Plugged In Podcast
Plugged In Podcast
Episode 25 - The YAM Special
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.
hey, 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 2:So this gets us our award, yeah, our ribbon.
Speaker 1:It'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 2:Are you guys excited? I'm excited. It's always crazy. I can't believe we're here already.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because.
Speaker 2:I feel like the Yam Overnighter and the Yam Finale is like the first step into like summer ministries, youth councils, all those.
Speaker 1:It is the beginning. How? Not the beginning of the end, but it is the beginning of a very busy season. Yes, it is.
Speaker 2:It's wild so I can't believe it's here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 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.
Speaker 1:That'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 2:have 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 1:And 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 2:So 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 2:we 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 3:That's very cool, nate, you got one. Oh yes, yes, I do. Let's hear it.
Speaker 2:Ready to go.
Speaker 3:I 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 2:You'll catch it yeah.
Speaker 3:And 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.
Speaker 2:Well, 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 1:Yeah, 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 1:So, 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 1:And 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 2:It's an accomplishment. It is strong.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 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 1:Okay, now it's time to go. We've kind of done our thing.
Speaker 4:He 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 1:Praise 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 3:One 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 2:Yeah, love, I can see that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, she's got the theological knowledge and the heart right behind it. So theological knowledge, theological knowledge, all right.
Speaker 1:Good job, lily and lily listens what we think. We think she listens to the podcast we'll find out she does.
Speaker 2:We'll find out if she will know.
Speaker 1:Yeah 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 1:Mason'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 2:It'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 3:Oh yeah, he's always around too.
Speaker 2:Okay, most likely to be buying snacks from the vending machine. This is Isaac.
Speaker 1:This is Isaac.
Speaker 2:And when they aren't getting the snacks, their little circle of them are asking for dollar bills from people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 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 3:They are the first ones there and you need a lot of coffee to make it from Pittsfield and Barrett.
Speaker 1:I don't want to know what time they're leaving, but it's early alright.
Speaker 2:The 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 1:Uh, 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 3:Sure, most likely to be in the top band at Yam next year, mercedes and Leilani from Haverhill.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the self-proclaimed Massachusetts twins. Yes, is what?
Speaker 1:they 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 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Their 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 2:They're working hard at the core too, which is awesome.
Speaker 1:All right, so person most likely to hype you up when you need a hype man.
Speaker 2:One, two, three.
Speaker 1:Molly.
Speaker 2:That was we all knew.
Speaker 1:So 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 3:I 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 2:Hype man, amazing, all right, most likely to be caught singing a worship song. Yep, anna Jalene from Lawrence, yeah.
Speaker 1:She is, can we?
Speaker 4:just say heart so kind.
Speaker 2:But 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 1:Uh, at solo night worship songs like that's just her jam she, she loves and she's so good at it.
Speaker 2:She 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 4:Ariana.
Speaker 1:Because she's into singing, she's into drama, she's working on the whole thing.
Speaker 2:Not afraid of the camera or the stage.
Speaker 1:Great 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 2:And on the spot, coming up with things to say, she was phenomenal.
Speaker 1:I 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 2:yeah, exactly, nate, you want to do the next?
Speaker 3:one 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 2:It's incredible. It's so genuine. He's such an old soul, that guy. I love him uh.
Speaker 1:The 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 2:I 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 3:He was an opera performance major in college, right you?
Speaker 5:know something like that he studied.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he studied music for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 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 1:Exceptional musicianship.
Speaker 2:A lot of S's.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 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 2:He'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 1:The 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 2:uh. 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 1:So 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 3:That's actually impressive. I know it is impressive.
Speaker 1:It'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 2:Well, in, I kind of snuck it in because of a story that had been told off air Most observant award.
Speaker 1:I mean, this story is embarrassing for me. No, I love it, you have to tell it.
Speaker 2:next, the most observant award goes to Jude.
Speaker 1:From Lawrence. Do you actually want me to tell it?
Speaker 2:No, tell it. I think it's hilarious.
Speaker 1:Okay, 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 1:Play 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 3:The light bulb moment.
Speaker 1:Oh, it was great, so most observant goes to Jude. Thank you, jude, that's great. Love it For recognizing my horrible facial hair.
Speaker 2:I love him Most likely to talk about handbells. Oh yeah, most likely to talk about handbells.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, Ready.
Speaker 2:One, two, three.
Speaker 3:Chris Molinaro. Oh, got the last name too, and last name.
Speaker 2:Always, always, mr Handbells.
Speaker 1:Chris wore a t-shirt a handbell t-shirt that I think was made for him by Lieutenant Paul from.
Speaker 2:Greenfield. That's so cute though, but yeah.
Speaker 1:Chris had a handbell t-shirt at the last YAM gathering.
Speaker 3:I 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 1:Mage 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 2:It was a bright yellow t-shirt.
Speaker 1:It 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 2:It started out as the person most likely to greet you.
Speaker 4:The butter shirt had to be added oh yeah, it's a qualifier Either work.
Speaker 1:Either work.
Speaker 2:And, I think, our last one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the last one is the most likely person to have taught you Timbrels at any point in the last 20 years.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 20 years Wow.
Speaker 1:Would be Kristen.
Speaker 2:Yeah, would be Kristen yeah.
Speaker 1:The 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 1:Timbrels. 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 2:And 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 1:All 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 4:And 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 1:Oh, how's just? It's been a crazy year so fast. What an awesome highlight, right.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's just. It's been a crazy year, so fast.
Speaker 1:It'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 1:Now 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 2:Surprise, I almost ruined the whole thing.
Speaker 1:Okay, 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 2:Let's say let's give it a three.
Speaker 1:Wow, hey.
Speaker 2:Hey, now Look at that agreement.
Speaker 1:Okay, 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 2:Good answer I was going to say like a two.
