MOPS of First Christian Church

MOPS

2012-02-07T14:00:00.000-05:00

Next meeting is February 13. Hope to see everyone there

MOPS

2012-01-17T18:52:00.001-05:00

ladies,

we will meet January 23rd, next Monday

Hello

2011-09-27T00:08:00.002-04:00

Hello Ladies,
My name is Amber Rakes and I will be doing Dorothy's spot. I am getting familiarized with her duties, I apologize for the last reminder for the last meeting. I have been faced with more travel lately, which has put me in different places instead of what I have planned for. I wish I could be everywhere at once, sometimes. I hope to see you all October 24th!!!!! (only one that month). Have a safe and joyous fall break!

God Bless,
Amber Rakes

Found items

2011-09-26T20:41:00.001-04:00

Two items were left behind after the meeting this morning. Please contact Dorothy if you are missing anything. Thanks! :-)

Next mops meeting

2011-09-22T15:47:00.000-04:00

Next meeting - Monday, 12 Sep 2011

2011-09-07T22:19:00.004-04:00

Ladies, don't forget our next meeting is next Monday, 12 Sep 2011! :-)

Our guest speaker will be Chrystal Brigman, since September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Please bring children's games - we will collect them and donate them to Kosair Children's Hospital.

Food will be provided by Janis Tarter's group.

We are still looking for a Publicity person. If anyone is interested, please contact Dorothy Platt.

See you all on Monday! :-D

Item Found!

2011-08-22T18:02:00.001-04:00

Hello ladies! I found an item that someone apparently forgot to take home with them after the meeting this morning. If you're missing something, please contact me (Dorothy). I have it, and it's all clean now. :-)

Welcome to the 2011-2012 MOPS Year! :-)

2011-08-09T11:53:00.003-04:00

Mark your calendars - our first meeting for the 2011-2012 MOPS year will be Monday, 22 August. Hope to see you all there! :-)

2011-2012 Meeting Dates

2011-08-09T11:47:00.004-04:00

2011 (Fall Semester)
22 August - Welcome & Introduction of this year's theme
12 September - Love Other Mothers/Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
26 September - RISK
24 October - Chess
14 November - Don't Break the Ice
28 November - Pay Day (The Game of Life)
12 December - The "quiet" game

2012 (Spring Semester)
9 January - Dominoes
23 January - Jenga
13 February - Sorry
27 February - Survivor
12 March - Twister
26 March - Connect Four
23 April - Last meeting of the year
7 May - Unstructured play date for those who are interested

SUMMERTIME SUMMERTIME...

2011-05-08T16:39:00.001-04:00

Please don't forget to REGISTER for next year!!!

AND keep checking www.firstchristianonline.com for information on the preschool summer reading hour and preschool VBS!!!

Enjoy...

Meeting on Monday, 25 Apr 2011

2011-04-20T13:50:00.002-04:00

Last meeting this coming Monday, 25 Apr 2011! It will be a potluck and fellowship. You should be getting an e-mail with a sign-up list for bringing stuff - leftovers from Easter dinner are fine! :-)

Next Meeting - 11 Apr 2011

2011-04-09T09:47:00.002-04:00

Hello, all! Our next meeting is this coming Monday, 11 April 2011. Nora Gocking (last year's MOPS coordinator) will be our guest speaker.

Food - green & purple are bringing food. :-)

Meeting Monday, 28 March 2011

2011-03-23T22:50:00.003-04:00

Hey all! Join us next Monday, 28 March, for the last of the videos on marriage that we've been watching.

Food - Pink & salmon group. An e-mail is already circulating from Leigh Anne about this, so please sign up if you're in one of these groups.

See you all there! :-)

Next meeting - Mon, 14 March 2011

2011-03-08T09:07:00.004-05:00

Come join us next meeting as we welcome guest speaker Marcia Orban, director of Clarity...Solutions for Women, a local crisis pregnancy center. The theme is developing spiritual habits, finding time for God, and building a legacy of faith.

Purple group is bringing food. :-)

If you signed up to help with Moppets, we will need you, so please come if you can!

Just a reminder - this weekend is "spring forward", so be sure to set your clocks ahead one hour before going to bed Saturday night (eg., 8 -> 9 PM), or you will likely be late for church on Sunday morning.

And a repeat from Kim Medley - Chrystal is going to try to bring Sam to this meeting, so if you (or your child) are feeling cold symptoms coming on, please be kind and stay home just this once. :-)

Next meeting - Monday, 28 Feb 2011

2011-02-23T21:51:00.009-05:00

Are you ready to continue that video series on marriage by Andy Stanley? :-) We had such a positive reaction to the first video a few meetings ago that we're going to finish it out. So come join us next Monday!

Green group is bringing food.

Just a reminder that we are meeting at the Elizabethtown Christian Academy campus (former home of Severns Valley Baptist Church) at 401 W. Poplar St.

Spa Day! :-)

2011-02-11T07:41:00.004-05:00

Are you ready for a break? Come join us for our spa day on Monday! :-) This meeting will be pretty free-flow, with various stations for you to check out during the meeting time. Feel free to wear comfortable clothes and relax. :-)

We will have a yoga session provided by Amy in one of the smaller adjacent rooms. She does request that you refrain from participating if you're expecting.

Feel free to bring some magazines to browse - Stacia will have her "happy light" in the reading area for anyone who wants to enjoy its effects.

Holly & Sarah have a really cool marble magnet craft for anyone to wants to make one. They passed around samples at our last meeting.

Food will be provided by Pink & Salmon groups.

Hope to see you at our E-town Christian Academy campus (former home of Severns Valley Baptist) in the Growth University Room on Monday! :-)

Discussing Marriage

2011-01-20T17:26:00.002-05:00

Main point for the meeting - A strong marriage makes a STRONG MOMMY! You are better-able to parent your children when your marriage is healthy. We will be watching a video and then discuss this topic in our small groups.

Food to be provided by the Purple group (Sheri's group).

Poll question (in preparation for our meeting in Feb) - what are some things you do to relax?

Please keep an eye on the weather reports and school closings. If Hardin County is on a delay or closed, our meeting is CANCELLED.

Parenting with Your Own Personality

2010-12-31T01:17:00.009-05:00

Happy New Year! :-)

Join us for our first meeting in 2011 - Angie Kiger is the guest speaker. She will be discussing how we can parent different personalities and how to parent WITH your own personality. Make sense? LOL! :-)

Just a reminder - we will be meeting at the ECA location for the first time. You can park either in front or in back of the church. We will be in the Growth University Room - it's right across from the nursery. :-)

If you have laundry detergent for SpringHaven, bring it - we will have someone deliver it to them. Thanks! :-)

Food - we're going with the list for the December meeting, so whatever you signed up for - just bring it. :-)

We WILL be doing a book swap - just bring yours unwrapped. We'll have a pile of children's books, and one of grown-up books. Pick one up as you leave. Any left behind will be donated.

Hope to see you all there! :-)

Party! :-)

2010-11-03T17:01:00.008-04:00

Can you believe it's almost Christmas already?

