MOPS & MOMSnext meeting
First Tuesday, from 12/01/2020 to 05/04/2021, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
The 2020-2021 year is starting up September 1st and we will meet in the Life Center at North Main (physically AND digitally!) from September through May with additional play dates and Mom's Night Outs throughout the year. You are welcome to sit in and join us to see what we're all about. We look forward to meeting you!
All moms are invited to join us!
Welcome to a new season of MOPS and MOMSnext! We hope this will be an exciting and enriching time for you and your children. Our goal is to provide a nurturing atmosphere for mothers and their children. Each season of MOPS offers new possibilities for personal growth, friendship, and sharing. We're embracing potential change and we're Deciding to Rise above it. Things may look different this MOPS season, but we're going to Be Strong and continue to Chase Joy. Our leadership team is going to Do Our Work to ensure that this MOPS season continues to fulfill its purpose in supporting, encouraging, and strengthening moms.
Please take the time to look over the enclosed materials. Don’t let the amount of information overwhelm you. All of it is necessary so that everyone can get the most out of MOPS and MOMSnext, and it helps give a clear understanding of how our program works.
Being a member of MOPS and MOMSnext does take some commitment from you. Your participation no matter how big or how small makes a difference, even if just means trying to make it to a meeting, which can be a challenge sometimes (trust us we know). Please read through the enclosed forms before registering. At any time throughout the year your Discussion Group Leaders, Mentor Moms, or Coordinators are available to answer any questions you may have regarding policies, membership, or activities within the group. Please do not be afraid to ask questions, we are more than happy to help!
We are so excited to start another great year of MOPS and MOMSnext and look forward to getting to know you better and seeing what God has planned for us this year. Bear with us as we all navigate the current climate.
Thank you and many blessings,
North Main MOPS and MOMSnext Steering Team
This is a place where you get to meet other moms who share similar feelings, interests, and maybe even struggles just like you. You get to come in and get a break. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and some snacks and relax! We have guest speakers, play games, make crafts, and well… just BE us. Where you get to encourage and be encouraged by fellow moms. It’s a place for growing relationships with other moms and bettering yourself so you are able to be a well-rounded woman.
You are asked to pay a $31.95 registration fee that goes directly to MOPS International. You will get the MOPS magazine, e-mails, and other themed items from MOPS International. Our group also has dues, which are $10 this year. Both of these need to be paid by your third meeting. If at any time this is a hardship for you please let Tina Bortmes, Marylou Palmer, or Krystal Spachtholz know and we can make a private arrangement. All requests are confidential, and above all we want you to be here at the meetings with us.
Please make sure your child’s information is submitted prior to you coming to the MOPS & MOMSnext meeting. There will be a weekly RSVP for childcare, due to childcare restrictions we have a max of 10 children. Please see the MOPS Kids policy for further information. The children go into one room together, regardless of age. Park in the “Orange” parking lot across Beech Rd. and up the steps through the side door. There is a ramp entrance from the Red parking lot if you need it. When you enter the door there will be a set of stairs that lead down to the childcare room. There you will sign your child in with our volunteers, and label all of your child’s belongings. The program is designed for children of MOPS and MOMSnext moms only.
Our MOPS & MOMSnext group for the 2020-2021 year will Tuesday evenings from 6:15pm - 8:30pm with limited childcare. We will also be offering a virtual option for those who can’t make it in person! Links will be posted on our Private Facebook page, which you will be added to once registered. Please arrive on time! Meetings will start promptly on the half-hour. In regards to cancellations, we follow the Butler Area School District. If there is a delay or cancellation at the time of the meeting we will cancel the meeting or move it strictly to virtual. A posting will be made on the MOPS/MOMS Next private Facebook group page if this happens.
We will be following the current guidelines of North Main for the food at our meetings. Instead of tables, this year we will have signups, and everything needs to be individually packaged or you need to serve it to everyone.
There are areas of our MOPS and MOMSnext program that, if we work together and share the load, will make things run more smoothly. If you would like to give back to the group, please talk to a leader for more information on how you can help. There are several opportunities for you!
Please be sure to register yourself and your children so we can add you to our private Facebook group. Using the private page we communicate and talk to each other throughout the week, share life stories, pictures of our kids, inspirational devotions, and we also communicate our virtual meeting links, playdates, and mom’s night out events (with reminders!). It is a great way to be in the loop and to grow deeper relationships in-between MOPS and MOMSnext meetings.
During our meetings, our children enjoy a safe, clean, and stimulating environment while moms enjoy the company of other mothers. Your children will get to enjoy playtime while under the loving care of our qualified workers and volunteers. We have a max of 10 children this year due to class size restrictions and childcare workers.
If you may need childcare for your child(ren) during the MOPS & MOMSnext year, then YES. This information will be kept on file for the child to make RSVPing for childcare as simple as possible. Please input their information on the Registration form.
