Purpose Statement

MOPS Purpose Statement: MOPS International exists to encourage, equip and develop every mother of preschoolers to realize her potential as a woman, mother and leader in the name of Jesus Christ.

Showing posts with label summary of each meeting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summary of each meeting. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Summary of MOPS - 4th February 2011

A great morning was had by all Mums last Friday 4th Feb for our first MOPS at MBC meeting for 2011!

Each year, MOPS International offers an annual theme, scripture, book and curriculum to explore with our mums and this year it is 'Mumology, The Art and Science of Mothering'.

This is based on the book by Shelly Radic, "Momology: A Mom's Guide to Shaping Great Kids". This book provides the framework for the essentials of mothering and gives each mum space to discover her own personal style. Mothering is part art, part science, and always a work in progress!

The theme is also related to Psalm 139:10 - "Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast". The full scripture from Psalm 139 is posted separately here on the Blog for you to read at your leisure.

More will be revealed about the theme at our next meeting on 18th February, so don't miss it!

The mums also relaxed over morning tea, catching up with everyone's news from the holidays, and we allowed some more time for chatting and sharing this week.


We also indulged in some craft...a fabric covered notebook, address book or diary glamorously embellished.

Posted by Tracey at 12:19 AM Labels: , , 2 comments

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Summary of MOPS - 19th November 2010

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Well we had a lovely Christmas break-up morning at MOPS last Friday 19th November!


We hope that all the mums who were able to make it last week had a great time, and thank you for providing a Secret Santa gift for another mum. It looked like everyone enjoyed their gift and I don't think anyone decided to swap it!


A big thank you to Pastor Lloyd Miller for taking the time to speak to us at MOPS about Christmas in the home and heart. It gave us a great insight into the true meaning of Christmas and the importance of slowing down and taking the time to think about what is really important at this time of year. Remembering that it's not all about presents but a time to celebrate the gift of the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Thank you Lloyd, for reminding us all.


Take a look at all the gorgeous mums on each of our table groups at our Christmas celebration last week! Find your photo below. If you would like a copy, please email Tracey or comment below and we would be happy to send it to you.



And to finish up for the year, our Christmas Craft was a cute little beaded Angel for the tree...
All the mums did a great job putting this one together!


The MOPS@MBC steering team would like to wish all our mums and their families a wonderful Christmas and safe holidays. We look forward to seeing you back at MOPS on the 11th February 2011.


Posted by Tracey at 12:08 AM Labels: , , 0 comments

Friday, November 12, 2010

Summary of MOPS - 5th November 2010

We had a great turnout of Mums last Friday 5th November and some new Mums too - which is always fabulous! We love welcoming new Mums to our MOPS@MBC group and hope they make some new friends and enjoy some time of relaxation and discussion with fellow mothers who are all going through a similar season in their life. We hope to have you all back for the next meeting!


A big thank you to Karen Askey-Doran for sharing her experience as a roving Regional MOPS Coordinator last Friday with our Mums!


Everyone enjoyed listening to how Karen originally became involved in MOPS and why she loves her role so much, visiting MOPS groups while her family travels around Australia.


Karen's gorgeous eldest daughter, Josie, also shared some stories with the Mums.


The craft activity was also a hit with everyone last week I think, with some very creative pieces being designed by the Mums. The craft activity was covering wooden bangles with decorative paper, using Modpodge (gloss glue). We had some beautiful oriental paper which was colour coordinated with some plain paper and everyone came up with some wonderful creations.
(Photos coming soon)

I'm very proud of the creativity shown by our Mums this year and think they all deserve a pat on the back for giving everything a try! See... you CAN do it!

Artwork from Kevin Downey's Art Class on 22nd October...

We would also love to see the painted masterpieces from those Mums that participated in Kevin Downey's Art Class on the 22nd October.

Unfortunately a few of us weren't there to see the creations, so if you can bring your masterpiece in with you to the next MOPS meeting on the 19th Nov, we would love to take a photo of you with your work of art and post them on the blog. Please, please...!!!

Posted by Tracey at 12:08 AM Labels: , , 0 comments

Monday, October 18, 2010

Summary of MOPS - 8th October 2010

On Friday 8th October, we had the pleasure of meeting Andrea Morrison, from Art of Dentistry, who presented the Glory2Glory Dental Ministry to the MOPS@MBC Mums, as well as providing us with some great tips for dental care for ourselves and our children.


