MOPSTalk Zone 22 ~ Eastern PA and NJ: Adventures in Mothering 2008-09

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

Monday, August 18, 2008

Adventures in Mothering 2008-09

Join the Adventure
The MOPS International theme for 2008-09 is Adventures in Mothering.

This theme equips moms to learn more about themselves as they go through the adventure of motherhood. They will celebrate and embrace the fun in the experiences, even in the midst of daily mom life that stretches them emotionally and spiritually.
The metaphor for Adventures in Mothering is an amusement park. With the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of the amusement park, motherhood might feel like a sensory overload. But your MOPS group will enjoy this together and learn more about themselves as women, moms and leaders.
A theme provides a fun way to organize the MOPS year. The underlying reason for using a theme is to allow all MOPS groups to focus on a scriptural principle that will be developed throughout the year. The theme verse for Adventures in Mothering is Ephesians 3:18: “…how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” The dimensions of this verse express how God is with us in our mothering adventure. For the moms in your group who are exploring and wondering about faith in Jesus, the theme Adventures in Mothering is a winsome and fun way to organize content. As the year unfolds, your MOPS group will examine the practical aspects of the theme and then move toward spiritual truth. The knowledge that God is with us on the mothering adventure gives hope. God’s love is big enough for the magnitude of the adventure!

Theme Book

Guess what, mom? It’s not just about the kids! The Mommy Diaries: Finding Yourself in the Daily Adventure honors you and your mothering adventure—by helping you rediscover yourself through encouraging and funny stories of moms just like you.With contributors like Leslie Parrot, Liz Curtis Higgs, (and Barbara Vogelgesang!) and many other fresh voices, you’ll appreciate a focus on:
Reclaiming your identity as a woman
Cultivating meaningful adult relationships
Asking for help when you need it
Keeping hope alive, and more!
Yes, you can grow as a woman in the midst of the mothering process. Pick up The Mommy Diaries today for inspiration on your own daily adventure!
MOPS leaders, you can promote this book by:
Promoting The Mommy Diaries at Council Meetings
Recommending the book to a friend or relative
Sharing the book with your church’s Women’s Ministry Director
For more resources from MOPS, go to www.MOPS.org/books.

Theme DVD

A 2008-09 MOPS International Theme DVD comes FREE to each MOPS group as a benefit of on-time Charter Renewal. This DVD will provide inspirational and practical tools to equip MOPS leaders to carry out the theme in their group. Use the Theme DVD at a leadership team planning retreat. The Theme DVD will help your team understand the theme, simplifying theme-related planning so you can concentrate on relationships rather than details. Make sure to renew your Charter on-time by May 31st and you will automatically receive your free Theme DVD sent to the Chartering Ministry Attention: MOPS Group Coordinator.

Theme Curriculum

The MOPS group curriculum that accompanies the theme book, Adventures in Mothering, offers fresh teaching for your MOPS group meetings. Maybe life as a mom feels like a merry-go-round as you go round and round and up and down–but don’t seem to get anywhere. Or perhaps you are riding the bumper cars of the relationship part of your adventure in mothering. This MOPS curriculum has been designed to speak to and to equip every mom. The video curriculum features favorite MOPS speakers such as Sara Groves amd Julie Barnhill and moms just like you who will help you find yourself in the adventure. The curriculum will include a Leader’s guide with discussion questions and ideas for group activities and mom applications to integrate the theme into your MOPS group experience. Ideas to Get You Started The MOPS International Theme DVD your group receives free when you renew your Charter in April or May will have more ideas for implementing the theme, but here are a few places to start the adventure:
Organize Discussion Groups around amusement park rides.
Make your MOPS meeting a sensory experience, with sounds, smells and tastes from an amusement park.
Use the rides at an amusement park for meeting themes. The Adventures in Mothering curriculum will provide a basis with seven sessions and additional ideas.
Have moms keep a diary of their own mothering experiences to reflect on as they read the stories in the book, The Mommy Diaries: Finding Yourself in the Daily Adventure.
Curriculum speakers confirmed at time of printing but subject to change.
Theme Resources and Graphics Elements
The theme fonts are:
Savoye for the Bible verse
Sabon for the title, Adventures in Mothering
More common versions that look similar are:
Cochin Italic, French Script, Coronet, Crestwood and Ribbon 131 for the Bible verse
Byington, Garamond for the title, Adventures in Mothering
Curlz MT and Gigi for the swirled letters in the title (A, M)
Click Here for the Theme Graphics