All About MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)
Some of you may have heard that we started an official MOPS group at our church last spring. You might be wondering what MOPS is, what we do at our meetings, and why we started our group in the first place.
What is MOPS? MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers. A quick Google search will tell you that "MOPS International" is a Christian organization focused on women and mothers. MOPS International, Inc. is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. You will also learn that MOPS was founded back in 1973. But really, what is MOPS? MOPS is an organization that provides individuals and groups with relevant and encouraging materials that are designed for groups of moms/caregivers of infants and preschoolers. MOPS provides a safe and uplifting environment for all who attend.
So, what do we do at our meetings? We meet on the 2nd Sunday of each month (September-May). Our meetings start at 10:30 AM with a brunch style meal. Moms and children eat together and then the children go to their childcare rooms. We now have infant and preschool rooms available. The infants play in the Cradle Roll room with safe and stimulating toys, while in the Kindergarten classroom the preschool children have a Bible-based video, coloring pages, and age appropriate toys. The moms usually start with some type of icebreaker activity or game in the All-Purpose room and then we move to the chapel to view a video from MOPS International. We conclude with discussion questions related to the video by noon. We have also mixed things up a bit and worked on crafts for the mothers and children during our Christmas meeting. We are currently planning for guest speakers at some of our upcoming meetings.
Finally, why did we start our MOPS group? The leaders of MOPS are all mothers who have felt overwhelmed and alone at times during our journeys. We realized that we are definitely not alone and we wanted to create a safe place where moms from all walks of life could come together for encouragement and support. We chose to become an official MOPS group because the organization is well-known and respected. Being under the MOPS umbrella has brought moms to our group that we would not otherwise have had. We often have moms attending from the community who are not members of our church.
If you are interested in joining the group, please come to our next meeting on February 11 at 10:30 AM. If you have questions, please contact us via email (lyensho@gmail.com), phone (765-210-4073), or by speaking with Monica Nudd, Sandi Lee, or Lori Yensho. We would love to have you and your friends join our group!
-Lori Yensho