In these images below, Andrea is showing Angela the best way to introduce oral hygiene to babies and toddlers. Even before your baby's teeth appear, it is recommended that you gently wipe the gums with a moistened soft cloth once a day. Once the baby teeth start to appear, it is recommended that parents use a baby's toothbrush with a small head and soft bristles.


Up to the age of 18mths, teeth should be brushed with plain water, once a day after the last feed in the evening. Special low-fluoride toothpastes developed for young children can then be introduced around 18mths of age. Even then, only use a smear of toothpaste and teach your child to spit out the toothpaste after brushing.

From around the age of 4 to 5 years, children should begin to learn how to brush their own teeth. Children do not have the manual skills to effectively clean their teeth until around 8 years of age. Until then, a combined effort between parents and children is required.

Andrea and her husband Colin, along with a team of other dental professionals, have recently established a dental clinic in a Burmese refugee camp in Northern Thailand, home to more than 50,000 refugees who have fled the atrocities of Burma. The camp had no dental facilities and many of the children examined were found to have severe tooth decay and dental disease. The clinic will initially care for the needs of the 500+ school children who attend one of the Schools, but will eventually provide dental care to a larger area.


Thanks to Andrea for her time and effort in presenting to us on Friday and for imparting her wisdom with regards to dental care for our families.

For more information on oral hygiene for your children, please visit www.babyteeth.com.au.

Posted by Tracey at 10:44 PM Labels: , , , 0 comments

Monday, October 04, 2010

Summary of MOPS - 10th September 2010

Thank you to all our Mums for making our Baby Shower for Lily House a wonderful success!


We had many very generous mums donating lots of great gifts and necessities for the young mums and babies of Lily House. Fiona Browne of Lily House was overwhelmed by our generosity.


Fiona spoke to us about the amazing work she and her husband Darrin have done in setting up this safe haven for young pregnant mothers on the Sunshine Coast who have come from difficult circumstances and are trying to get their lives on track and make a fresh start. This safe, nurturing environment provides a wonderful start in life for their babies as well. Fiona had some heart-rending stories to tell and they touched us all.

We also decorated some fabric bags for our husbands (man-bags) or kids and here are a couple of photos of our Mums hard at work.


We hope you all enjoyed the morning.

See you all back here for Term 4, on Friday 8th October.

Love from the MOPS @MBC leadership team. xo




Posted by Tracey at 12:40 AM Labels: , , , 0 comments

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Summary of MOPS - August 27th

Another great morning at MOPS@MBC on Friday 27th August, with Issy Parsons, Pattie and Sara speaking about the women's ministry, 'Women with a Mission', and sharing with us about their recent trip to Cambodia to help out with Destiny Rescue, an orphanage, and in the slums of Phnom Pehn.


Their experiences touched us all and the MOPS team hopes the Mums enjoyed the morning.


To find out more about the great work that Destiny Rescue is doing for young girls and women in Cambodia, Thailand, Mozambique and India... go to their website and help in any way you can...

Destiny Rescue Australia - www.destinyrescue.org/aus/

The Craft activity involved making a beaded necklace and I think everyone enjoyed this. There are some pics below of everyone concentrating on their designs...


Posted by Tracey at 8:41 AM Labels: , , , , 0 comments

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Summary of MOPS - August 13th

I think everyone enjoyed our guest speaker on Friday, Donna Spence of Vana Childcare Ministries, who spoke to us about this wonderful not-for-profit organisation caring for orphaned children in Zimbabwe. Vana is a not-for-profit organisation that was founded in 2006 by Errol and Donna Spence (Australia) and Pastor Makoni and Jane Goredema (Zimbabwe).


The mission of Vana Childcare Ministries is to provide a nurturing family for parentless children to care for their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. They show the children God’s love and His way through prayer and example. They teach the children skills that will help them to succeed in life.

Vana Australia is responsible for providing resources of time, skill and finances to the project, where Vana Zimbabwe is responsible for the day to day oversight of buildings, staff, and specifically the children’s welfare.


We raised $25.50 from our gold coin donation, so thanks to all the mums who donated to this ministry! We would also like to thank Donna for being able to step in with only a week's notice when our other speaker had to reschedule.

To find out how you can sponsor a child, fundraise, donate or participate in a mission trip, go to www.vana.org.au.

Creative Activity: This week we decorated children's coathangars and had time to make some extra ones for one of our upcoming charities, Lily House. We had some very creative mums this week!

