Get To Know Our New Online Engagement Director! | Trinity Talks Podcast

Hello everyone and welcome today to Trinity Talks.

I am so excited to have Kyla Lowness joining me for a special conversation because Kyla,

you are going to be sitting in this chair in just a few weeks.

And I just would love to have a conversation with you and just get to know you a little

bit better.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Sounds great.

I think it's going to.

I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

Trinity Talks, right?

Of course.

With a game.

Of course.

Because it's always more fun with a game.

And because it's just you and I doing this, I thought perhaps I could play too.

Sounds good.

You know, I have to say that over the past couple of months or almost a year now, I watched

the three participants or guests play their games and there's been just this inkling

of jealousy that I don't usually get to participate.

So because this is my last Trinity Talks, I would like to involve myself.

Right.

Games are always more fun with two.

Exactly.

All right.

So I know we have some random questions inside this basket and maybe it's not so much of

a game as a, I don't know, just like a get to know you icebreaker.

But I would like to graciously ask you to draw one question first and answer that question.

Then we'll switch.

Okay.

So I answer it myself.

You answer it yourself.

Okay.

My question is chocolate or vanilla?

And my very easy answer is always chocolate.

Okay.

Okay.

Well, we're similar in that sense because I would say chocolate as well.

Very rarely would I choose vanilla over chocolate.

I can't even think of an example.

All right.

I'm not sure what kind of questions we have in here.

Maybe they're all going to be that easy.

Most used emoji.

Okay.

All right.

I'm just going to say a side note here.

When I see the word emoji, I remember a long time ago, maybe 15, 20 years ago, the word

used to be emoticon and I'm not sure when it changed to emoji, but this just is one of

my questions that I have that probably will never be answered.

Sure.

But my most used emoji is probably the heart.

Okay.

Or I really like using the yellow face with the teeth.

Okay.

Like I don't really know what's going on kind of face.

Okay.

Maybe it has a name.

As the online engagement director, I probably should know the name of that emoji.

So if there is a name, I would love it if someone could tell me, but it's the one with

the teeth.

Yeah.

Okay.

What about you, Kylie?

Do you use an emoji often?

I mean, I feel like my most used emoji is probably just like the really basic happy face emoji.

I also use hearts, I guess.

Yeah.

Hearts.

Sometimes it's a way of saying I agree with you or putting a tone in the message.

I definitely don't use a variety of emojis.

The hieroglyphs of modern day.

Yes.

Okay.

If you had 25 hours in a day, what would you do with the extra hour?

It's a good question.

I feel like I might sleep an extra hour.

If you had to be general about it, I might say sleep as well.

Just get an extra hour of sleep in.

Yeah.

I mean, there's some days where like, okay, I need an extra hour to accomplish some household

chores or something.

Get something done.

Most of the time, just an extra hour of sleep would be good.

I hear you on that one.

All right.

Let's see.

Let's do a couple more of these.

Let's see.

This one says, would you rather be able to be invisible or read minds?

All right.

Personally, I think I'd choose invisibility.

I think it's just maybe just more control over it for myself.

I would be able to choose when I am invisible and when I'm not.

Right.

Harry Potter style.

I think reading minds could be a little bit maybe confusing if you are hearing so many

other voices.

Yes.

It's confusing enough hearing our own voices in our head, right?

Yes.

Definitely.

All right.

All right.

Another question.

This one.

Coffee or tea?

That's a simple question.

Yes.

If I had to pick between the two, I would pick tea.

But I don't like coffee at all and I don't really like tea that much.

I'm more of a hot chocolate person.

Okay.

Hey.

I like it.

All right.

I'll do two more and you do one more.

Okay.

If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?

I don't know why I even have an answer to this question.

I think I would choose a giraffe.

I don't know if they have any predators.

Which is one thing that I would like.

I think they just look like they have such a lovely free life.

Sure.

Also, I think being an eagle would be fun because I would love to be able to fly.

Yeah.

I'm just curious.

What animal would you choose?

