MOPS at Christ Church United Methodist

2009/2010 Meeting Schedule

2009-09-03T10:52:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone! We are super excited about our upcoming year at MOPS at Christ Church! Our Kick off Party is next Wednesday, September 9, from 10-12 noon at the Church. Call if you need info (205)218-5671. Below is our tentative 2009-10 Schedule...

MOPS at Christ Church
TOGETHER ON PLANET MOM
2009-2010 Meeting Ideas

September 9- “3-2-1 Blast Off”...2009-10 Kick off Party

October 14- “Galactic Gourmet”...Meal Prep Ideas & Demonstration

November 11- “Alien Adventures... Learning to Live In Harmony with Extended Family

December 9- “Out of This World Gift- Our Savior”...Christmas Party

January 13- “Marital Meteors”...living your marital life the way God intended

February 10- “He's From Mars, She's From Venus, but, I'm from Neptune”...5 love languages

March 10- “Wish Upon a Star”...Praying for Our Children

April 14- “Heavenly Bodies”...Healthy Body Images

May 12-”Ongoing Outerspace Adventures”...Encouragement on Planet Mom

MOPS December 10

2008-12-03T17:17:00.003-06:00

Don't miss our special MOPS at Christ Church Christmas Party this month! We will have some special singers, great food, and a heartfelt devotion about Christmas and it's meaning! Also, don't forget to bring a $5-$10 gift for our MOPS version of Dirty Santa! (this will be in place of your meeting fee)

Also, mark your calendars for Mom's Night Out!!
Monday, December 15
6:30-8:30 P.M.
Leave the kids at home and join us for some guilt free Mommy time!!

Email me for details!

I hope to see everyone at both of these upcoming events. Bring friends!!

A Change in Events

2008-11-05T21:22:00.002-06:00

Unfortunately, we are going to have to post-pone our Parent's night out that was originally scheduled for November 14. The new date is TBA. I am so sorry about this. We are planning a Mom's Night out in early December. More details to come...

Upcoming Events

2008-10-13T20:33:00.002-05:00

MOPS at Christ Church Upcoming Events...

October 22- Playdate at the PUMPKIN PATCH (Clanton)

November 14- Parent's night out

Email kellimorton@charter.net for more details

Expectations Exceeded

2008-10-13T14:37:00.007-05:00

Our second MOPS meeting was last Wednesday. Once again, I left the meeting feeling so FULL and blessed. Nancy Markham, CCUM's Discipleship Minister, spoke to us about the many demands we have as Mothers.

The title of the lesson was "Is there a Kitchen in a 3-Ring Circus?". We discussed common barriers/frustrations when it comes to preparing meals. Not surprisingly, TIME was a huge barrier. Nancy suggested that we should have a plan. (A plan not only for dinner time, but for the day. Nancy gave us many resources to use when it comes to meal preparation and time-saving tips.

Nancy also discussed other areas in the "3-Ring Circus". These areas were things such as...our relationship with our Husbands, Spiritual undergirding of your Children, and the importance of Anchoring your life in Christ. She encouraged us to fill our tank up with things we enjoy. She also urged us to get in a small group/ bible study. Lastly, Nancy gave the supportive statement "God is able to do exceedingly abuntly more than we can imagine"

Nancy weaved scripture in throughout her talk. This was especially comforting to know that we have a heavenly Father that supports our efforts as Mothers.

Here are a few of the scripture references Nancy made...

Genesis 2:18 And the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him."

Deuteronomy 6: 6-9 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Ephesians 3: 16-19 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ , though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Phillipians 4: 11-13 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. But even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.

Ephesians 3:20 Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.

My brief overview of our time together will never do it justice. I can see that God is doing great things in my heart through this ministry. His love truly is amazing. I hope to see each of you back next month.

Listed below are a few of the resources Nancy utilized and listed for us...

http://www.savingdinner.com/

http://www.e-mealz.com/

Superfast Suppers by Cooking Light (Cookbook)

Homemade Meals in Minutes Family-Friendly Menus Made Easy by Linda Spivy & Cinda Coon

Once-A-Month Cooking by Mary Beth Lagerborg & Mimi Wilson

http://www.youreveningmeal.com/

http://www.cafeiz.com/

www.blog.al.com/frugalmom/

Focus on the Family, http://www.family.org-adventures/ in Odyssey

This is the apron we made to go along with our theme....