This will be our first meeting at the Elizabethtown Christian Academy campus. If you're a member of FCC, feel free to park in the back and go in through the door marked "Church Offices" (the one with the buzzer). If you're a member of another local church, feel free to park in the front and follow the balloons/signs to the door that will take you to the door closest to the Growth University room (where we will be meeting). The nursery area is directly across the hall from our meeting room - how cool is that? :-)

Melanie Presta is scheduled to speak to us on "Making Christmas about Jesus for your kids".

After that, we will have a book exchange. Bring a wrapped, used (in good condition) book for that. You can choose to bring a children's book, or a book for grown-ups. If you would like to bring more books, feel free - any extras left will be donated to a local charity after the meeting.

SpringHaven - we're asking members to bring a box of laundry detergent to help the local domestic violence shelter.

Dues - just a reminder to pay the dues ($15/semester) to Heidi Durbin if you have not yet done so. If you have any difficulties with paying, please let her know. There may be scholarships available. We don't want finances to keep you from being blessed through participation.

Food - check your e-mail for a list of what ladies have signed up for so far. Feel free to fill in the blanks. :-)

Winter weather - just a reminder that if the Hardin County Schools system is on a delay or is closed, that we will CANCEL the meeting. Any of the local TV stations should have that information available - one example is at Wave 3.

Creativity in the Kitchen - Nov 8, 2010

2010-10-12T14:59:00.007-04:00

Join us for the next meeting on Monday, November 8th, as Celeste shares with us ways to enjoy cooking - or at least make it tolerable. :-)

Salmon group is bringing food.

A couple of reminders from Leigh Anne:
1. Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes - if you are filling a shoebox up for this program, this coming Monday's meeting is the last chance to get it turned in through MOPS. If you need more information about this, check out this link.

2. Also, if you have any Box Tops for Education labels lying around that you don't need, feel free to turn them in to the preschool so they can get points for supplies.

Something to start planning for December's meeting:
This year, steering team has decided that we will do a book exchange. Feel free to bring a used (in good condition) children's book or grown-up book - or both, if you'd like - to swap at the next meeting. Participation is entirely voluntary.

Looking forward to seeing you all next Monday! :-)

Memories

2010-10-12T14:45:00.004-04:00

Have you ever considered documenting your family's memories in some way? Photographs are a great way to see how your family has grown and changed over the years. Come join us for our next meeting on the 25th of October - Kirstie Goodman will have tips for taking memorable pictures.

The craft will involve pictures, too, so remember to bring some 3X5 or 4X6 prints to be used for a keepsake. This is a craft you won't want to miss! :-)

Food to be provided by the Green group.

Engaging in Health Relationships

2010-09-21T15:38:00.006-04:00

Engaging in Healthy Relationships - by understanding and investing in our circle of relationships, we create a web of support

Have you ever moved to a new location and felt discombobulated? How do you make new friends and build a new support network? What things can you do to "bloom where you're planted"?

Join us at the next meeting on 27 Sep where we will have one of our military moms discuss these issues with us and give you some ideas for how to make friends in new places.

Food to be provided by the Pink group.

2010-2011 Handbook

2010-09-20T16:35:00.001-04:00

CONTENTS

2010-2011 Theme
Meeting Dates
MOPS Steering Team
MOPS Mentor Moms
Attendance Policy
Meeting Cancellation Policy
Guest / Visitor Policy
FCC MOPPETS and Nursery

General Policies
Sick Policy
Childcare Security System

Finance
Care Groups
Mentor Mom
Hospitality
Creative Activities
Communication

Photo Directory
Website
Business Board

2010-2011 THEME
In 2010, MOPS invites you to join in the learning process as together we explore Momology: The Art & Science of Mothering.

Mothering is both art and science. It combines all of who we are to shape healthy, resilient kids. Mothering is so complex it requires both sides of our brain – not to mention our hands and feet, eyes and ears, mouth and (sniff, sniff) unfortunately, sometimes even our noses!

There's the scientific side of mothering where we develop a hypothesis based on certain principles, test that hypothesis in real-time, consider the results and decide what parts worked and what parts didn't. We keep refining our hypotheses until we find what works for us.

Intertwined with the scientific, mothering requires an artistry that shades with our personality, colors with our unique gifts, and blends past and current experiences.

MOPS International has identified four essential elements for successful outcomes with our kids.

Core is about knowing and growing ourselves. Understanding and working with our unique temperament, experiences, and emotions in a way that develops resilience. Research clearly shows that a mom with a strong, resilient core is more likely to raise a child with a strong, resilient core.

Finesse is about honing practical mothering skills—intentionally carrying out our daily responsibilities in ways that encourage growth and resilience in our kids.

Circle is about building relationships with neighbors, care-givers, extended family and, most importantly, with our husbands or for single moms, with a parenting partner.

Grandscape is about engaging with God and his unique purpose for our lives. Both secular and Christian research identifies faith in God as an essential element for successful mothering.

Through Momology, as we explore together, we’ll be guided by an all-knowing, all-powerful, always-present God. Our theme verse for the year is:

Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. (Psalm 139:10)

Anywhere we go, God sees, knows, and guides. So we can lead — and love — knowing God will get us through all the hard spots, all our decisions, all our roles, all our times we can’t hold open our eyelids and the times we’re bursting with joy. God’s hand guides us as we guide our children. As we study Momology together to become better moms making a better world

2010-2011 MOPS MEETING DATES

First Semester

September 13th & 27th
October 25th
November 8th
December 13th

Second Semester

January 10th & 24th
February 14th & 28th
March 14th & 28th
April 11th & 25th

MOPS MEETING SCHEDULE

As you can see from the time schedule listed below, we accomplish a lot at each MOPS meeting. In order for everything to run smoothly, we need your help. Please make every effort to arrive on time to each meeting. Our meetings will begin at 9:00 am with 30 minutes of eating and talking.

Additionally, if your group is responsible for bringing refreshments, please arrive by 8:45 a.m. so that the Hospitality Team can prepare the food table in time for the morning’s meeting.

During the teaching time, it is especially important to give the speaker/video your undivided attention. Please respect the speaker and those sitting around you by facing forward and keeping noise to an absolute minimum. In order to maximize your Care Group time, please move quickly to your destination.

Thanks for your help in making our MOPS mornings fun for everyone!

2010-11 STEERING TEAM

Stacia Jones ~ Co-Coordinator ~ stacia@etownmops.com
Kim Medley ~ Co-Coordinator ~ kbmedley@hotmail.com

Janis Tarter ~ Mentor Mom Coordinator/Care Group Team Leader ~ tarterdj1@comcast.net

Heidi Durbin ~ Finance ~ hdurbin@comcast.net

Leigh Anne Schory ~ Hospitality ~ laschory@yahoo.com

Annete Hicks ~ Hospitality ~ jarbo42@netscape.net

Sarah Christensen ~ Creative Activities ~ carldsarahj@windstream.net

Holly Gross ~ Creative Activities ~ hdgross33@hotmail.com

Dorothy Platt ~ Publicity ~ dee_squared2004@yahoo.com

2010-2011 MENTOR MOMS

Janis Tarter

Pat Durbin

Sheri Bartholomew

Danna Cox

ATTENDANCE POLICY

As mothers of preschoolers, we realize it is difficult to be present at every meeting. If you are unable to attend a specific meeting, please call your Care Group Leader as soon as possible.

