Five years of Wacky Wednesday Trivia with AST grad, Virginia Wallace

Virginia Wallace graduated last May (2025) after almost nine years at AST. Wallace spent five years at the school as a Candidate for Ordained Ministry in the United Church of Canada. 

“We were still maintaining Covid restrictions when I began SMP1000 (now MAP), so it was very difficult to do any in-person connecting or pastoral care,” shared the AST grad. 

“One of my learning goals was to learn, understand and develop pastoral care skills in a pandemic situation. It was a challenge as so many people were still isolating in their homes, and visiting was highly discouraged.”

Seeing a need for lighthearted fun to offset the gloom of Covid restrictions, Wallace started a weekly activity that was accessible to everyone in a health-conscious way. 

“I have always loved games like Trivial Pursuit, so the idea of an online trivia hour came to me.” Wacky Wednesday Trivia was meant to last three months. It’s been five years since it was launched, and it’s still going strong. 

“Each week, I choose a theme, find a Biblical verse that connected to the theme, share a short reflection and prayer, and then we begin the trivia fun,” explained Wallace.

“This activity also gave me an opportunity to improve my PowerPoint skills. After the three months, with in-person visiting permitted once again, I thought to shut down the activity because the prep time was very time-consuming. Participants were disappointed so we agreed to do a monthly event, and five years later it is still going strong.”

Let's go back to the beginning. What brought you to AST? 

I was a stay-at-home mom for four wonderful kids and didn't think that any vocation could be better than motherhood, that is until God asked me to take my gifts and skills I honed as a mother and bring them to ministry. 

When the idea of studying for ministry was first considered I didn't think it would be financially possible for me as a single parent with two children about to enter post-secondary education but a minister friend of mine told me about the AST Summer Distance Program, that she herself had completed. It was the generosity of Pine Hill that made studying at AST financially possible for me. 

Also, I had been out of the education system for so many years and not sure if I would be able to handle the workload but the personal, pastoral approach the educators at AST take to encourage and support each and every student made it an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

What’s the trickiest trivia category you’ve ever included in Wacky Wednesday Trivia Hour, and what's your personal favourite?  

I think one of the fun parts of putting together the trivia questions is the learning that I get to do. I can’t say that any of the categories have been tricky, but finding biblical trivia to fit the theme can be very tricky. Last October’s theme, “This is Halloween” included little known facts about All Hallows Eve and the Bible doesn't cover that subject, but I always manage to find 5-10 questions that fit.  

Biblical themes like: “Couples: Biblical and Beyond,” “Biblical Who's Who,” “Kings and Queens Rule,” and “Metaphors: Inside and Outside the Bible” are probably my favourites to create as I can often weave some of the trivia into sermons. One of the fun parts (for me more than the participants) is coming up with some challenging questions. 

How has your time and study at AST informed the spirit or format of the Wednesday event?

My time at AST taught me that the Spirit is present in everything we do, from writing essays and leading Thursday morning worship to living together in community for six weeks in the summer on the AST campus.

It would have been easy to just do the trivia part, but since I was studying at a theological school, it made sense to include a short worship time (verse, reflection, prayer) before each get-together to help ground us in the moment and reminding us to let the Spirit be part of the experience. Every new activity or event I create for my congregation follows this format. 

What’s the best part about hosting the trivia hour, and who would you most encourage to join in the future? 

I get a lot of pleasure from coming up with new and interesting themes and finding biblical texts, reflections, and prayers that can be shared along with some fun. I think though that the best part is bringing together and getting to spend time with a diverse group of people that enjoy games and learning as much as I do. Since its inception, this single congregation learning goal has expanded to include people from four different congregations, AST classmates, friends, and family all through the love of trivia. Anyone who wants to spend an hour once a month, having a few laughs, connecting with others and learning something new is always welcome to join in. 

What advice would you give to other alumni who are looking to start their own community-building venture?

The best advice I can give is to find something that you enjoy and develop it from there. It can involve art, music, food, games or anything else you are passionate about. For an SME3000 assignment I started Spirit Cafe which almost always involves some sort of craft because I love crafts. It too has continued after the initial assignment was completed.

Email Virginia at Virginia.Wallace@astheology.ns.ca if you'd like to be a part of Wacky Wednesday Trivia