An interview with Rev. Kayely Rich
Kayely has joined our pastoral staff as of April 2019.
Here is some of her story that she shared with Annabel Robinson…
You can read more of Kayely’s story that was included in our May 2019 newsletter.
Kayely, can you tell us how you first became involved with the Baptist church?
I have been part of the Canadian Baptist family my whole life. My dad has been a pastor (and academic) since I was born. My younger brother and I grew up between Alberta and BC. My mom ran a home daycare then later returned to school to become a teacher. You can certainly say that ministry, children and ongoing learning have been key parts of my life modelled from an early age.
Were there other milestones in your early life that pointed you to full-time Christian ministry?
I don’t remember much about coming to faith since I embraced Jesus when I was very young. I do remember, though, opportunities along the way to lean into and honour that commitment. I especially remember feeling a call to ministry when I was 12 years. We were attending a youth conference and the speaker invited anyone present who was feeling called to ministry to come to the front for prayer. It was though I couldn’t stay in my seat. Although I didn’t know what this call would mean or how it would manifest itself, it was a vivid moment that has since been confirmed in a variety of ways.
What did you do after you graduated from high school?
After high school, I moved to Vancouver to attend UBC. I completed my Bachelors in Psychology with a minor in French before being asked to serve with CBM as a volunteer in Belgium. I spent 7 months in Liege, Belgium helping in 2 local churches and working on some translation of books for a new support group ministry. Translation work proved to be tougher than I had anticipated, but I still greatly enjoyed the opportunity to work alongside Christian brothers and sisters living in another culture and language.
Did this experience influence your next steps?
When I came back to Canada, I began working on my masters degree. I knew that I wanted to train in counselling so I ended up moving to Southern Manitoba in the middle of winter so I could attend Providence Seminary. It was -50ºC as I got off the airplane in Winnipeg wearing my winter gear from Vancouver. Needless to say, it took me a bit of time to get used to Prairie winters! But, like many others, I found a way, and am glad to say that I completed my Master of Arts in Counselling while also working my way through a Masters of Divinity. I made the choice not to stay longer to complete the MDiv as I had run out of funds at this point and didn’t want to take out any loans.
So I imagine that at this point you started to look for a job.
Yes. I began asking God to guide me to the ministry work He had for me. All I knew was that I was to start driving West. Long story short, I drove all the way to family in BC with numerous stops along the way, but in the process God opened the doors for me to come to Regina to work at Argyle Road Baptist Church as their Associate Pastor. I enjoyed getting to know the kind people of Regina and learned a lot in my first few years of pastoring.