Posted by Tracey at 10:40 PM Labels: , 0 comments

Monday, July 19, 2010

Summary of MOPS: July 16th

The MOPS meeting on Friday 16th July was a great introduction to the topic of Loving and Giving in Service which will run for most of this term.

Safe Birthing Kits...

One charity mentioned at this meeting was the UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity.

The UNFPA supports Safe Motherhood...
Every day, more than 1,000 women die in pregnancy or childbirth. And for every woman who dies, 20 or more experience serious complications. Of the hundreds of thousands of women who die during pregnancy or childbirth each year, 90 per cent occur in Africa and Asia. The majority of women are dying from severe bleeding, infections, eclampsia, obstructed labour and the consequences of unsafe abortions--all causes for which we have highly effective interventions.

In Australia, the Birthing Kit Foundation (Australia), is an organisation dedicated to improving the conditions for women who give birth at home in developing countries (http://www.birthingkitfoundation.org.au).

We asked the Mums at MOPS on Friday to provide a gold coin donation to this charity if possible and we raised $28 to go towards the provision of Birthing Kits for mothers in developing countries.

The birthing kit addresses the 7 cleans needed for a safe delivery. The kits are basic with 6 items. A plastic sheet, soap, 2 gloves, sterile scalpel blade, 3 cords and 5 gauze squares.

Each kit only costs AUD $2.50 to put together and transport to the destination country, so MOPS@MBC have donated 11 birthing kits to deserving mothers! Thank you to all those who donated to this worthy charity. If you would still like to donate a gold coin to this charity, please pass it onto Kylie at our next meeting on 30th July.

A Birthing Kit...

Craft: Beaded decoration for handbag or belt
Posted by Tracey at 12:42 AM Labels: 0 comments
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Theme Scripture

Psalm 139

1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand — when I awake, I am still with you.

19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Annual MOPS Participation Fee

The annual MOPS Participation Fee of $10 assists MOPS Australia in covering the cost of training for Regional Coordinators to help other MOPS groups to develop around Australia. It also allows more MOPS group leaders around Australia to access regional training.

This will go a long way to helping MOPS Australia bring MOPS to more Mums around Australia.

When you register for MOPS each year, you will be handed an Annual Participation Fee form, and we ask that if you are able to pay this $10 participation fee, please do so before the end of April 2011.

The payment options are...
1. Direct Debit to MOPS Australia bank account
2. Credit card
3. Cheque payable to MOPS Australia
4. Cash to MOPS@MBC front desk

Thank you, from the MOPS@MBC team.

How did MOPS begin?

It was a Tuesday morning, at about 9.30. They each had faced spilled cereal, tangled hair, and a few had even been forced to change their outfits due to a last-minute baby throw-up on a shoulder or lap. They had driven, or pushed strollers, to the church and had dropped their little ones off in the creche. They had made it!

And now they sat, knees almost touching, in the circle of children's chairs from the Sunday school room. Hands held hot cups of tea and biscuits in utter freedom because this treat did not have to be shared with a child's sticky fingers. Mouths moved in eager, uninterrupted conversation. Eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. Hearts stirred with understanding. Needs were met.

That morning in 1973, was the first morning of MOPS, or Mothers of Preschoolers. Little was it known that from this small beginning in a church in Colorado, USA, the seeds of the MOPS concept and format had been planted. The needs of the women were met even then, through the opportunity for friendship, creative outlet and spiritual emphasis. MOPS International now charters approximately 2,500 MOPS groups in churches in the United States and 13 other countries throughout the world.

How did MOPS begin in Australia?

How did MOPS begin in Australia?

Nineteen years later and thousands of kilometres away, the same mutual need for sharing was realised by a group of mums with children under school age in Melbourne. After reading about the MOPS concept in the US, leaders introduced the program to the Clayton Church of Christ Fellowship in early 1990 and MOPS was born in Australia. From this small beginning, the seeds for future growth were planted, resulting in the formation of an affiliated body to support the ever-increasing number of Australian groups and the mums they served.

Since its formation in June 2000, MOPS Australia, Inc has grown rapidly and there are currently over 100 groups throughout Australia. In the last year alone, 35 new groups have commenced, with groups starting up regularly throughout different Christian denominations. Groups now meet in every state and territory in Australia, with an estimated ministry to approximately 2500 mums and 3000 children.

How did MOPS begin at MBC?

A Brief History of MOPS at MBC by Karen Askey-Doran (COordinator of MOPS til 2008 and currently Regional Coordinator).