Because we have a limited number of MOPPETS workers, we may have a waiting list for new members. If you miss three meetings without contacting your Care Group Leader, you will automatically forfeit your slot, and we will open it to a mom on the waiting list. Medical/health reasons are the exception to this policy. If you have a medical condition which prevents you from attending, please inform your Care Group Leader so we can support and encourage you during that time.

MEETING CANCELLATION POLICY

MOPS will be cancelled if:

· If area schools are cancelled or delayed

· If there is a tornado warning

· If there is a risk of contagious illness exposure in MOPS (eg., chickenpox)

A decision to cancel a MOPS meeting will be made no later than 7:45 AM on Monday morning by a Co-Coordinator. Your Care Group Leader will call to notify you of the cancellation by 8:15 AM. Cancellation of events information for First Christian Church will also be aired on the following radio stations: WQXE 98.3 FM. You can also view our MOPS website or call the church office at 270-769-7475.

During thunderstorms and tornado watches, we will meet and continue to monitor the situation during the meeting. If the situation worsens, we will immediately notify the group and make a decision.

GUEST/VISITOR POLICY

At FCC MOPS, we desire to be available to ALL mothers of preschoolers. However, due to childcare worker limitations, we may need to close our registration and carry a waiting list. If you have a friend who is interested in MOPS, please have her contact a Co-Coordinator (Stacia Jones or Kim Medley). If space is available, we will certainly invite her to join MOPS. First-time visitors are exempt from paying registration or dues – however, we do ask that if she decides to continue attending, that she pay by her second meeting.

In case of a waiting list, a mom who is able to provide her own childcare is welcome to join the group.

If you have a friend/relative visiting from out of town, or someone who is interested in starting a MOPS group and needs more information, you are welcome to invite her to a single meeting. Please contact a MOPS Co-Coordinator to confirm that we have enough space in our childcare program to accommodate your guest’s children. The guest will be exempt from paying dues for the meeting she attends.

FCC MOPPETS AND NURSERY

MOPPETS, the childcare and learning program for our children, is a very important part of our MOPS program. It is the goal of MOPPETS to provide a safe, warm, and loving environment for your child. The classroom teachers help our children experience God’s love for them through stories, games, music, crafts, and playtime. The staff of the MOPPETS program hopes that you will enjoy a refreshing morning, confident that your child is in safe and loving hands.

The MOPPETS will meet in the church nursery area, which has four rooms. The facilities are located in the basement of the main church building. You can get there by using either the front or back doors and following the nearby stairs down to the lower level.

To help our childcare worker and your children enjoy a MOPS morning, we have childcare policies in place. If you have any questions regarding the childcare, please contact Stacia Jones.

Please make sure that you register all children who will be involved in MOPPETS, including any special instructions for your specific child(ren).

General Guidelines:

· Please arrive in time to settle your child into his/her classroom.

· Please label all of your child’s belongings – especially diaper bags, bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers, and blankets.

· Please stock diaper bags with diapers and wipes.

· On the MOPPETS/Nursery sign-in sheets – please note in detail any special instructions for your child, especially with regard to your child’s routine (nap time, snack time, etc.).

· Snacks are provided for children toddler-aged and older. Please note any allergies on the MOPPETS registration form. Since each child develops at a different rate, please also note on the sign-in sheet what is/is not appropriate for your child. You are welcome to provide your own, labeled, snack – please note that on the sign-in sheet.

· If your child needs you, you will be called out of the MOPS meeting. Outside of that, please refrain from checking on your child – it is possible that he/she will get upset if you do that, and it can cause a difficult situation for the workers and teachers. Someone will notify you if your child cries consistently for longer than 10 minutes, or if he/she has sustained an injury. If you have any concerns about your child during a meeting, feel free to have a Mentor Mom check on him/her for you.

· After the end of each meeting, please go get your children promptly.

Infants:

· If you have an infant younger than three months of age, you may bring your baby into the meetings.

· If you are nursing an infant, feel free to nurse your baby during the meeting. We ask that you use discretion because we share the building with a preschool. Then you may return him/her to the nursery when you are done. If you prefer privacy, there is a quiet place to nurse in the nursery.

· There are beds available for sleeping infants.

Lap Policy: We understand that there are times when our children need extra reassurance and attention. If your little one is having trouble staying in childcare, you may hold your child during the meeting while you comfort him/her. However, please be sensitive to the moms around, and restrain your child from crawling/walking/running around the meeting area. This is a time and place for moms to have a break from children, and we want to respect that.

SICK POLICY:

Please keep your child home if he/she has any of the following symptoms:

· Fever above 100 degrees within the past 24 hours

· Excessive runny nose (unless fluid is clear and child is teething or has allergies)

· Diarrhea or flu symptoms

· Colds/coughs

· Unusual rashes

· Conjunctivitis (pink-eye)

· Impetigo, active chickenpox, measles, or mumps

We try our best to minimize the spread of illnesses. Please keep in mind that bringing your sick child to a MOPS meeting may jeopardize the health of others. Remember the Golden Rule of “Sick Day Decisions”: If another child had the same symptoms, would you be glad to have him/her sitting next to your child?

CHILDCARE SECURITY SYSTEM:

In the best interests of the children, we have a security check-in system for the nursery and MOPPETS rooms. You will have a label for your child, and that will be matched up when you pick your child up. Please list, on the MOPPETS registration form, anyone who is permitted to pick up your child. If anyone other than you is picking up your child, we will ask for their identification.

FINANCE

There are several expenses associated with the MOPS program. Our goal is to help minimize these costs as much as possible and still make MOPS a success. Thankfully, our chartering church (First Christian Church) will pay for all childcare costs.

The fee for each MOPS mom will be $25 to cover the MOPS International registration fee. Please make checks payable to First Christian Church. Your registration fee includes a yearly subscription to MOMSense magazine, periodic MOMeMail messages, a MOPS logo reusable bag, a MOPS bumper sticker, a MOPS 2-in1 magnet, and a bag tag. We ask that you pay the registration fee by the second meeting (27 September).

We will also have dues of $15/semester (fall & spring) to help with costs of running our MOPS program.

If finances are keeping you from joining MOPS, there are some scholarships available. Please contact Heidi Durbin – your name will be kept in strict confidence.

CARE GROUPS

A Care Group allows a smaller group of ladies to connect with one another in a more-intimate fashion. Moms will have the opportunity to share stories, ideas, advice, and funny memories with one another. WE want you to feel free to share anything with your Care Group, as everything will be kept in confidence. Your Care Group Leader cares about you, so please feel free to ask her for help, advice, or encouragement. Please respect the individual differences of each of your small group members.

MENTOR MOM

A mentor is someone who has walked the road before us. She has experienced life with a preschooler, and she has survived intact – battle wounds and all. She understands more fully that this precious tie is only a short season of a mother’s life.

At FCC MOPS, we are privileged to have a mentor mom in each care group. We encourage you to get to know your mentor mom this year. She has a good listening ear, she will offer you encouragement when needed, she will offer advice when asked, and she will pray faithfully for you during this challenging season of mothering.