A registration link will be provided for each meeting and will be posted on the Facebook page or can be emailed to you. Childcare will cost $5 for a single child per meeting and $10 for families bringing multiple children. This payment is due upon RSVP and can be paid for on the same registration link.
Where do my kids go?
Children of all ages will be together this year, if that is an issue please attempt to find alternate childcare. They will be downstairs in the classroom on the far right.
As little as possible. A sippy cup/water bottle is okay as long as it is labeled. It will be kept up and out of reach of the rest of the children.
We will have one paid worker. Our volunteers are on a rotation and typically change from meeting to meeting. Our workers and volunteers ALL have clearances (background checks, etc.) required by PA state law. We strive to comply with all PA law requirements for childcare!
For the protection of all of our children, please adhere to these guidelines when determining if you should bring your child to MOPS KIDS.
Your child will not be able to attend MOPS KIDS if your child has any of the following:
First, you are fearfully and wonderfully made.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14
Second, because you are fearfully and wonderfully made, you have work to do; meaningful work that was built into your DNA before you were born. Work that you were made for. Sometimes, we believe that our motherhood is a constraint that limits what we can do in this life. We want to remind you that motherhood isn’t a constraint – it’s a catalyst. In fact, God appointed a woman named Deborah to be a judge over the nation of Israel. She was a leader, warrior and prophetess who ultimately helped an entire nation rediscover its identity and destiny as the people of God. And she declared that she accomplished it because she AROSE AS A MOTHER.
The villagers ceased in Israel; they ceased to be until I arose; I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel. Judges 5:7 (ESV)
Before God appointed Deborah, the inhabitants of Israel were distressed and had no fight left in them. Does this sound familiar? Is it possible that through this MOPS community of ours, each of us could reignite a sense of strength, joy and courage back into ourselves, our homes and our culture?
This is the year we arise as mothers to awaken a weary and sleeping world. The year to accept and believe that God will fulfill his promises to you, and to embrace your motherhood as a catalyst to his plans and promises for you.
Here are the three things we will do to remind ourselves of who God made us to be:
Arise as a mother. This is your year to get strong physically and mentally. To own the body you’ve been given and build muscle and stamina so you can do all the things that God is calling you to do; important things like chase your kids around the backyard, carry groceries for your elderly neighbor, or even build a mud house for a family in Rwanda. To embrace your own body’s abilities and build it up – whatever your physical ability may be. It also means being strong mentally. Sometimes our thought life needs a little tightening up. It might mean seeing a therapist who can give you tools for dealing with anxiety, or maybe developing mental stamina so you can endure the daily toddler meltdowns. Often we wait for all the right details to come into place before we act, but maybe this is the year God is saying, “Stop waiting and get to it.” Body and mind – this is the year we embrace the self that God gave us.
Doing your work happens in big and small, but always significant ways. It’s about persevering through the daily grind of essential but mundane tasks; and it’s also about making brave choices to do new things. Doing your work looks different for each of us, but everyone’s work will require some grit and courage. Maybe it’s choosing forgiveness, healing from past trauma, or making amends to those you’ve hurt. Maybe it’s sharing the secret you’ve been carrying for years, or unlearning harmful patterns of behavior. And when it comes to mothering … God gave those kids to you, Mama! You’ve been appointed and no one else can mother them like you. You are made of brave spirit. You’ll figure it out because you always have, and you have God and your MOPS sisters by your side.
Actively seeking out joy is how we fight discouragement and fear. It’s how we fight our tendency to complain, accuse or be offended. Joy is a decision, a really brave one, about how you will respond to life in all its circumstances. Joy is the most magnetic and contagious force in the universe, the type that people around you can’t help but notice – especially those looking up toward their mom. It is a gladness that’s not just reserved for happy moments, but particularly during the hardest days that come your way. Joy is the deep knowing that you were made for more than anxiety, depression and fear. This is your year to reclaim joy and share it with others!
Are you a mom looking for friendship, support, laughter, and food you don't have to share? You should check us out!
We are a Christ-centered program designed to nurture mothers of all ages, walks of life and backgrounds, and who all share the same desire:
MOPS International believes Better Moms Make a Better World. This is true during the preschool years and beyond. As mothers enter the school years, new challenges and issues arise, but the need for community and hope remains. We have a unique blend of moms in MOPS & MOMSnext and you will experience authentic community, personal growth, practical help and spiritual hope. During each meeting, we have topics relevant to marriage, family, child-rearing and personal growth. We also have small-group time to allow moms to share with each other, pray and develop relationships.
While the moms meet a limited number of children
are cared for in the MOPS KIDS program
(RSVP ONLY) where they will enjoy crafts, music,
and will learn about the Bible.