Area 20 June MOPS Leaders Monthly Update

Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it… Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. – Jeremiah 33:2-3

Hello Leaders! 

Do you remember how you felt the first time you walked into your MOPS group meeting? How do you feel when you walk into your group as a Leader?

Two weeks ago I had a conversation with my husband about how I feel when I am in our church. I told him I did not feel like I was part of our church family. I wasn’t feeling connected with anyone. There are people who are friendly and talk to me at church, but we don’t meet outside of church. I am not being filled. I am not satisfied. (We actually had this conversation on the way to church.)

Then we arrived.

Our church’s sanctuary has chairs, so every so often our pastor & worship committee agree to rearrange the chairs. It shakes things up. It is uncomfortable particularly for the three of us in our family that are introverts. The two extroverts were too busy socializing to find a seat. The other introverts refused to try to figure out where to sit because “our regular seats” were not there. (Anyone else have a “regular” spot at church?) It was left to me, the not-sure-I want-to-be-there introvert to find us seats. (If we don’t find seats soon enough then we may end up in the front row! Yikes!)

I found a row and as I counted in to the fifth seat, I realized I was going to be sitting right next to a woman I did not know. She was sitting all by herself, so I asked her if she was expecting anyone and did she mind if I sat next to her. She said that she was alone. Then I noticed she had a handwritten nametag, not a church member one. So, I introduced myself. It was her first time at our church and she was there by herself. I found out that she had recently moved to our area to be closer to family and was looking for a church. During our Welcome time, I introduced her to a very outgoing church member and they were talking until we had to stop and sit down for the children’s time. After the service, I spoke to an older woman in our congregation who is always involved with our new members’ classes. I brought her over and introduced her too. Oh, and did you know what our sermon was focused on that morning – of course – “Invite In”. 

Sigh!

Can’t really ignore that message from God, can I? I realized as we left church that morning that what I really needed was an attitude adjustment. It is not up to “the church” to fill me or satisfy me. I also know that as a member of my church – I AM the church and to have connections I need to make connections. 

How do you feel when you are at your MOPS meetings? Connected with your Team? Connected with your moms? Have you ever wondered how the moms feel at your meeting? Are they connecting with other moms? 

“When we reflect back over our lives, this next MOPS year is going to stand out. It will be the year that we decided to live fully by both sunlight and moonlight. Because audacity is rising in the deepest and wildest parts of our souls. And the best part is, we will experience it all together.

Starry Eyed is…

Seeing the light in the darkness and choosing to live courageously in both.
It is opening our eyes to wonder and choosing hope over fear.
Starry Eyed is significant acts of kindness that send ripples of light into the world.
It is a choice to live fully and wholly and to breathe our way back to life.
If you feel anxious and don’t know why …
If you are busy and distracted from the things you truly care about …
If you are restless for an unexpected encounter with God …
If you long to feel alive, to regain a sense of wonder, to hope a little freer and to be a powerful force of kindness in the world, then we’d love for you to join us in becoming Starry Eyed.

This year we will run wildly toward wonder, hope and kindness because We Are the Starry Eyed and we choose to see the light.”

MOPS International encourages and equips moms of young children to realize their potential as mothers, women and leaders, in relationship with Jesus, and in partnership with the local church.

Better moms make a better world,

Christy Molnar

Area 20 News

  

You are invited to attend our Area 20 Come Alive Community Leadership Training (CLT) Webinar Event. Your Area 20 Coaches are joining together to lead this 2-hour Event on Thursday, June 9th from 8-10 pm EDT/ 7-9 pm CDT. All MOPS Leaders are invited including your Discussion Group Leaders and your potential Leaders. Please register here: https://www.mops.org/evt/?eventId=1101

 

If you attended one of our other Come Alive Events or registered to attend our Webinar, you are invited to join Area 20 Coaches and other MOPS Leaders for more in-depth discussion: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MOPSComeAliveWebinar/

Louisiana Leaders, we want to see you on June 25th for our Come Alive Event! The Event is being held at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport and we would love to have a packed house! Make plans to attend: https://www.mops.org/evt/?eventId=1119

Please check your mail each month for this update. Every identified MOPS Leader in an Active MOPS group will receive this Area 20 Monthly Update. Please remember to REGISTER all your leaders and identify them on your MOPS Group Management page. If you need help updating, first go to the Tour page and read through the information: http://www.mopsvolunteers.org/groupmanagement/tour/   

If you need further assistance after walking through that information, contact your Coach. Aren’t sure who is your Group’s Coach? She is identified for you on your Group Management page. Your Area 20 MVS Coach looks forward to connecting with your group through this update and will also be contacting the Coordinator of your Leadership Team each month. All leaders are encouraged to contact your Coach anytime you have a concern or question. You are invited to join our Area 20 MOPS Leaders Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/Area20MOPS/

You can also sign up to receive our blog: http://mopsarea20.blogspot.com/ .

MOPS International Announcements

It’s Renewal Time!

Did you know that as soon as you renew, you get immediate access to some pretty awesome things online? ALL of the full-length curriculum videos and FTTD cards available will be yours for immediate download! This means you don’t have to wait to receive your Group Experience Kit to start planning and dreaming up your Starry Eyed year. Renew today!

Guess what?! Membership Kits are officially shipping! Don’t forget to renew your MOPS group so that your moms will be some of the first to receive their Membership Kits in the mail very, very soon! Renew your group today at mops.org/renewal.

If you renew your group before June 30^th it’s $159!! After July 1^st it is $199. If your group renewed before April 30^th, then your group received a free MOPS Membership. (Please remember that you must use it before June 30^th.)

Also, once you renew your group, you can register your moms.

SPRING: Register 10 moms, get 1 free — plus save $2 per mom.

SUMMER AND FALL: Register 20 moms, get 1 free. Go to mops.org/leader for all the details on this amazing steal. To top it all off, we have made registration even easier!

Just send one email to every mom in your group and each mom will be able to register herself for Membership, easy-peasy. www.mops.org/registermoms (But if you like the current registration model, you can stick with that too!)

Is your MOPS group so popular that you might need to start another one? When you renew your MOPS group in May, we’ll give you $25 off the start-up cost of starting a second group! Make your waitlist disappear, add an evening group or expand your ministry to include a MOMSnext group!

MOMcon

Are you and your Leadership Team going to MOMcon?? We are and we hope to see you there! Go to http://www.mops.org/momcon-2016/ for more details and registration.

MOPS International Leadership Conference – runs September 29 – October 1, 2016 at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

If you had the stage at MOMcon for 10 minutes, what would you say to your fellow moms as they prepare to leave a weekend full of inspiration and head back home to reality, their families and their MOPS groups? Here’s your chance! Do you dream of sharing a practical or inspirational message with fellow women leaders? MOMx at MOMcon 2016 is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. Learn more at www.mops.org/mom-talks

Prayers & Praises

Praises for all the MOPS Leaders that participated in our Area 20 Come Alive Community Leadership Training Events on May 14^th in Georgia & Alabama. We hope that you were encouraged and inspired as a leader & that you connected with our leaders and came home with fresh ideas! 

Pray for our Area 20 MOPS Leaders as they prepare for the end of MOPS year, transition their team, and begin the renewal process.

Pray for our Area 20 MVS Team as we continue to lead our Come Alive Events, welcome our new Coaches, and hope that more MOPS Leaders will answer God’s call to be a part of our team.