HOSPITALITY

We hope that you will have a wonderful time of fun, fellowship, and refreshment. To help make MOPS mornings run smoothly, here are some things to keep in mind:

FOOD: Each meeting a brunch will be provided by one of the care groups. Your group leader will let you know when it is your group’s turn. Expect to do this approximately three times during the year. Please bring food that is ready to be served (bread/bagels already sliced, fruit washed and cut, etc.). Please have your food items at the refreshment table by 8:45 AM.

PUNCTUALITY: Please try to be on time. (We are all moms and understand that we will have a bad morning or two.)

OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES: In addition to getting together with your Care Groups outside of MOPS, we also look forward to gathering all the moms together in special activities and events like walking clubs, babysitting exchanges, and service projects. We encourage you to keep an eye (or ear) out for opportunities throughout the year.

CREATIVE ACTIVITES

Our creative time together is designed to be an area in which you can have the freedom to express your creative side without having to clean up your house afterwards. We will provide the supplies and you’re in charge of manpower – rather, woman-power! We have some really cool crafts in store for you, and we hope they will be wonderful reminders of our time together.

FCC MOPS COMMUNICATION

Website: Our website is located at http://www.etownmops.com/

You can also go to http://www.firstchristianonline.com/, click on “Ministries”, then “Family Support”, and then the MOPS link – this will link you to our Facebook page.

Please note that periodically we may create brochures or post pictures on our website or Facebook page to showcase our MOPS group and our MOPPETS program. In doing so, we would like to respect the wishes of each mom in regards to publishing photos. So, we ask that each mom please fill out a Photo Release Form for yourself, as well as for each of your children in MOPPETS, and indicate whether you give permission for this. Please rest assured that we always exclude the names of any children when we post photos.

Photo Directory: We will be creating a group photo directory as a resource for moms to connect better with each other. If you wish to decline to be included, please let us know.

Business Board: We have a specific area at our Information/Welcome Table for moms to advertise their businesses. We will also advertise for businesses that support FCC MOPS with gift certificates/door prizes and fundraising activities. You may bring your cards or flyers and post them in our designated locations. However, we ask that you please respect other moms and refrain from using our meeting times as advertising opportunities. We want to support each other in our business endeavors, but our primary goal is to meet the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of every mom.

2010-2011 Meeting Dates

2010-09-20T16:24:00.003-04:00

2010 (Fall Semester):
13 September
27 September
25 October
8 November
13 December

2011 (Spring Semester):
10 January
24 January
14 February
28 February
14 March
28 March
11 April
25 April

Moppets Registration - IMPORTANT!

2010-08-16T18:23:00.007-04:00

To register your child(ren) for Moppets, please send the following information to Stacia Jones (stacia@etownmops.com) before 13 Sep, 2010.

Your full name (first, last)
Child(ren)'s full name (first, last) and gender (please list all children who will be in Moppets)
Child(ren)'s birth year only
Any special needs/instructions for each child - please include any known allergies
Your address & phone # if different from your MOPS registration one
Father's full name (first, last)
Please let us know whether the child(ren)'s father shares the same household with you
Father's phone # if different from yours
Name, address, & phone # of your child's doctor
Name & phone # of an emergency contact person - please state person's relationship to child(ren)

If you are unsure whether your child(ren) is(are) registered, go ahead and send the above requested information to Stacia. Thank you! :-)

Contact Us - 2011-2012 Steering Team

2010-08-10T15:42:00.015-04:00

If you would like more information on our group, please contact any steering team member. We’d love for you to visit our group and learn more about MOPS!

MOPS ~ First Christian Church
401 W. Poplar St., Elizabethtown, KY 42701
(270) 765-4994
http://www.firstchristianonline.com/
www.facebook.com/fccmops
www.facebook.com/fccetown

Holly Gross
Co-Coordinator
hdgross33@hotmail.com

Amy Lewis
Co-Coordinator
balewis04@yahoo.com

Amber Rakes
Publicity
bohmanky@gmail.com

Heidi Durbin
Financial Coordinator
(270) 360-1022
hdurbin@comcast.net

Leigh Anne Schory
Hospitality
(270) 317-4477
laschory@yahoo.com

Annette Hicks
Moppets Liaison
jarb042@aim.com

Sarah Christensen
Creative Activities
carldsarahj@windstream.net

Janis Tarter
Mentor Mom Coordinator/Care Group Team Leader
tarterdj1@comcast.net

13 Sep 2010

2010-08-09T13:52:00.009-04:00

Come join us on Monday, 13 Sep 2010, for the first meeting of the MOPS year! We will be introducing this year's theme of Momology: The Art & Science of Mothering and getting to know each other in our small groups. Steering Team will be providing food.

Please contact Stacia Jones to register prior to 13 Sep - stacia@etownmops.com.

Preparing for the 2010 - 2011 School Year

2010-06-04T23:36:00.003-04:00

We are currently accepting registrations for the 2010 - 2011 school year. However, spots are limited, so if you know you want to be involved in this group for the coming year, make sure to get your registration and $25 registration fee in as quickly as possible. Your registration fee is required to secure your spot. For more information or to register, contact either our Coordinator, Stacia Jones or our Financial Coordinator, Heidi Durbin.

The End Has Come

2010-05-20T18:41:00.004-04:00

It is so hard to believe that the school year is coming to an end. How quickly time seems to fly by sometimes. As a young mother, people will often tell us to "cherish these moments because they will be gone before you know it." While some moments seem to last an eternity (like those long sleepless nights of a newborn), others seem to be gone in a flash. And as our children get closer and closer to Kindergarten, we realize how true those words of wisdom truly are and a part of our souls inside of us mourns the fact that they are growing up all too fast.

With the close of the school year, we will be having our last MOPS meeting of the year. We will be celebrating this past year, the friendships that we have made, and the memories that we have shared. We will also be introduced to our new steering team for the 2010 - 2011 school year and will discuss our tentative plans for next year. And finally, we will do what we have always done best... EAT! We will be having a potluck cookout lunch together. Janis and Don Tarter will be providing the hot dogs and hamburgers, and the rest of us will be providing the buns and sides. Please remember to bring what you signed up to bring. If you didn't sign up for anything, you can bring some sort of side that will fit into the lunch theme. We will be eating at the end of the meeting instead of the beginning.

So come join us for our final meeting on Monday, May 24th from 9:00am - 11:00am in the Family Life Center of First Christian Church. Our preschool will no longer be in session that day, so those of you with preschoolers who would normally be in school during that time, you will need to bring them with you. The older children will be playing games in the gym. You won't want to miss it!

Launch Pad

2010-04-26T11:10:00.000-04:00

For many of us moms, we have never known life beyond the preschool years, and the thought of kindergarten looming ahead on the horizon can be a bit scary. For others of us, we have had experience with older siblings graduating from the preschool years to move on into the school years. But, even for those seasoned moms, sometimes a little refresher can always prove helpful, especially when it is easy for us moms to forget from one child to the next which milestones the kids are supposed to (or did) reach when.

