MOPSTalk Zone 22 ~ Eastern PA and NJ: More ideas for getting MOPS members more involved

CONVENTION UPDATE

Ta da! A Convention announcement!
We just signed the papers and we thank you for your prayers as we worked on moving, well, a whole lotta details in just a few days.

Drum roll #1: The Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, FL (Orlando area) was able to welcome us (in the midst of many conventions needing to move).

Drum roll #2: We're able to keep the registration fees the same, so some of you might decide to come early or stay late, and enjoy the Orlando amenities with your friends (or family).

And thanks for all the great ideas of cities! You helped our future dreaming. 'Twould be fun!
And again, it will be great because of Who we'll be with: "Where(ver) two or three (thousand) are gathered in my name, there am I with them." (Mt. 18:20, our year's theme verse with my additions).

Naomi Cramer Overton

Convention Details:
The MOPS International Convention will be at the Gaylord Palms, Kissimmee, FL (Orlando area). Dates will be the same, August 5-7, 2010. Speakers and artists will be the same great lineup — Julie Barnhill, Margaret Feinberg, Donald Miller, Naomi Cramer Overton, Shelly Radic, Go Fish, Mandisa, The Katinas and Richie McDonald.

Convention registration will re-open on Monday, May 17.
The early bird registration deadline will be extended to June 7.
We are working with the Gaylord Opryland for an official letter we can provide to anyone who has already purchased airline tickets to use with airlines to avoid rebooking fees. This letter should assist you in rebooking airline tickets — it will be posted online at www.MOPS.org/convention.
We continue to pray for families and businesses affected by the flooding and we have sent MOPS materials to local MOPS leaders who are distributing supplies in the Nashville area.

MOPS International Convention 2010

August 5-7, 2010
Gaylord Palms, Orlando FL

Check back often for more information!

Your MOPS International Convention Checklist:

Register for Convention (re-opens May 17)
Reserve a room at the hotel (register first!)
Schedule shuttle transportation

Friday, March 02, 2007

More ideas for getting MOPS members more involved

A group in Maryland has had a lot of success with this idea.....

Our group started the GROWTH program back in 2000. Our coordinator at the time was trying to come up with a way to get the moms involved and take some of the burden off of the Steering. She asked me to come up with a catchy name for the program. After some prayer, God gave me the acronym GROWTH (God Rewards Our Willingness To Help). The program is based on 1 Corinthians 9:17 "for if I do so willingly, I will receive a reward".

We have a GROWTH Team Leader on our Steering Team. She acts as a liason between the moms and the rest of the steering. She puts out sign-up sheets at each meeting for the moms. Each sign-up sheet is for a different area of need and has the specific dates of the job. For instance, there is a Steering Meeting Child Care sign-up sheet with all the dates of the Steering meetings listed so moms can sign up to give child care while the steering meets. The mom signs up for a particular job and when she has completed the job, she gets a job credit.

The GROWTH Team Leader keeps track of each mom's credits. At the end of the year, we put the mom's names in a "hat" one time for each credit she has earned. So if she has successully completed 5 jobs over the year, she gets her name in the "hat" 5 times. We pull one name out of the "hat" for a Grand Prize. We usually have businesses donate gift certificates and whatever is the biggest and best prize ends up being the Grand Prize. We then have smaller drawings for all the other donated prizes we received.

It is a win-win-win situation. 1. The Steering team gets help with their jobs. 2. The moms gain a sense of ownership and purpose. and 3. Propective leaders have opportunity to shine. Some opportunities we've offered the moms: Child care during Steering meeting MOPPETS help during MOPS meeting Set up MOPS room the day before our meeting Assist with Creative Activities Wrap Birthday/Baby/Speaker gifts The moms could also earn credit by helping with big projects such as the MOPPETS Appreciation Brunch, MOPS and POPS Dinner, Christmas Brunch, Steering Retreat, etc. Just be sure to keep track of each mom's credits. How we keep track of credits: The GROWTH Team Leader has a 3 by 5 card for each mom and she records the date and the job completed on each mom's card as she completes said job. The other Steering members let her know if they actually got the help they needed, or if there is another job they need help with.

GROWTH is an incredible program that will only enhance your group.

Hugs, Irene