find us as the leaders and as people of influence in this division and this program. Would you find us faithful, so that those that come behind us, lord, would follow in step with your perfect faithfulness to us. Father, we love you. We commit this program, this time these kids ourselves, over to you once again and just say have your way. We love you. God, in your name, we pray Amen.
Speaker 1Amen, amen. Thank you for that. Yes, all right. Well, we're going to call it a wrap on episode number 25. I like this one, the Yam Special.
Speaker 2This was fun. Yeah, I liked it.
Speaker 1In our next episode, number 26, we'll be wrapping up our thoughts on Jesus' farewell message as we come into the Easter season and we'll give you the final results from our March fatness bracket.
Speaker 2Hey, it'll be a good episode of eating or drinking.
Speaker 3Yeah, there's going to be some type of snack on set with us.
Speaker 1Just not Duncan, please Foreshadowing.
Speaker 2Where did we brainstorm today?
Speaker 1Alright, everyone, everyone. Well, thank you for joining us on the plugged in podcast episode number 25, the yam special. We will see you next time.