At our next MOPS meeting, Kindergarten teacher, Kelsey Graham, will discuss with us some valuable tips for preparing our little ones for kindergarten. She will discuss what will be expected of the kids upon entering school, what things we as moms can do to help them prepare and make their transition smoother and less scary, and how we can make this time fun for both the kids and the parents.

So come join us on Monday, May 10th from 9:00am - 11:00am in the Family Life Center of First Christian Church. Breakfast is being provided to us by the Fire and Water care groups. With only two meetings to go this school year and such a valuable and informative topic that applies to us all, you won't want to miss it!

Navigating Unsafe Relationships

2010-04-15T10:58:00.004-04:00

Being in relationships is a natural, God-given desire that we all have. But sometimes, those relationships can be unsafe. Often times, when we hear the term "unsafe relationship", we assume a physically abusive relationship with a spouse, but this is not always the case. Often, unsafe relationships can be unsafe in many different forms, such as physically, emotionally, or even spiritually. And many times, these relationships are not with a spouse, but rather with another family member (such as a parent or sibling) or even with a friend.

At our next MOPS meeting, we will be exploring the concept of unsafe relationships. This is a very serious and important topic, because even if you are not in an unsafe relationship yourself, you may know of a friend or family member that is. We will be watching a 17 minute video on the topic to discover ways to identify unsafe relationships and learn how to keep our families and our friends S.A.F.E. in all of our relationships. A representative from Springhaven will also be with us to talk to anyone who may need help in a current relationship.

So come join us on Monday, April 26th from 9:00am - 11:00am in the Family Life Center of First Christian Church. Breakfast is being provided to us by the Wind Care Group.

Beam Me Up! Escaping the Daily Routine with a Spa Day

2010-03-08T11:10:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wished that you could push a button and say, "Beam Me Up, Scotty!"? And then, poof, magically you escape from the chaos that is your life on Planet Mom to somewhere else entirely. Or do you remember the commercials from way back when that would show the lady surrounded by barking dogs, screaming kids, and a huge mess, and she would say, "Calgone, take me away!"? Then, the next scene would show her calmly relaxing in a nice bubble bath while the noises around her have been muted. Isn't that a dream that we often face on a daily basis... just for a brief moment to escape and relax?

We've all been there. In fact, it seems to be a law of nature that two mothers of pre-schoolers cannot carry on a phone conversation without at least one child running around in the background or screaming or fighting or making demands. If it ever happens, it should go in the Guinness Book of World Records.

But have we got a surprise for you! At our next MOPS meeting, we will be escaping from the daily routine by having a mini-spa day. We will have several stations set up where you can do your nails, enjoy a back massage, or make a necklace. We will also have a station set up to where we will be wrapping pajamas and writing cards to give to the women and children staying at Springhaven, which is a safe place for victims of domestic violence. The pajamas are being provided by the Earth care group.

So come join us on Monday, April 12th from 9:00am - 11:00am for a fun and relaxing morning as we pamper ourselves for a brief, but desperately needed, period of rest and relaxation. Breakfast is being provided to us by the Earth care group. Hope to see you there!

Living Together With God

2010-03-05T13:46:00.002-05:00

When talking to other moms, the description that is most often used to describe our lives is "busy". Unfortunately, oftentimes in our busyness, we neglect to take the time to foster the relationship that should be the most important one in our lives, and that is our relationship with God.

A relationship with God is just that... a PERSONAL relationship with God. Just like in life, even if you have several friends who share a friendship with someone that you don't really know, until you have a personal connection with that person for yourself, you would not consider them a friend just because they are friends with several of your friends. How can you be friends with someone that you don't personally know? The same is true with God. We have to connect with Him personally. We cannot sustain ourselves on the faith of our parents or the faith of our husband or the faith of our friends. It has to be our faith.

At our next MOPS meeting, we will be exploring this concept of living together with God. And with Easter just around the corner, we will be creating our own homemade resurrection eggs (from MomSense Magazine) to help explain the story of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Afterall, only through Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection are we even able to have a relationship with him through the payment and forgiveness of our sins on the cross.

So come join us on Monday, March 8th from 9:00am - 11:00am in the Family Life Center as we eat breakfast, watch a short video, work on a craft, and talk and fellowship with other moms. Breakfast is being provided to us by our Mentor Moms. You won't want to miss it!

4, 3, 2, 1 Blast Off!

2010-02-08T11:10:00.002-05:00

Have you ever felt like you were a rocket ship, ready to ignite and explode and take off at any minute? Have you ever had one of those days where the demands of your preschooler(s) has taken its toll on you so much that you just simply felt like you were going to lose it? We all have. We all experience frustration and even anger, but the key is how you respond to it. The way that we handle our frustration and anger has a huge impact upon the functionality of our families, whether that be negatively or positively.

At our next MOPS meeting, we will be hearing from Angie Kiger, the wife of First Christian Church's Youth Minister, Chris Kiger. She will be sharing with us some ways that she deals with anger both within herself and anger from her four boys. She will share with us some coping techniques that we can use to help first manage our own anger and then to help aid our children with dealing with their anger expression. Through homeschooling her four boys through elementary school, Angie has learned many valuable insights that she will share with us.

So come join us on Monday, February 22 from 9:00am - 11:00am as we learn some valuable tips regarding anger management. Breakfast is being provided to us by the Water care group. Hope to see you there!

Fire and Ice

2010-01-25T11:10:00.002-05:00

Sometimes our relationship with our spouse is Fiery Hot and sometimes it is Ice Cold. But regardless of what state we are currently in, we all have room to grow in our marriages and to make them even better. And with Valentine's Day just around the corner, there is no better time to celebrate love and marriage than now. At our next MOPS meeting, we will be watching a video called Married Life and will be discussing some valuable marriage tips to make our marriage relationship stronger.

So come join us on Monday, February 8th from 9:00am - 11:00am as we talk about the relationship that made our motherhood possible. Breakfast is being provided by the Fire care group. With food, fun, fellowship, and a fiery topic, you won't want to miss it! But with the forecasted snow for this weekend, please remember that if Hardin County Schools are closed or delayed on Monday, then MOPS will be canceled. So please check the school closings on Monday to make sure that we are still on. I will update the website and send out an email too if we are canceled. We hope that the weather cooperates and that we'll see you all on Monday!

Loving & Giving in Service

2010-01-11T11:10:00.008-05:00

The demands of caring for a preschooler are so time consuming and energy intensive that we often neglect many of the things that we did prior to having children. Being involved in service to others is one of those many things that we often put on the back burner during this busy season in our lives. However, we often forget that the groups of people we may have helped before becoming a mom have not ceased needing help simply because we are now busier. Integrating service back into our lives is not only necessary for those that we help, but it is also necessary for our well-being too. It takes our focus off of ourselves and gives us a sense of accomplishment and pride as we help those around us who need our help.

At our next MOPS meeting, we will be watching a 10 minute video on this subject of service and will be discussing ways that we can incorporate service into our busy schedules. In addition, we will all be given two chances at this meeting to go ahead and put into practice what we have learned. The first opportunity is in the wake of the terrible earthquake tragedy that recently hit Haiti. First Christian Church is partnering with G.O. Ministries in Louisville by becoming a drop-off point to collect needed supplies to send to Haiti. There will be a semi-truck parked outside of the church to collect donations. We would like to ask our MOPS moms, if possible, to bring a donation of either baby formula or Pedialyte with them to our next meeting.