And this is the keychain from last time (each bead represents the different size breast lumps that are found at different stages of screening)

I will leave you with the title of this post. So far, my expectations of God's work through MOPS have been consistently exceeded.

Blessed Times

2008-09-22T07:53:00.004-05:00

Our first MOPS meeting was wonderful. (I hope others of you who attended would agree).

I don't know about for everyone else, but, for me, Laura's testimony was eye opening and heart warming. It caused me to re-evaluate many areas of my life. I cannot begin to imagine what she is going through. But, I do know, that the strength she has is from the Lord. She said it and I believe it...because, there could be no other explanation. I pray for a miracle for her and that the strength, wisdom, faith and hope that she has remains ever present.

As I looked at her caring bridge site (www.caringbridge.org/visit/lblack), I was reminded of the story she told about the rainbow. If you haven't already looked at her site, I encourage you to do so. The pictures of her BEAUTIFUL family made her story come to life even more. The pictures of the rainbow(s) filled my eyes with tears and covered my body with chills. The vividness of this wonderful symbol of hope is such a GOD thing. Once again, there could be no other explanation.

Please keep Laura in your prayers

We had door prizes galore...

We got to know each other in our discussion group times...

Our hospitality coordinator went all out w/ the decorations...these mums were also door prizes

We also made some keychains that serve as a reminder to take care of ourselves as women--through self-breast exams and routine MD exams and testing. This also can serve as a reminder to pray for Laura Black. (i will post pictures of the keychain later...my husband has the camera right now)

Please join us for our next MOPS on October 8. We will be enjoying more food, fellowship, and fun. Our focus will be on juggling the many hats we wear as women. See you then!!

Fall Semester Meeting Schedule

2008-09-04T16:35:00.003-05:00

September 10 "A MOTHER'S ROLLER COASTER RIDE"

Have your heart touched by the testimony of a young Mother who is one of God's true Warriors

craft: Breast Cancer Awareness Key Chain

October 8 "IS THERE A KITCHEN IN A THREE-RING CIRCUS?"

Practical advice on how to juggle the many demands of Motherhood

craft: Apron

November 12 "I LIVE IN A HOUSE OF MIRRORS...YET, WHO AM I?"

How to obtain a "true" picture of your "true" identity (after Children)

Special Event: Erin Nolen (http://www.erinnolenphotography.com/), will give practical tips on photographing children

Craft: Hand-made Christmas Cards

December 10 CHRISTMAS BRUNCH

Special Guest Speakers share the true meaning of Christmas. Also enjoy special Christmas Music (You will be entertained)

Special Event: DIRTY SANTA

coming up next semester...

"Walking the Financial Tightrope of Motherhood"

"The Tunnel of Love"

"Sometimes Motherhood Causes Motion-Sickness"

AND MORE!!

Getting Started

2008-08-24T23:10:00.000-05:00

Christ Church United Methodist (www.christchurchunitedmethodist.org) is starting a MOPS (Mothers Of Preschoolers) Minstry this fall. We will meet the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 10 a.m.-12 noon at the church. Our first meeting is September 10, 2008. We will have a special speaker, Laura Black, who is a cancer survivor/fighter and also a mother of young children. Laura will be there to share her incredible testimony of how God has used this terrible disease to help and strengthen her walk with him. We will spend time in fellowship, food and also have a special breast cancer awareness take-home craft. During our time together, the MOPPETS (our kids) will be having fellowship and fun of their own.

We are very excited about this ministry. MOPS (www.mops.org) mission is to equip women to be all that God has designed them to be. We will be spending time exploring the issues that face all Mothers of Preschoolers and how God can help us through all of these issues. We will also have activities such as cooking demonstrations, decorating ideas, time management skills that will equip us for everyday living. This year the MOPS theme is ADVENTURES IN MOTHERING ...what else can I say?

Please check out the MOPS website to find out more about MOPS. If you would like to be a part of our MOPS group, please contact Kelli Morton @ kellimorton@charter.net. We would love to have you!!