Speaker 3:You're really feeling yourself, aren't you?
Speaker 1:You said one, yeah, yeah, you literally said that okay, I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding.
Speaker 2:I agree with two all right, two, we're gonna go two.
Speaker 1:Okay, 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 2:I mean, even though your repertoire is great, I gotta, I gotta, be careful larita I gotta, I gotta go seven, seven seven.
Speaker 1:Yeah, are you, are you?
Speaker 2:anti-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 1:All right All my band students, I need you to like give it to Loretta when she shows up.
Speaker 2:Ok, band number seven. If you agree with me, high five as you walk in the door today.
Speaker 1:Ok, wow, ok, the anti band podcast.
Speaker 4:Whatever, number 25.
Speaker 1:Your father would be so disappointed.
Speaker 2:We'll skip over this section of the episode.
Speaker 1:OK, 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 3:Yeah, yeah, that sounds right.
Speaker 2:Drama four, drama is something that I enjoy watching, can't do myself.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:I don't know what's going to be one, but keep going.
Speaker 1:All 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 3:I'm trying to think of what else. What else is left?
Speaker 2:don'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 1:Five, okay, a little five. Dance at five, big jump from one to five.
Speaker 2:I know, when you have two, three and four taken, this is hard.
Speaker 1:Okay, timberl's Ooh, number one, One, number one in Nate's heart, number one in my heart.
Speaker 2:Nate did.
Speaker 3:Timberl's as a I did.
Speaker 1:I 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 2:No, it is really impressive.
Speaker 1:Let's go one, they green.
Speaker 2:They look so good. Yeah, it was pretty cool.
Speaker 3:I think in terms of continuity as well, just like I don't know, it's iconic.
Speaker 1:Okay, 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 3:Oh yeah, it's a six. Sorry, chris, we love you.
Speaker 1:Okay, 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 2:Oh, that's not it at all, man.
Speaker 3:It's not you, it's me.
Speaker 1:It'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 2:He did say that.
Speaker 6:I didn't.
Speaker 3:I was prepping for Corkadets. And I also did say that my highlight of the entire higher season is Zia's drum solo.
Speaker 2:There's some contradictions in this episode, and then I put band as the absolute worst.
Speaker 1:Contradictions, Not worst just seventh, Not worst just seventh Lowest, just lowest, alright we need to move on before.
Speaker 3:Nate says something. There's no science to this.
Speaker 1:So 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 3:We'll check your work. We'll check your work.
Speaker 1:So 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 1:It'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 2:So, 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 1:If 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 6:Long 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 5:For unto us, a child is born.
Speaker 6:Unto us, a son is given.
Speaker 5:God offered us redemption with a gift we could never buy a Savior, a spotless lamb, A son.
Speaker 6:Unto us, a child is born. Yes, jesus was fully God, but he was also fully man.
Speaker 5:Jesus 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 6:God 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 5:His counsel is beyond ordinary human understanding, but he preached truth and righteousness to whoever would listen and accept His words.
Speaker 6:He 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 5:This title reflects Jesus' eternal nature in His role as a loving, caring Father.
Speaker 6:He 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 5:But Isaiah saw that the Messiah would establish and govern a kingdom of peace instead.
Speaker 6:The 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 5:He has already conquered every stressful day, every anxious thought and every temptation we give into.
Speaker 6:God used prophets like Isaiah to give his people a glimpse of the soon-coming King.
Speaker 3:Isaiah's words brought hope that a Messiah would come for Israel and all the world.
Speaker 6:Praise 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 1:All 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 2:Yay.
Speaker 1:Affectionately known as YAM.
Speaker 2:Our YAM special episode.
Speaker 1:Did my phone go off? Is that yours? I think it's me. I'm sorry.
Speaker 3:How unprofessional. How long have we done this?
Speaker 1:podcast 25 episodes in a minute.
Speaker 2:You know the production value here.
Speaker 3:Ranking you seven and then letting sounds go off. This is.
Speaker 1:Before we wrap up our episode, our final segment.
Speaker 3:What was?
Speaker 1:that noise.
Speaker 5:I don't know what that was like. That was the.
Speaker 1:AI in him just generating a sound. No, we did want to say thank you to a lot of people.
Speaker 1:We 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 1:So, 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 1:Well, 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 1:And 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 2:It's really been great For the whole season there was like really good food this year.
Speaker 1:It was good food yeah.
Speaker 2:I 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 3:The whole building smelled so amazing. It was well seasoned. It was very good. Yeah, three different types when?
Speaker 1:people were going up through the lines. They were just like do you want the spicy or?
Speaker 2:the mild Right yeah, or the sampler.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I was. That was one month we had walking tacos.
Speaker 2:Walking tacos are always a fave. They're always so good.
Speaker 1:I know someone put together meatball subs. That's another favorite. What else do we have?
Speaker 3:Mac and cheese and chicken tenders, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:All 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 3:Sweeping the floors, wiping down the tables, all that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 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 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And 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 1:We'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 3:Use them for his glory.
Speaker 2:no-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 1:Yeah, he's been in the back of the van.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 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 1:And 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 5:And now they're on the faculty.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Jolina and then someone just escaped Molly. Yeah, you're looking at people who Joel Piercy.
Speaker 5:They're going to keep popping up as I'm talking.
Speaker 1:You'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 5:And.
Speaker 2:I'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 2:Lord, 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 2:Lord, 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 1:Amen, 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 2:This was fun. Yeah, I liked it.
Speaker 1:In 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 2:Hey, it'll be a good episode of eating or drinking.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there's going to be some type of snack on set with us.
Speaker 1:Just not Duncan, please Foreshadowing.
Speaker 2:Where did we brainstorm today?
Speaker 1:Alright, 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.