We will also get a chance to put these ideas of service into practice at our meeting as we socialize and learn new crafty ideas. We will be creating photo albums to give to Clarity... Solutions For Women. These photo albums will be used to put ultra sound pictures in for their clients so that they can show them to their friends and family members.

And for more inspiration about this topic, you can read chapter 5 of the Life on Planet Mom book, discussing how becoming a mom changes your relationship with the world.

So come join us on Monday, January 25th from 9:00am - 11:00am for some food, fun, and fellowship. Breakfast is being provided by the Wind care group.

For those of you who are able and want to help more in the effort to help Haiti, you can also collect other supplies to drop off.

Here is a list of supplies that are needed: (No other items will be accepted at this site.)

Food
- Bottled water
- Baby Formula
- Pedialyte or other pediatric electrolyte supplement
- Canned meats and sardines (spam, chicken, tuna)
- Canned pasta, already prepared (Spaghettios, ravioli)
- Protein bars
- Peanut butter
- Ensure bottled drinks
Supplies
- Tents (small and large)
- Tarps
- Blankets
- Sheets
- Rope
- Candles
- Flashlights/headlamps/batteries
Needed Medical Supplies
- Casting supplies
- Peroxide
- Ace bandages
- Bandages
- gauze
- gloves
- masks
- Scalpels
- Adhesive tape
- Antibiotic ointment
- glucometers
Medicines - we can only accept unexpired medications in bulk containers
- Regular insulin
- Anti-diarrheals
- Tylenol/acetaminophen
- Ibuprofen
- Antibiotics
- Tetanus vaccine

***If you work in the medical field, please see this list below. They are in desperate need of the following Surgical Supplies

External Fixators - suppliers - Stryker, Synthes, Smith and Nephew
Nails - Stryker, Synthes, Smith and Nephew
Steiman Pins - same suppliers
Plates and Screws - Stryker, Synthes
Casting material - plaster or fiberglass
Sterile gauze
Suture material - nylon - hundreds of packs
Scissors
Scalpels with blades
OR lights
Power saws and drills - are rechargeable - Stryker supplier
Anesthesia
Crutches
Dressings supplies
IVs ( Ringers Lactate, NACL, D5W, D50)
IVs start Kits
Bandages
gauze
gloves
masks
scalpels

If you have any of these supplies and would like to donate them, you can drop them off at the semi-truck parked outside of First Christian Church during the following times:

Saturday, Jan. 23, from 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Sunday, Jan. 24, from 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Monday thru Friday, Jan. 25 - 29, from 11:00am - 1:00pm and from 5:00pm - 7:00pm

MOPS MEETING CANCELED--1/11/2010

2010-01-10T15:15:00.001-05:00

Hey ladies,

Tomorrow's meeting has been canceled due to Hardin County Schools being on a one-hour delay. Also, for those of you with little ones in First Christian's Preschool, that means Preschool is also canceled.

We are rescheduling our speaker to come back at a later date and we'll let you know when that will be.

Thanks!

Happy Holidays

2009-12-16T16:02:00.002-05:00

On behalf of MOPS at First Christian Church, we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We hope that you all have a blessed time with family and friends and pray that everyone will stay safe throughout the holiday season. We look forward to seeing you all again at our next meeting on January 11, 2010. Until then, Happy Holidays!

Christmas Party

2009-11-23T11:10:00.001-05:00

The holiday season is upon us. So come join us for a Potluck Breakfast at our next MOPS meeting as we celebrate Christmas. We will eat, read some Christmas stories, eat, share some Christmas traditions, eat, listen to some Christmas music, and eat some more. With everyone sharing a dish with the group, there will be more yummy food than you can possibly eat.

And remember, this will be our last meeting for collecting items for our bundles for Clarity - Solutions For Women. For this meeting, we will be bringing individually wrapped candies. (This will be a good way to get rid of any leftover candy you may have from Halloween.) We will be taking all of the supplies that we have collected thus far and will be assembling them into bundles during the meeting.

So come join in the festivities on Monday, December 14th from 9:00am - 11:00am as we wrap up our first semester of MOPS and celebrate our families, the friends that we have made through MOPS, and most importantly, the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place.
Don't miss it!

Growing With Extended Family

2009-11-09T11:10:00.002-05:00

Do you ever feel like your "family tree is suddenly a forest"? Has having children changed your relationship with your family of origin or with your in-laws? With the holiday season quickly approaching, do you ever find it hard to balance creating your own family traditions with your children and maintaining those that you have carried down with you from your own parents or from those of your in-laws?

With parents, grandparents, siblings, in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, and relationships through blended families, our relationships with extended family can sometimes seem challenging, but with a little work, they can often times be very rewarding. At our next meeting, we will watch an informative video about growing with extended family. We will learn how our own childhood experiences with family often shape us, both positively and negatively, and how we carry those experiences into our relationships with our own immediate family. We will also learn how we can handle any differences of opinions that we may have with our extended families. For further thought, you can read Chapter 3 of the Life on Planet Mom book.

And with the holidays quickly approaching, we will be making one or more of three fabulous gift ideas that you can give to someone in your extended family or keep for yourself. Please remember to bring your frozen juice lids with you to our next meeting for one of these projects.

In addition, for those of you looking for some fun events coming up in our community, check out the following links. http://ehcheritagecouncil.org/upcomingevents.asp.htm and http://thepac.net/

And remember, we are still collecting items for our bundles for Clarity - Solutions For Women. For this meeting, we will be bringing baby bottles. They can be either new or used. We will be assembling the bundles at our Christmas Party on December 14th. We will be assembling the bundles at our Christmas Party on December 14th.

So come join us on Monday, November 23rd from 9:00am - 11:00am in the Family Life Center of First Christian Church for some food, fun, and fellowship as we continue our quest to discover ourselves on Planet Mom. Breakfast is being provided to us by the Water care group. Hope to see you there!

Houston, We Have A Problem

2009-10-26T11:10:00.009-04:00

As a federal requirement, all schools must have mandatory, scheduled fire drills on a regular basis to prepare the children for an emergency. But what about you? Do you have an emergency plan for your own home? Have you thought about how you would ensure that everyone gets out of your home safely in the event of a fire? Do you have a designated place to go in the event of a tornado or earthquake? Sadly, most of us do not think these things through very thoroughly until it's too late.

At our next meeting, Firefighter Luke Graham will come to share with us some important tips about fire safety, creating a fire plan for your homes, and how to educate your children about what to do in the event of a fire. He will also come in full uniform and meet with our children to familiarize them with what a firefighter would look like in a real fire situation. With young children, seeing someone dressed up in a mask and fire suit might scare them terribly and cause them to run away from the firefighter in an emergency situation instead of going with them to safety. So, by familiarizing the children with what the uniform looks like in a non-threatening, non-emergency situation, if they ever are faced with a real fire situation, they will know what to expect and will be prepared.

