Interview with Ruth Frederick

By Brad Dupray

As director of children”s resources for Standard Publishing, Ruth Frederick oversees the development of one of Standard”s cornerstone products””Vacation Bible School. With a bachelor”s degree in Christian education from Lincoln (Illinois) Christian College, active involvement in children”s ministry since high school, and 21 years in development of children”s educational products for Standard, Ruth brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. Ruth and her husband of 31 years, Jack, have four children and one grandchild. They are members of LifeSpring Christian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.

I understand that Standard “invented” VBS, is that true?

That”s what I”m told. I wasn”t there! As I understand it we are the first publishers of VBS””that was around 1923.

You weren”t there at the beginning but how do you think it”s different today than when it started?

I went to VBS as a child and I started helping in VBS in high school. In a lot of ways it”s the same. It”s fun. The kids meet new friends; they learn about the Bible. There”s great music and a lot of energy. All of those things still exist. It”s different in that we try to make the themes current, and the formats and tools for teachers are developed to be easier to use. For example, there are more digital resources. But I think the purpose and the outcomes are very much the same. We want more kids following Jesus.

Has it changed significantly since you became director?

I have great respect for the people who used to be in this position, Phyllis Sanders and Kay Moll. I don”t think I”m doing anything they weren”t trying to do””making it the best, the easiest to use. One thing we have done for next year is a more obvious focus on serving””with service projects and activities to help kids serve family, friends, neighbors, community, and Jesus. The trend in many churches is toward being more outwardly focused. That”s a component we will keep””it”s very concrete and kids love to serve. It goes alongside a strong missions emphasis that”s always been a part of VBS.

How do you develop a VBS theme?

We have a lot of creative people at Standard Publishing. We don”t limit the creative process to the children”s product team. We have weekly brainstorming sessions where we talk about lots of new ideas, and periodically VBS is the topic of the brainstorming session. We also get online and go to children”s museum sites and children”s Web sites to see what kids are looking at””what TV, what movies, what books. At some point we come up with a list of themes, survey our customers, and narrow it down. It”s a fun process. We hope we haven”t landed on the same theme as one of our competitors, but that happens from time to time.

That”s not surprising, since you”re doing such extensive research.

Everybody wants to choose a theme that hits home. We”re looking for a theme that has an immediate visual and emotional connection, so it”s a challenge, but it”s a fun challenge.

What is your ultimate goal for a week of VBS?

For us, in developing the resources, we hope churches can adapt what we provide to meet their goals. These materials all by themselves won”t do anything. It”s people putting them to work for their kids. In some of the introductory material for VBS we suggest leaders first decide what they want to accomplish, then use our materials to make it happen. Some churches use VBS to help their churched kids become stronger disciples. Other churches might take VBS to their community park and their goal is mainly outreach. We want to give them the resources to meet any of the goals they choose.

Is it a little overwhelming that the decisions your team makes will affect the way thousands of children learn?

We don”t think about it every day, but it”s always in the back of our minds. It”s why we do everything as excellently as we do. We try to make it fun, accurate, kid-friendly, easy to use. I”m so blessed to be in this position. Thinking about the thousands of kids is more motivating than overwhelming.

How many people are on the VBS development staff?

On my team there are three editors whose responsibility is summer ministry, and that includes VBS. But when we”re in the middle of the production schedule for VBS, many more people are involved””marketing, sales, procurement, creative services. We even pull people from other products to work with VBS from time to time. It affects a lot of people in this office.

So it takes a great deal of adaptability on everyone”s part.

I work with a great team and they all love and are involved in some way with children’s ministry. They”re pretty flexible. Several years ago the big push was to create Standard”s HeartShaper curriculum, and those people met the challenge. This year we are working on curriculum materials for preteens. VBS is new every year, so that”s a fun challenge every year.

A lot of churches do VBS for adults, too.

That part of our course is developed by the adult and teen product team. We communicate with them when we have landed on a theme to make sure they know where we are going, and they”re often a part of the brainstorming so they know how/why we have developed the theme.

The artwork seems to be a huge part of the “front-door” appeal. Which comes first, the theme or the look?

Our creative services team is a big part of how VBS gets done. We have in-house designers and production people who make this happen. For the last couple of years we worked with outside designers for the overall look of the course, but a lot of the details and design happens in-house. We start with themes, and then we get some initial designs. Sometimes we”ll get initial designs on several themes. Sometimes the design can push us to a theme. Sometimes the theme is so strong it pushes us to a design. But the design has to be strong. It has to be on target.

How do the artists coordinate their work with the editorial staff?

With a really good production manager. Carla Crane is our managing editor and she helps us manage scheduling. She tracks the production schedule and helps us plan ahead. We”re fitting production between focus groups and field tests, and all along the editors are working on content and working with our in-house design people. It has to all work together. We know how long it takes to get things done, and we know what has to be done first, second, and third. And each year we get a little better.

What makes for an interesting lesson?

You ask 10 people that and you”ll get 10 different answers. It has to be very interactive so that kids are involved in the Bible story and participating in the lesson, but also having time to think and internalize it. For VBS, the lesson involves the whole two hours””projects they”re going to do, games, having fun with their friends. It”s an event, more than a lesson. It”s got be visual, interactive, and fun, but it”s got to be solid. We want kids to walk away knowing Jesus and wanting to come back for more.

Can the materials be written so that even the average (or below-average!) teacher can use them?

I think so. Everybody on our team has strong education and Bible background. We try to provide teacher and leader guides that offer helpful Bible background. And the lessons are developed so that, whether they know it or not, the teachers are presenting a lesson that is educationally sound and age-appropriate. We try to make the design of the lesson guides easy to follow so that anyone can teach it, because there are going to be teachers of varying abilities.

What”s the key to being a good VBS teacher?

It all comes down to loving those kids and knowing why you”re there. I don”t really remember specifically what I was taught in VBS (although I can still sing some of the songs!), but I loved it and people there cared about me. I think it”s important what you teach, but it”s just as important to show that you love those kids, that you love Jesus, and you”re thrilled they are there.

What makes Standard”s VBS the best?

It”s biblically solid. It”s all about service. It has great music. It”s easy to decorate. It”s for all ages””preschool through adult. It works in classrooms or as a site-based VBS. And kids will have a blast!

What is this year”s VBS theme?

God”s Big Backyard is all about service. In addition to the fun and learning about Jesus, kids are going to be doing something for someone else””an outward focus for people they know. It”s much more concrete for kids. They can say, “I can serve next door. I can serve today. I can help my own community,” and I do think that sets it apart.

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To find out more about Standard Publishing”s 2008 Vacation Bible School theme, God”s Big Backyard, visit www.VacationBibleSchool.com.