State Fair Baking, Creative Outlets, and Building a VBS Volunteer Culture with Victoria Hoppes (Because Ministry Leaders Need Creative Outlets Too)

Dawn and Ruth kick things off with State Fair anticipation (Minnesota, obviously), late summer updates from New York City, outdoor concerts, forest school prep, a son's backpacking trip to Yosemite, and taking another child to NDSU. Summer is winding down in the best possible way.Then they welcome Victoria Hoppes, a children's and youth ministry staff member in Indianapolis who writes, bakes, and tap dances, because creative outlets aren't a luxury for ministry leaders, they're a necessity.Victoria shares her delightful State Fair baking life: entering the Indiana State Fair's open arts and culinary competitions, selecting and tweaking recipes, using her church community as taste testers (best congregation perk ever), and submitting entries without needing county-level wins first. She's earned honorable mention ribbons and once won $15. She's basically living the dream.But then the conversation shifts to something really practical: How do you build a volunteer culture around a large, highly decorated VBS week? Victoria's strategies are gold—building genuine relationships before you need anything, offering take-home kits that make volunteering feel manageable, and sharing stories and photos that make people want to be part of something meaningful.The episode closes with Dawn coaching Victoria on restarting her Substack by September 30 and identifying potential publishers for her writing. This episode is for ministry leaders who need permission to pursue creative outlets AND practical strategies for building the volunteer culture that makes ministry actually sustainable.00:16 State Fair Traditions01:00 New York Summer Stories03:03 Outdoor Gear and Adventures03:47 Backpacking and Big Changes05:58 State Fair Plans and Guest Intro07:14 Meet Victoria Hoppes08:46 Creativity Beyond Ministry11:22 Entering the State Fair14:39 Recipes and Test Kitchen16:32 Judging and Ribbon Keepsakes18:54 Baking as Self Care19:35 Landing Writing Gigs21:59 VBS Creative Build24:08 Recruiting Volunteers29:14 Inspired by Kids30:51 Publishing Under Your Name35:19 Substack Deadline37:14 Wrap Up and Farewell