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About MOPS
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This Year's Theme :: Together on Planet Mom |
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The MOPS Experience equips women for the joys and challenges of their lives as moms. One key factor in the MOPS Experience is the relationships built within a group. Time and time again, MOPS moms share that the friends they make in MOPS are significant for this season of their life and on into their future. God created us for relationship! It’s one of the defining parts of being human.
 However, when you become a mom, all your relationships change. It’s like you have landed on a different planet—Planet Mom—and the relationships on Planet Mom don’t look like the ones on your previous planet. Your relationship with yourself is different—you are a mom! Your relationship with your husband, girlfriends, extended family, community and God have all changed. Many of these changes are positive, some are not. Even positive change requires adjustments on your part.
During the 2009-10 MOPS year, we will explore how to thrive in relationships Together on Planet Mom.
The theme book for 2009-10 is Life on Planet Mom: A Down to Earth Guide to Your Changing Relationships by Lisa T. Bergren. The book is part of the MOPS International Membership benefit. All the moms and Mentors in your group will want to be equipped with this resource as together they learn to navigate the relationships on Planet Mom.
The foundation of being Together on Planet Mom is that God is with us and we are created for relationship with him and each other. We are created to “do life” together. The more we draw together in community, the better we are able to thrive as women and moms. This life together is underlined in our theme verse for the year, where Jesus promises: “For where two or three come together ... there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20) |
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(A typical morning in our home)
9:15 AM MOPPETS Check-In
9:30 AM Moms Check-In, Announcements
10:00 AM Speaker/MOPS DVD
10:45 AM Discussion Group Time
11:00 AM Service and/or Creative Activities |
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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.
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| MOPS International Faith Position Statement |
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MOPS International is a Christian non-profit organization that believes in working with local Christian churches/parachurches to maximize ministry opportunities to God’s Kingdom. MOPS programs are chartered in churches of many different denominations and Christian traditions, but all share the common desire to reach out with the gospel of Jesus Christ and to bring glory to God in everything.
Churches/parachurches and individual MOPS ministry leaders must embrace and agree on the basic, orthodox truths of the Christian faith and the essential issues of salvation. We believe the Bible is the foundation for these truths. It is God’s Word, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, and is authoritative on all matters on which it speaks. MOPS International is committed to telling the truth of the saving work of Jesus Christ, of God’s grace to mankind, of the reality of the Trinity and the role of the Church in God’s plan for the world. These foundational Christian beliefs are reflected in many of the historic church creeds.
By agreeing with this statement a church is affirming that they too believe in and teach the foundational truths of the Christian gospel. Because these beliefs are foundational to the ministry of MOPS International, MOPS International reserves the right to have final authority on the granting of Charters. |
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- There is one God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17, Matthew 28:19). We believe Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true man (Matthew 1:18&23).
- The Bible is the foundation for these truths. It is God's Word, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, and is authoritative on all matters on which it speaks (II Peter 1:20-21, II Timothy 3:16-17).
- Jesus came into this world to redeem us by offering himself as the substitutionary sacrifice for our sins; he died for us; and he demonstrated his victory over sin and death by rising physically from the dead and ascending to heaven (Romans 5:8-9, Romans 6:23, I Corinthians 15:1-4).
- The result of this saving work of Christ is that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:16).
- We further believe that the fulfillment of God's plan of redemption will begin with the visible personal return of Christ to judge the world and separate believers and unbelievers forever, and will culminate in a new creation (Acts 1:11, I Thessalonians 4:16-17, Acts 24:15, Revelation 20:15, Romans 6:23).
- We believe that God chooses to work through the believers in his church and that we are called to evangelism and discipling of believers within the fellowship of the church (Matthew 28:19-20, I Peter 2:9).
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Eight women. The number was small, but the need was great. The first MOPS meeting took place in February 1973 in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.  For two hours, while their children received care, these mothers talked, laughed, ate, passed a basket for childcare expenses, had a craft demonstration and ended with a short devotional. In this humble beginning, the seeds of the MOPS concept and format were planted. Through friendship, creative outlets, and instruction, the women began to understand that "mothering matters." Today, the same needs for significance are met in much the same way in MOPS groups across the United States and around the world.
From the beginning, women in MOPS were not content to be spectators. Through MOPS, they found an opportunity to discover and cultivate their leadership gifts. As women moved around the country, they took the concept of MOPS with them, and new groups formed.
Growth began as word spread in churches, conventions, and magazine articles that explained this unique new program. Inquiries and requests for information became more frequent, and a handbook was printed. Office space moved from a desk in a family room to a rented office.
In 1981, MOPS established a Board of Directors and incorporated first as MOPS Outreach, and later as MOPS, Inc. As interest mushroomed, leadership training began. One hundred fifty women from five states gathered in 1982 for the first all-day MOPS leadership seminar.
In 1988, MOPS expanded beyond US borders and was renamed MOPS International, Inc. to reflect the international impact of the ministry. As MOPS grew, so did the need for a chartering process, additional resource materials, and a paid staff. The Board hired Elisa Morgan as the first president of the organization in 1989.
MOPS reached out to moms through the MOMSense newsletter (now MOMSense magazine) beginning in 1993. The newsletter joined the existing MOMSense radio program to help MOPS nurture every mother of preschoolers, whether or not she attended a MOPS group.
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| The original MOPS group moms got together again on MOPS International's 25th anniversary. |
In 1995, MOPS formed a partnership with Zondervan Publishing House, further expanding its outreach to mothers through books. Also that year, MOPS established Teen MOPS groups for teenage mothers. MOPS became even more available to moms when it went on-line in 1997, and in 2000 when it created the MOPS toMom Connection (now MOPS International Membership) to bring additional resources directly to a mom's home.
MOPS has come a long way over the years, and continues to adapt to meet the various needs of moms today. |
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Article from the MOPs website. |
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Newsflash
MOPS Meeting
Tuesday, March 16
9:30 AM - 12 Noon
New Hope Presby. Church
3825 McGregor Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33901 (map)
MNO
Thursday, March 25
6:30 - 8:30 PM
Jennifer Shaw Ministry
New Hope Presby. Church
Fellowship Hall
MOPS Meeting
Tuesday, April 20
9:30 AM - 12 Noon
New Hope Presby. Church
3825 McGregor Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33901 (map)
MOPS Meeting
Tuesday, May 4
9:30 AM - 12 Noon
New Hope Presby. Church
3825 McGregor Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33901 (map)
MOPS Meeting
Tuesday, May 18
9:30 AM - 12 Noon
New Hope Presby. Church
3825 McGregor Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33901 (map)
End of Year Picnic
Saturday, May 22
Lakes Park
Retreat
Friday, June 25
Hyatt Regency at
Coconut Point
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