MOPS Of Newnan Fall Kick-Off

I did not know how much my life would change when I visited MOPS for the first time, now three years ago.

I’ve been blessed with the freedom of independence from an early age. Encouraging my new two year old to also be independent is what drove me to find a mom group in the first place. Yet he was devastated when I dropped him off, and I was unprepared for that to break my heart when I walked away from his classroom.

I lost it! The tears flowed steadily during my first meeting, and I couldn’t imagine anyone in that fellowship hall wanting to befriend me.

Those are the only details I remember about my first meeting, but I left with so much more than details. I left with a feeling! A feeling that MOPS is a place of acceptance, love, peace, joy, laughter and fun!

Two weeks later, I came back. My boy cried again, but I was confident for him; this was a place he could learn independence, meet friends, accept others and have fun!

Three years later, I’m coming back without him because he just started Kindergarten. I’m a little sad because I started MOPS for us. He’s a little sad because his MOPS friends have become his best, like family.

MOPS has given me so much more than the fun from each meeting! It’s offered me friendships, perspective, understanding and helped me open my heart to opportunities that I wouldn’t have pictured for myself.

When we open our hearts, God has something special waiting for us!

As we get ready to kick-off a new season of MOPS (tomorrow!!!!), ask yourself this question. “What feeling, experiences or opportunities will I miss, if I don’t give MOPS a chance?” If you’re ready, nerves and all, to get connected with a tribe of women who will walk through motherhood with you, then join us tomorrow to kick-off this next season of MOPS of Newnan. (And jump to the bottom of this post for meeting details.)

My experience is just that, my story. We all have one, but I wanted to share a few testimonies from other moms who’ve opened their hearts to MOPS.

“I can meet REAL friends after moving to a new place.”

“We are not alone in this journey called motherhood.”

“Other women are not scary.”

 

And a few from the MOPS Int’l Blog:

“I’ve learned that with God I am never alone … I always have a friend.”

“God is fighting for my self-worth, for my family and for my love.”

“It’s liberating to be able to express that life isn’t all gravy. Being a mom is way harder than I ever thought it would be.”

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Help me shout out to our moms with summer and September birthdays and anniversaries!

May Birthdays:

• Sara Sloderbeck
• Michelle Baumann
• Chelsey Hicks
• Aaron McNeely
• Jessica Whitlock
• Chanel Choitz
• Robin Ervin

June Birthdays:

• Laura Stockman
• Amber Gharapetian
• Keri Davis
• Tiffanie Teel
• Michelle Silence
• Allison Caines

July Birthdays:

• Tori Hansen
• Jaimie Moss
• Ashley VanDenBerg
• Katie Morgan
• Priscilla Coffey
• Elizabeth Gordon

August Birthdays:

• Angela Jarrell
• Angela Dodd
• Cassie Jackson
• Allison Herdic
• Ashley Daigle
• Dori Itzel

September Birthdays:

• Caitlin Marker
• Caitlin Chambers
• Jacqueline Warren
• Kaitlin Wren
• Robin Lea
• Kelly Pringle
• Audrey Tomlinson

May Anniversaries:

• Amee Davison
• Amanda St. Germain
• Caitlin Marker
• Chanel Choitz
• Trish Cappiello
• Allison Herdic
• Angela Dodd
• Maranda Wood
• Tory Leech
• Tori Hansen
• Jessica Whitlock
• Jenn MacKinnon

June Anniversaries:

• Cassie Daigle
• Ashley Watson
• Robin Lea
• Sara Sloderbeck
• Bethany Dickens
• Katie Morgan
• Kristie Kimmel
• Julie Nielsen
• Kelly Pringle
• Karen Slade

July Anniversaries:

• Roxi Magro
• Michelle Baumann
• Kathleen Frederick
• Dori Itzel
• Katie Jeffords
• Shanna Edel
• Robin Ervin

August Anniversaries:

• Angela Jarrell
• Emily Ingold
• Linsey Harper
• Christy Faircloth
• Katie Beese
• Jaimie Moss

September Anniversaries:

• Kelly Presnal
• Andrea Reese
• Julie Wall
• Brooke Wells
• Priscilla Coffey
• Vanessa Erikson

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A few reminders…

We meet at First Baptist Church Newnan, but come to the preschool entrance at 53 Madison Street, Newnan, GA 30263.