Also, we have many service projects available for this next meeting for any who want to participate in them.

Goodies for our firefighters - If you would like to make some sort of treat to send back to our firefighters, please feel free to do so and bring them to our meeting on Monday. We will be dividing them up to send back with Firefighter Luke Graham of the Fort Knox Fire Department and with Firefighter Marco Scarborough of the E-Town Fire Department.
Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes - For those of you wanting to participate in filling shoe boxes for children less fortunate, these boxes are due at our meeting this Monday. Dollar Tree carries a lot of the stuff that you would want to fill them with (including the clear plastic shoe boxes themselves), so you can put them together fairly inexpensively. To print out your labels for your boxes or to find out more information about what to fill them with, go to http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/Pack_A_Shoe_Box/
Stuffed animals for Clarity...Solutions For Women - For those of you competing in our contest to collect items for the bundles that we are making for Clarity...Solutions For Women (formerly the Heartland Crisis Pregnancy Center), this meeting we are bringing new or gently used small stuffed animals. Remember, the care group who brings the most stuff for the bundles will receive a $5 gift card for each member of your group to Pestos Restaurant in Cool Springs.

Also, please remember to be saving your frozen juice lids to bring to our November 23rd meeting for a craft project that we will be doing.

In addition, for those of you looking for some fun events coming up in our community, check out the following links. http://ehcheritagecouncil.org/upcomingevents.asp.htm and http://thepac.net/

So come join us on November 9th from 9:00am - 11:00am in the Family Life Center of First Christian Church for food, fun, and fellowship as we prepare our homes to be emergency ready. Breakfast is being provided to us by the Fire care group. Hope to see you then!

UFOs - Unidentified Financial Obstructions

2009-09-28T11:10:00.001-04:00

We've all been there... wondering how we are going to pay our next bill, stressing over debt we can't seem to get out of, or facing financial challenges due to unforseen emergencies like a loss of a job, medical expenses due to an illness or injury, unexpected vehicle repairs or home repairs, etc. The list seems to be never-ending. But there are some things that we can learn that will help us with our money woes.

At our next meeting, we will be hearing from Nicole Pavlica, who will share with us some key financial tools such as creating a budget, tackling debt, planning for the future, etc. Nicole has a Finance degree from the University of South Florida and has worked as a Junior Treasury Analyst, a Fixed Assets Analyst and an Accounts Receivable Specialist. She has graduated from Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University twice, once as a single college student and a second time along with her husband. In June of 2009, she attended Dave Ramsey's Financial Counselor's Training, which is a 5 day, intensive program in which she was trained by Dave's team to counsel people on their budgets, getting out of debt and making the best decisions about investing and insurance. She is currently working as the Family Readiness Support Assistant for the 16th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Knox and is in the 10th week of teaching her first Financial Peace University to the Families of the Regiment. She and her husband are also debt free, so I know that we will be able to learn lots of valuable lessons from her.

We will also hear of what Financial Peace University is all about and learn of some websites available containing valuable financial tools as well as hearing about some highly recommended books that will point you in the right direction to being debt-free and financially secure.

With a topic like this one, you won't want to miss it! And as an added bonus, we have some fabulous door prizes to give away that were donated to us by renowned financial expert, Dave Ramsey, including some autographed copies of his book. So come join us for some Finance 101 on Monday, October 26th from 9:00am - 11:00am in the Family Life Center of First Christian Church. Breakfast is being provided to us by the Wind care group. Hope to see you there!

Building A Community of Friends

2009-09-14T11:10:00.002-04:00

We had a fabulous first meeting. For those of you that attended, thank you for helping us to have a great kick-off! We hope that you all are as excited about this year as we are.

As a mom, do you ever feel like you are stranded on an island of chaos all by yourself? If so, you are certainly not alone (even though it may feel that way sometimes). Community is a vital part of our well-being, and friendships are the steam that keeps us chugging. But sometimes, the very thing that we need the most is often the thing that suffers the most when we become mothers, due to fatigue, lack of time, added responsibilities, and stress.

At our next meeting, we will learn how motherhood changes friendships and how we can build a community of friends with other mothers to help us, support us, encourage us, and celebrate with us. And for more insight into this exciting topic, you can read chapter 4 of the Life on Planet Mom book.

Also, as a group-wide service project, we will be collecting supplies for Clarity... Solutions for Women (formerly known as Heartland Crisis Pregnancy Center). The goal is to collect certain things at each meeting, which we will be assembling together closer to Christmas to create "bundles" for the new moms that come through the center. For this meeting, we are asking everyone who can to please bring one or more new or gently used receiving blankets. As an added incentive, for the care group that collects the most items towards our service project, we will be awarding each member with a $5 gift card to one of the new local coffee shops here in town.

So come join us, on Monday, September 28th from 9:00am - 11:00am in the Family Life Center of First Christian Church as we explore more of what Life on Planet Mom is all about. Breakfast is being provided by the Earth care group. You won't want to miss it! See you then!

Kick-off Meeting - Bridging Planet Me and Planet Mom

2009-08-26T11:00:00.000-04:00

We hope that everyone has had an exciting summer and is ready to get back into the swing of things. We are so excited about this upcoming MOPS year as we take a journey through Life On Planet Mom!

We have 38 moms and 45 children signed-up to attend this year which is fantastic! If you haven't signed-up yet, but were planning to attend the first meeting, please contact Nora Gocking (nbgocking@yahoo.com). We currently have a waiting list for new moms as we only have so many spots in our MOPPETS program (the child-care program for our children while we attend MOPS). We will make every effort to get you into MOPS as soon as possible! If you are not sure if you are signed-up or not, please contact Nora and she'll be glad to help you.

Please make every effort to be at the church and signing your children in by 8:50 am. We have a lot to get through at our first meeting and the only way we can get through it is if we start on-time. Thank you for your understanding.

Our first meeting, on September 14th will be our kick-off meeting where we will find out what Planet Mom is all about. We will be watching a short video to introduce the topic called Bridging Planet Me and Planet Mom. For more inspiration, for those of you who have already pre-registered, you can read chapter 1 of the Life on Planet Mom book that was sent to you. For those who have not yet registered, you can register at the first meeting and will get your own copy of the book in the mail soon thereafter.

This will be an exciting meeting as we will meet other moms, enjoy a yummy breakfast, meet your mentor mom and the members of your care group, and make a fabulous nametag that will represent you and your care group to be worn to every meeting.

With a fun craft, delicious breakfast, an inspirational and informative video, two hours free of your children, and adult fellowship with other moms, what more could you ask for?

So come join us on Monday, September 14th from 9:00am - 11:00am in the Family Life Center of First Christian Church. Breakfast is being provided by our Mentor Moms.

Hope to see you there!

Welcome!

2009-07-22T13:50:00.001-04:00

We are playing with a new format for the First Christian Church's MOPS website. Please be patient as we try to get set up here. In the meantime, we hope you are excited to join us this year!!!

Our first meeting will be on Monday, September 14th from 9:00 to 11:00 am in the Fellowship Hall of the church. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email one of us for more information. We can't wait to see some familiar faces and hopefully some new ones too!