I don't know.

I think... I really like penguins.

They're my favorite animal.

That's my number three, to be honest.

Okay.

I don't know if I would want to be a penguin because it would be super cold.

But also they all huddle together and keep warm, so it might be fine.

Right.

Okay.

There's pros and cons to being a penguin like anything else.

Yeah.

Okay.

What sport would I like to play in the Olympics?

Now keeping in mind that I do not play any sports currently.

When I was watching the Olympics, I really enjoyed watching beach volleyball.

Okay.

Great.

It looks like I understand the rules enough that I feel like I could figure it out.

Okay.

I might not be great at it, but I can give it a try.

But you know that it gets within the realm of possible possibilities.

Yeah.

All right.

Last but not least.

Oh, I don't like that question.

I'm going to choose the other one.

Cat or dog?

Okay.

On the count of three, say your answer.

One, two, three.

Cat.

All right.

Should we just end the interview here?

I knew you were going to say dog, so I knew that'd be funny.

All right.

So Kyla, you are joining us here at Trinity as the new online engagement director.

And those of us who have been here at church have seen you and you've read, we've seen

you in many different capacities actually within the church.

But many of us may not have gotten the chance to get to know you.

So could you take a moment maybe just to tell us a little bit about yourself?

Yeah.

Whatever you like.

So I think the first thing that I usually tell folks here in Ontario is that I'm not

actually from Ontario.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Yeah.

So I grew up in Nova Scotia and I lived there for the first, I don't know, 22, 23 years

of my life.

Yeah.

I went to school there, did university there.

And then the first time I moved to Ontario was in 2019 when I actually came to attend

Wycliffe College to do my master's in theology there.

Of course, 2019 was followed very closely by 2020 when the COVID pandemic sort of started

in Ontario.

And so I was actually only here for less than a year before I moved back out east because

it didn't make a lot of sense to keep living in downtown Toronto in the middle of the pandemic.

Right when you're isolated.

Yes, exactly.

So went back and lived with my parents in New Brunswick for a couple of years.

And then I moved to Mississauga in 2022 when I got a job in Mississauga.

And I've sort of been hanging out here ever since.

Yeah.

I am really passionate about helping churches to learn more about how to love their neighbours

and how to build communities together.

And so that's something that I studied through my master's of theology and something that

I've been starting to do some work on in my previous role with Canadian Baptist Ministries.

And yeah, something that I'm hoping to sort of figure out how we do that well in Trinity

for our in-person and our online congregations.

And then in my free time, I really like going hiking and spending some time, especially

out by waterfalls or just sitting out by a lake.

And I enjoy baking and trying new recipes.

Oh, amazing.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So maybe you can tell us a little bit about yourself.

I know, again, you've sort of been around for a while, but maybe folks don't know you

personally as much.

I have to say, I thought this would never come.

I've been sitting in this chair for a year and this is the first question I've been asked.

So it's throwing me off a little bit.

I'm just joking.

But I'd love to share a little bit about myself.

I myself am an Ontario native.

I grew up here in Ontario, in Sarnia, Ontario.

I came from a big family, like a big extended family.

I have a brother and a twin sister.

And yeah, I just had a lovely upbringing there, lived near the water, like Huron.

I did go and study biochemistry at McMaster University and there I met my husband, Elliot.

I did train as well to be a teacher.

So I have a bachelor's of education in primary junior.

Elliot and I did move to England, to London for two years.

He worked there and I pursued a master's at the University of Oxford in child development.

And when we returned, I did some work in education, private, sort of private and administrative

stuff.

And we ended up having three lovely daughters, Josie, Cece, and Gloria.

And we were living in Mississauga.

We moved here actually, it was for work related things.

And we found Trinity about 11 years ago.

And it became, it really did become a home and it really has become a family here.

So it's been an amazing part of our lives.

Now recently, about just about a year ago, we did move to London, Ontario, and that was

for work related reasons for Elliot.

And we've been actually loving that new community there as well.

