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Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS)

Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS)

by The Reverend Beth Anne Nelson on September 15, 2021

I became a mother to the most extraordinary child, Grace, in 2012. Her birthday is coming up on Saturday, and every time I look at her, I see the miracle of God’s creation. As a new mother, I had so many questions about how to care for her. At the same time, as I worked outside the home, I felt the reality of the balancing act: I was either at work (which I loved) or caring for this tiny human. Like every child, as she grew, her needs expanded. When she was about two, I was invited to a Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group at a local church. Yet, as a Mom who worked outside the home, I found it difficult to attend meetings. Still, as the years progressed, I noticed something about the host church (it was a new site): more Mothers were attending the special events at this church, more of the families were becoming involved in ministries at the church, and (most importantly) my friends’ faith in God as the center of their life was growing. 

MOPS is first and foremost a Christian organization. Every purpose, every lesson, every activity, is centered on the salvific message of Jesus. Everything is centered on the Bible, which makes it extremely aligned with St. Dunstan’s theology. This year, we are going to be starting a new MOPS group at Saint Dunstan’s, which will meet twice a month on Monday evenings. MOPS is a group designed for mothers of children through kindergarten. The theme for the year is All in for Love; and this is the perfect message for our new group at our church. Every group I have met with thus far exemplifies love. The Godly Play classes show a love for our children. The Bible Study groups show a love for scripture.

MOPS offers multiple opportunities to be involved: one is as a participant. The participants will learn about how to make their life exemplify the love of Christ in all their actions. Mentor Moms are mothers who have graduated from the preschool mom stage of life and can speak to the moms with comfort and love. A volunteer for child care helps teach the children using the MOPS kids curriculum (lots of coloring and hugs). 

One of the things I learned in seminary was to pay close attention to the area around the church, specifically who lives in the area and imagine their schedule. I have learned that in the surrounding area and in our parish, many mothers work outside the home. Therefore, we are going to host our MOPS group on a weekday evening. Originally, it was planned for a Saturday, however, I received feedback that Saturdays are typically for family activities. It is important to honor this time.

The cost for the year is $32 for the first semester and $30 for the second semester. The cost of the first semester covers the MOPS international registration fee, the second semester will help with any supplies or speaker fees we need for meetings. There will be more meetings the second semester, after the new year begins.

As I mentioned last week, Invite, Welcome, Connect is a key to our growth at Saint Dunstan’s Episcopal Church. We must have multiple groups at multiple times for which to invite participants. We, as a church, will create multiple opportunities for large invite events.

I also encourage inviting people you know to small groups such as the Dads First Fridays, MOMtourage, Monday Bible Study, or Book Studies. MOPS is another opportunity; one we hope reaches our church members as well as those people in the community surrounding the church. Love is God[1] and through this love we can be all in for the possibilities of spiritual growth.

www.saintdunstans.org/mops


[1] This concept is from C.S. Lewis and 1 John 4.

return to The Rev. Beth Anne