Our theme for this year will be “Life on Planet Mom”. If you haven’t already done so, please make sure to send in your MOPS registration so that you will receive your very own copy of the Life on Planet Mom - a down-to-earth guide to your changing relationships book that coincides with this year’s curriculum. To find out how to do so, please contact Nora Gocking or Kim Medley.

We hope you are having a great summer!!!

2009-07-22T13:43:00.000-04:00

CONTENTS

2008-2009 Theme
Meeting Dates
MOPS Steering Team
MOPS Mentor Moms
Attendance Policy
Meeting Cancellation Policy
Guest / Visitor Policy
FCC MOPPETS and Nursery
General Policies
Sick Policy
Childcare Security System
Finance
Care Groups
Mentor Mom
Hospitality
Creative Activities
Communication
Newsletter
Photo Directory
Website
Business Board

Welcome!

2009-07-21T21:27:00.001-04:00

Calendar of Events

2009-05-21T21:58:00.000-04:00

Here's our 2009-2010 Meeting Schedule

We meet the 2nd and 4th Mondays of every month from September to May (with a couple of exceptions this year--see calendar) and we meet from 9:00 am to 11:00 am in the Fellowship Hall of First Christian Church.

****

Check back as we will be updating this as we have more information for each meeting!

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September 14th

Topic: Bridging Planet Me and Planet Mom (chapter 1 of Life on Planet Mom)
Activity/Speaker: Craft - Creating nametags; Video
Breakfast Provided By: Mentor Moms

September 28th

Topic: Building a Community of Friends (chapter 4 of Life on Planet Mom)
Activity/Speaker: Ice Breakers; Video
Breakfast Provided By: Earth care group

October 12***NO MEETING - HARDIN COUNTY SCHOOLS NOT IN SESSION

October 26th

Topic: UFO's - Unidentified Financial Obstructions
Activity/Speaker: TBA
Breakfast Provided By: Wind care group

November 9th

Topic: Houston, We Have a Problem! - Emergency Preparedness & Fire Safety
Activity/Speaker: Firefighter Luke Graham
Breakfast Provided By: Fire care group

November 23rd

Topic: Growing With Extended Family (chapter 3 of Life on Planet Mom)
Activity/Speaker: Video; Craft - 3 ideas for gifts
Breakfast Provided By: Water care group

December 14th (Christmas Party)

Topic: Christmas Party
Speaker/Activity: TBA
Breakfast Provided By: Potluck

January 11th

Topic: 4,3,2,1 Blast Off! - Anger Management for Moms & Emotional Expression For Kids
Speaker/Activity: TBA
Breakfast Provided By: Earth care group

January 25th

Topic: Loving and Giving In Service (chapter 5 of Life on Planet Mom)
Activity/Speaker: Video; Creating Scrapbooks for Clarity
Breakfast Provided by: Wind care group

February 8th

Topic: Fire and Ice - Marriage Tips
Activity/Speaker: TBA
Breakfast Provided By: Fire care group

February 22nd

Topic: Popcorn Questions
Speaker/Activity: TBA
Breakfast Provided By: Water care group

March 8th

Topic: Living Together With God
Activity/Speaker: Craft - Bible Verse plaque; Video
Breakfast Provided By: Mentor Moms

March 22nd***NO MEETING--HARDIN COUNTY SCHOOLS NOT IN SESSION

April 12th

Topic: Beam Me Up! - Escaping the Daily Routine With a Spa Day
Activity/Speaker: Craft - Necklace; Spa Centers (massage chair, foot spa, etc.)
Breakfast Provided By: Earth care group

April 26th

Topic: Navigating Unsafe Relationships
Activity/Speaker: Ice Breakers; Video
Breakfast Provided By: Wind care group

May 10th

Topic: Launch Pad - Preparing your child for school
Activity/Speaker: Former Kindergarten teacher Kelsey Graham
Breakfast Provided By: Fire and Water care groups

May 24th

Topic: Wrap-up Party
Activity/Speaker: TBA
Breakfast Provided By: TBA

About Us

2009-05-21T21:53:00.001-04:00

We are a fairly new chapter of Mother’s of Preschoolers (MOPS) started at First Christian Church in Elizabethtown, KY, during the summer of 2006. Our chapter is one of nearly 4,000 around the US and 29 countries around the world. Our mission is to connect with all mothers of children ages birth through kindergarten and support each other through these formative years in our children’s lives.

While some of our curriculum is based on Christian principles, MOPS is not a Bible study and you do not have to attend a church or be a Christian to attend. We welcome all mothers of preschoolers, regardless of age, race, or socio-economic background. Being a mom to little ones connects us together!

During our meetings, we eat our own food without cutting it into little pieces, have “adult” conversation, listen to speakers and share ideas, and do crafts that don’t involve crayons, play-doh or cleaning fingerpaints off walls!

If you’d like to join us, please contact a steering team member and check out our calendar to see our listing of meetings.

We provide childcare too!

Contact Us

2009-05-21T21:29:00.007-04:00

(270) 360-8702
kbmedley@yahoo.com

Dorothy Platt
Publicity
dee_squared2004@yahoo.com

Heidi Durbin
Financial Coordinator
(270) 360-1022
hdurbin@comcast.net

Leigh Anne Schory
Hospitality
(270) 317-4477
laschory@yahoo.com

Annette Hicks
Hospitality
jarb042@aim.com

Sarah Christensen
Creative Activities
carldsarahj@windstream.net

Holly Gross
Creative Activities
hdgross33@hotmail.com

Janice Tarter
Mentor Mom Coordinator/Care Group Team Leader
tarterdj1@comcast.net

MOPS of First Christian Church

MOPS

MOPS

Hello

Found items

Next mops meeting

Next meeting - Monday, 12 Sep 2011

Item Found!

Welcome to the 2011-2012 MOPS Year! :-)

2011-2012 Meeting Dates

SUMMERTIME SUMMERTIME...

Meeting on Monday, 25 Apr 2011

Next Meeting - 11 Apr 2011

Meeting Monday, 28 March 2011

Next meeting - Mon, 14 March 2011

Next meeting - Monday, 28 Feb 2011

Spa Day! :-)

Discussing Marriage

Parenting with Your Own Personality

Party! :-)

Creativity in the Kitchen - Nov 8, 2010

Memories

Engaging in Health Relationships

2010-2011 Handbook

2010-2011 Meeting Dates

Moppets Registration - IMPORTANT!

Contact Us - 2011-2012 Steering Team

13 Sep 2010

Preparing for the 2010 - 2011 School Year

The End Has Come

Launch Pad

Navigating Unsafe Relationships

Beam Me Up! Escaping the Daily Routine with a Spa Day

Living Together With God

4, 3, 2, 1 Blast Off!

Fire and Ice

Loving & Giving in Service

MOPS MEETING CANCELED--1/11/2010

Happy Holidays

Christmas Party

Growing With Extended Family

Houston, We Have A Problem

UFOs - Unidentified Financial Obstructions

Building A Community of Friends

Kick-off Meeting - Bridging Planet Me and Planet Mom

Welcome!

Contents

Welcome!

Calendar of Events

About Us

Contact Us