We start at 9:30, but MOPS Kids drop-off opens at 9:15, so be on-time and get your extra 15 minutes, since we end at 11:30 and must promptly pick up our kiddos, in order to relieve our Caregivers on-time.

Street Parking is available all over downtown Newnan and surrounding First Baptist Church, but their is also a parking lot across the street from the preschool entrance and  a gravel lot past the building on the left.

Oh, and if you haven’t pre-registered. You might want to STOP! and take care of that right now. Otherwise, it might feel like that early morning in the doctor’s office when they hand you a clipboard full of paperwork, but you have the kids tugging at your clothes and calling you by name 1000x. Avoid that feeling and use this link to pre-register now.

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You Asked, We Listened

Mamas show up to MOPS for a variety of reasons, but they stick around because friendships are formed, and fast. How do we manage to connect with other moms so fast?

When you come through our doors this week, look around and truly see how different we all are – some moms are put together and others barely made it out the door dressed with maybe spit-up all over them. But look deeper! Look into their eyes, and you’ll see that each of these moms, regardless of their outer appearance, have their own stories, some with current struggles and some with new victories.

Each year, we survey for feedback. We want to build an environment that you crave! …you asked for more time to mingle, and you’re gonna get it. But it doesn’t stop there! We’re committed to relationship building activities that will help us build friendships as a whole and within our small groups. That’s right, you don’t have to be a small fish in a big pond.

This week, you can expect to meet your small group for the year, and it’s going to be so much fun! The walls will come in around you, and the overwhelming feeling will instantly change as you have fun naming your group, and even laugh or cry over our topic for the week… Loving The Life You Didn’t Choose. As Melanie Dale, the hilarious and brilliant author (Women are Scary and It’s Not Fair) and *speaker, comes to us (sorry, but only in video format this week) to share Five Daily Practices that help her love her very unexpected life.

We are also ready to kick-off our first fundraiser, and there are two aspects you need to consider.

First, will you consider volunteering for our Fundraising Committee? Before you say, no way!, let me be clear about something… all members will participate in MOPS Fundraisers, but we need a committee to manage the fundraisers. It might be encouraging to know that a lot of brainstorming has already taken place and several small and a few significant fundraisers are practically ready to go, so there won’t be a ton of work to do. Did I mention, we already have 2-3 members who have graciously volunteered to participate in this committee, and have hit the ground running? So thank you! And second, begin thinking about your first or second level connections who might be business owners in the area. We have a great opportunity for our local business owners to partner with us, and we want YOU to connect us.

UPDATE: Click here to read our letter to the community listing the many ways to offer support.

Membership and MOPS Kids Update :: We are excited to share that our Caregiver roster has grown. We’re equipped to handle all your children, safely. And we have room for growth!! So, if you know a mom or two who were worried about being put on a wait list, tell them to just come… this week… because now is the time for them to get REGISTERED. Here’s the form!

Also, please remember to be considerate of the MOPS Kids program, caregivers and leaders! Childcare is NOT available until 9:15 am. If you arrive early, please take advantage of a few extra minutes in the car before beginning the journey to drop-off -OR- feel free to utilize the playground on the back-side of the parking lot – directly across the street from the Preschool Entrance on Madison Street.

Don’t think we’ve forgotten about our monthly shoutouts! If you’ve got a birthday or anniversary this month – Live It Up!

September Birthdays:

Heather Walker

Caitlin Chambers

Jacqueline Warren

Kaitlin Wren

September Anniversaries:

Kelly Presnal

Andrea Reese

Priscilla Coffey

Vanessa Erikson

 

*Listen into Melanie’s podcast for some great tips on how to Lighten Up.