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Our meeting on October 16 started off with another yummy breakfast provided by the steering team. When moms checked in they were assigned to one of 10 discussion group tables where they will sit for the year. The names of the tables revolve around roles and relationships that are familiar to many of us, and after announcements the moms were given the opportunity to get to know the women at their tables through a fun icebreaker. We then enjoyed speaker Amy Kuncaitis sharing her family’s amazing story and how her faith and relationships have helped her to overcome adversity over the years. Using her great sense of humor, Amy encouraged us to nurture the relationships that we treasure and to be real and authentic with the ones we love.
Join us for our next meeting on Friday, November 6 when we will be making family fun jars and enjoying a mentor moment from Suzanne Cole. As a reminder, the Friend table will be providing food and the Child of God table will be staying for 5-10 minutes to help clean up.
Dates to remember:
Our first MOPS playdate is scheduled for Friday, October 23 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. at For the Kidz Gymnastics in Wyoming (near the intersection of Gezon Parkway & Burlingame Ave). If you did not sign up at the meeting and would like to attend, e-mail Hospitality Leader Amanda Deppe at abjdeppe@gmail.com by Wednesday, October 21.
Join us for a Ladies Night out on Wednesday, November 4 in down-town Holland at 7:00 p.m. at New Holland Brewing Co., 66 E. 8th Street. We’ll be enjoying appetizers, laughter and great conversation—hope to see you there! Sign up by e-mailing Hospitality Leader Amanda Deppe at abjdeppe@gmail.com.
On November 6 a new Babysitter Co-Op program is starting at First Church. It will take place at the church on Friday evenings throughout the year from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. To participate, parents must volunteer one evening out of the 6. Interested families will need to complete a registration form and turn it into the church office by October 30. For more information, please call Stephanie Holleman at 433-6742.
PLEASE save your newspapers for our group’s only fundraiser of the year. On Saturday, November 14 the steering team will be collecting recyclable papers and pop cans from 9:00 a.m. – noon in the rear parking lot of First Church. Mark your calendars & plan to stop by!
What an exciting kick-off morning! We had 58 moms in attendance as we began our new MOPS year and the energy in the room was amazing.
The meeting began with a delicious breakfast (a few ladies asked for the recipe for the mexican breakfast casserole—to view it, click here). Then came announcements & the introduction of the steering team. Next it was time to get creative as our moms made nametags to use for the year, complete with colored buttons to represent our little ones. 
Then it was on to a fun mixer activity that allowed each mom to connect one-on-one with 5 other moms in the group. Lastly, we ended with an inspirational mentor moment from Suzanne Cole on relationships, which is our MOPS theme for the year.
Our next meeting is Friday, October 16 and we will be welcoming speaker Amy Kuncaitis, author of “Joy In The Morning.” At this meeting our moms will also be given their table, or “discussion group” assignments. As a reminder, you will sit with your discussion group each meeting and they are designed to help you form relationships and enjoy conversation with a smaller pool of women. Your discussion group will have its own Discussion Group Leader (DGL). Your DGL mom will help facilitate the morning’s discussion and communicate news and information to the moms at your table.
Discussion group guidelines:
♥ Be AUTHENTIC – share your true feelings
♥ Be MUTUAL – encourage one another
♥ Be HONEST – speak the truth in love
♥ Be SYMPATHETIC – support one another
♥ Be COURTEOUS – respect our differences
♥ Be CONFIDENTIAL – no gossip
Beginning in November, each discussion group takes a turn providing breakfast and helping with clean up one meeting a year. In addition, the Steering Team has committee meetings once a month on a Friday morning here at church and we ask the discussion groups to take turns providing childcare for our children while we meet. Your DGL will have more information about this and the schedule, but what it’s important to understand is that MOPS is a group for women, by women and the success of our meetings depends upon everyone doing their part to help out.
Also, please mark your calendars for our first MOPS playdate of the year on Friday, October 23 at 10:00 a.m. at For the Kidz Gymnastics in Wyoming. This is a FREE, open gym event that you won’t want to miss!
A few more items to note:
• Please remember to label, label, label! All sippy cups, pacifiers, bottles, etc. should be labeled with your child’s name—preferably with a black sharpie marker, as sticker labels tend to fall off.
• Our meetings begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. and you may drop your children off in their classrooms beginning at 9:15 a.m. For a map that shows where you can park, click here.
• After our meeting starts, the doors to the church are locked at 9:45 a.m. because we have a preschool that operates on the church premises. If you ever arrive late & find the doors locked, there is a white call box next to the doors on the north side of the building and church staff can buzz you in.
We invite you to drop by tomorrow’s Open House anytime between 9-11 a.m. to find out more about our MOPS program and/or to register for the upcoming year. There will be refreshments and a kid’s craft, as well as volunteers in the nursery to watch your little ones play while you enjoy a cup of coffee and chat. Hope to see you there!
We would like to invite you to join us for the 3rd year of MOPS at First Church! We have a terrific year planned, with meetings that include speakers, creative activities, mom-to-mom discussion time, mentor moments, delicious breakfasts, laughter and more.
MOPS is a group that understands the ups and downs of motherhood. It is a wonderful way to meet other moms in the community and for your child(ren) to meet and play with other children. Time and time again, MOPS moms share that the friends they make in MOPS are significant for this season of their life and on into their future.
We are currently accepting registrations for our 2009-2010 year, which runs from October-May. If you would like to enroll for the fall, please drop in for a few minutes during our Open House on Friday, September 18 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. in the First Church Fellowship Room. There will be refreshments, a chance to meet the steering team, & a kids craft. You will receive a welcome packet when you register.
You may also register in advance by downloading the registration form, filling it out, and mailing it in or dropping it off in the First Church office prior to our first meeting of the MOPS year on Friday, October 2.
We ask that you register in advance because we need to make sure your children will have a place in the MOPPETS (childcare) program. We are very careful to maintain worker-to-child ratios to ensure your child’s safety. If you have questions about the form or the MOPS program, please contact Becky Dykhuis at (616) 531-1343 or by e-mail at becky@firstgrandville.org.