I mean, personally, I love, I'll just tell you a little bit about some of my interests.

I love to go out for walks and hikes as well.

I also love to jog.

I love to run out in nature.

I do like to paint with watercolours.

I like puzzles.

I like to cook and spending time with my kids and my family.

Yeah.

Great.

Yeah.

And as you said, you've moved to London, you're transitioning out of this role.

So wondering, what are you going to miss about this job and being part of this family in

this way?

Well, I think, like I said, I've been at Trinity for 11 years, well before I even began this

role as the online engagement director.

So I think the biggest thing that I'm going to miss is the weekly connections with this

church family.

It has been a wonderful place of people that has seen me and my family through some highs

and some lows as well.

And it's where I really came to know and connect with Jesus on a very deep and beautiful level.

So I think I'm going to miss just those connections here at the church as well as the music ministry

and the teaching and the sermons in this role, particularly.

I think I'm going to miss those specific connections that I've made with the online crowd.

Many of them I have learned, or many of you, I've learned your names, we've talked, we've

communicated over emails or over the phone or over Zoom.

And it has been just such a privilege to be able to meet and connect with people in that

way.

So I think I'm going to be missing that.

I also think I'm going to be missing some of the technology work that a little bit of

a skill set I developed here that I didn't know I had.

So there's definitely been some fun creative elements relating to the technology website,

social media that I will be missing and then maybe looking to integrate and implement into

the next steps of wherever I go.

So you've been in this role for around a year or so.

What are some of the things that you have learned during this time?

All right, let's just stick with technology.

As someone who did not even use Facebook, I would say that I have learned so much about

the technological aspects of communication.

I've learned how to build a website and to update the website.

That's a big thing.

But I think I did the podcast.

So if you haven't downloaded our podcasts on Spotify, those are great.

They're wonderful tools to be able to listen in.

But I think what I've learned is I think I've just learned that people are really what make

the church.

And being able to do things like I'm doing right now, like sit down with you and hear

your story and to hear your wisdom and to learn about your experiences is that's what

really just sort of strengthens the fabric of a church community.

And I think that being able to do that professionally has encouraged me to want to do that maybe

outside of the professional realm a little bit more as well.

So I think I've learned that sitting and taking time to hear the stories of other people,

to share experiences non-judgmentally can really, as I said, help to strengthen the

fabric of a community, which I think is really what we're intended to do.

Yeah, that's great.

And so as you are looking ahead, what's next for you?

Well, we are settled now in London.

So if anyone is out in London, Ontario, we would love to host you over at our house.

We have a nice yard that backs onto a conservation area.

So it's very beautiful.

I'd love to have some guests over.

No, in just a couple of weeks, I will actually be starting to teach in a grade four or five

split class.

So I will have my own classroom at a school not too far from my house and I'll be transitioning

into being a full-time classroom teacher.

So sort of dusting off literally the old books and the old supplies and getting back into

the swing of things that way and just balancing the daily life of kids and their activities.

And then looking as well to find a church in London that we can connect with there.

We would love to stay connected with Trinity, but of course, we also know that having a

home church and a home community nearby is very important.

So we will start the journey and exploring a new faith community in our new city.

Okay.

Yeah.

That's it.

So that was wonderful to be able to share and talk like that.

Yeah.

No, it's good to learn more about you and where you're at.

And of course, folks have been sort of following you and connecting with you for so long.

It's nice to be able to see you off into the next thing.

Well, I appreciate it.

I appreciate it.

And I would appreciate the prayers too, as we look for a new church as well from you.

But you Kyla, we're moving into you.

You're going to now be filling this chair in just a little while.

So I'm wondering if you could tell us a little bit maybe about your experience here actually

at this church and maybe with things you love about the church as well.

Yeah, for sure.

Yeah.

So like I said, I moved to Mississauga in 2022.

And when I moved here, things were still very much in sort of a lockdown state.

And so actually for the first month or so of my interactions with Trinity, we're all

online.