In 1999, the leader of MBC’s women’s ministry caught the vision of MOPS. At that time I was a new Mum with little inclination to help; I was interested but not convicted!

Roughly a year later another meeting was held to generate interest. At this time I had another little baby girl, a 16-month-old toddler and, although I was unaware of it, Post Natal Depression. And once again people were interested but not compelled to lead.

In 2005 Holly, caught the vision of MOPS and began to sow the seeds of interest throughout the young Mums in our church. Robyn Robertson came to our first meeting and inspired us into action…the seeds Holly planted took hold!

People came slowly at first to fill the positions, it seemed there were a lot of blanks for a long time! Holly was going to be our Coordinator and when she filled out the charter she realised that a Mother of Preschoolers should really fill that role…. So she called me! Very graciously, Holly took a side step into a Mentoring role (very appropriate really).

God was moving in our midst, we had been blessed with an inspired team of 15 Mops Leaders and 9 Moppets Leaders, each one having a testimony about how God had lead them to this ministry!

I suspect that God has big plans for our group. I still feel very inadequate sometimes but I do trust God and I want to serve him and to reach out to Mums who are hurting, to support them. I want to encourage, you know, to build up… to make a difference in people’s lives, especially my children’s!

I know I’m not alone… In Romans 8:28 it says “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” He planned for my girls, my twins, my battle with PND. He planned for MOPS - at this time - in our church! The door has literally been flung open!

What happens at a MOPS meeting?

When a mum enters a MOPS meeting, she is greeted by a friendly face and escorted to MOPPETS, where her children enjoy their special part of the MOPS program. In MOPPETS, children from infancy through to school age experience a caring environment while they learn, sing, play and make crafts.

Once her children are settled, the MOPS mum joins a program tailor-made to meet her needs. She can grab something to eat and not have to share it! She can finish a sentence and not have to speak in words of two syllables!

The program typically begins with a brief lesson taught by an older mum who's been through the challenging years of mothering and who can share from her experience and from the truths taught in the Bible. Then the women move into small discussion groups where there are no "wrong answers" and each mum is free to share her joys and struggles with other mums who truly understand her feelings. In these moments, long-lasting friendships are often made on the common ground of finally being understood.

From here, the women participate in a craft or other creative activity. For mums who are often frustrated by the impossibility of completing anything in their unpredictable days, this activity is deeply satisfying. It provides a sense of accomplishment and growth for many mums.

Because mums of preschoolers themselves lead MOPS, the program also offers women a chance to develop their leadership skills and other talents. It takes organisation, creativity, and management skills to run a MOPS program successfully.

By the time they finish the MOPS meeting and pick up their children, the mums feel refreshed and better able to mother. MOPS helps them recognise that mums have needs too! And when they take the time to meet those needs, they find they are more effective in meeting the needs of their families.

Meeting the needs of Mothers of Preschoolers

The MOPS program is dedicated to meeting the needs of mothers of preschoolers. These needs have been identified by Elisa Morgan and Carol Kuykendall in their book, What Every Mum Needs:


The need for Identity: Sometimes I'm not sure who I am

The need for Growth: Sometimes I long to develop who I am

The need for Relationship: Sometimes I long to be understood

The need for Help: Sometimes I need to share the load

The need for Perspective: Sometimes I lose my focus

The need for Hope: Sometimes I wonder if there's more to life


Here's How Some Mums Describe MOPS

"MOPS means that I am able to share the joys and frustrations and insecurities of being a mum. Our meetings provide the opportunity to hear someone else say, "I was up all night," or "They're driving me crazy!"

MOPS mum, Perth

"As a single mum, this is the first group I've felt accepted in for who I am."

MOPS mum, Canberra

'On my first day at MOPS, I knew my life had changed forever! The women made me feel so relaxed. I had a peace I hadn't felt for a long time. They were so caring, pleasant, helpful…the list goes on! I just want to say, "Thank you MOPS!" If it weren't for MOPS, I wouldn't be where I am today.'

MOPS mum, Melbourne

'When I first started MOPS, I was very, very lonely. MOPS gave me a chance to get out of the house which I was grateful for. The talks were very informative. I found out a lot through these talks. My problems seemed to become smaller. When I first started at MOPS, I thought I was a Christian. I wasn't. Through MOPS I can now say, 'I am a Christian.' MOPS to me is not only Mothers of Pre Schoolers, but My Own Private Salvation!'

MOPS mum, Canberra