We're watching our services being live streamed and there was no in-person congregation at

that point.

Right.

And so after doing that for about a month, things started to open up a bit more.

And I came to my first in-person service at Trinity.

I think it was in March of 2022.

Okay.

And since then, yeah, just finding whatever ways I can sort of help and support the ministries

that are happening here.

A lot of my connections have sort of happened informally through conversations with people

or through...

So you mentioned like sometimes I'm reading scripture or helping to do the media stuff

at the church and all of that came about because somebody said, hey, we need somebody to do

this this week.

Can you do it?

And I said, sure, why not?

Yeah.

So there's been some of those connections.

And then also in the last about year and a half or so, I've also been serving on Trinity's

board.

And that's been a really good experience just to get to understand a little bit more about

how the church works, how an Anglican diocese works.

And yeah, just what are some of those things that are sort of happening behind the scenes

that I think actually gives me a really good sort of frame of reference for coming into

this job.

Absolutely.

And I also in the past year helped to coordinate a neighborhood assessment team that took place

here at Trinity.

So we sort of did...

We spent, I think it was about eight weeks going through, looking at different areas

of our neighborhood, looking at what are some of the needs?

What are some of the assets and the strengths and the challenges?

And figuring out how can we as a church really serve our community best?

Yeah.

And so that was, again, a really good opportunity for getting to know the church a little bit

more, getting to know the community a little bit more.

Yeah.

And I think has well positioned me to go into this role.

Definitely.

And I would just love to comment that I remember back in March, I believe, it was either early

March or late February when I had you and the team on from that assessment.

And we had a wonderful conversation.

So we do have an episode of Trinity Talks dedicated to the neighborhood assessment.

And if you have not seen it and would like to watch it, please make sure to find it on

YouTube or again on our podcast, Spotify.

And it was a really informative conversation.

I remember that.

Yeah.

So looking forward to perhaps most in this new role for you.

Yeah, I think first and foremost, I feel like I'm coming into this role as a learner, as

someone who has all of these connections and maybe has some ideas.

But I really want to start by just laying some groundwork for myself, getting to know

who are these people who are tuning in, who are connecting with us, and then getting to

know what are some of the things that our online congregation would love to see happening?

What are some of the ways maybe that they're already using the internet or social media?

And how can Trinity help to enrich those aspects of people's lives?

And as I think about what does it mean for us to have a virtual congregation?

What does it mean for us to have a community of people who maybe will never walk through

the doors of the church?

I want to figure out how do we replicate the hospitality and the community that you experience

when you walk through the doors of the church in a virtual space.

So right now when you walk in the doors of the church, you are greeted by people who

are saying, hey, welcome.

We are glad that you are here today.

And you get your little name tag.

And so you get to talk to people in the service and in coffee hour afterwards and just share

life together.

And so it would be great if we can figure out how do we build a space where people can

connect and share life and have conversations even if they're in different physical spaces.

So I don't know what that looks like yet, but I'm excited to figure it out.

No, but I feel like the door is wide open for you on that one.

Yeah.

And I really do look forward to seeing where this ministry goes, where it transforms into,

where it evolves.

I'm just so thrilled that you are able to step into this role with such a great attitude

and with such a great passion, I think for not only this church, but also for the big

sea church, the church of the world.

And it would be great to see how we all sort of fit together in that and then see where

your role sort of takes us there.

So thank you, Kyla, for joining me.

And maybe you want to have a final word?

Yeah, no.

I want to say thank you, Elizabeth, for laying the groundwork for this job.

I think as I was thinking about it, I don't necessarily step into brand new things really

well.

I like to have something to build on.

And so I think you've given me a really solid foundation on which we can start to build

new things.

And then the other thing I would just say is to folks who are listening or who are watching,

yeah, please reach out.

Like I said, I want to learn and I want to get to know folks.

So looking forward to the opportunity to do that.

For sure.

All right.

So that's Kyla Lowness and me, Elizabeth Archer for this episode of Trinity Talks.

Take care, everyone.