Group Care
Winter Newsletter
Curriculum
Curriculum
· We have a short promo video for each of the Eyes to See … Video Stories groups receive in their kit. These Video Stories were created to help us Flourish Fiercely in three specific ways: by celebrating lavishly, embracing rest and noticing goodness. Each of these topics are examined deeper through interviews with 20 different people who inspire us to live more intentionally.
o Celebrate Lavishly – https://youtu.be/nzuBDxUaWD4 – on this DVD we cover the Eyes to See ... Feasting, Family, Creativity, Marriage, Boys and Words.
o Embrace Rest – https://youtu.be/Hbnko4l0KYQ – on this DVD we cover the Eyes to See ... Vulnerability, Friendship, Sorrow, Sexuality, Rhythms, Stress and Play.
o Notice Goodness – https://youtu.be/z5zEgerZOpA – on this DVD we cover the Eyes to See ... People, Space, Adoption, Raising Adults, Movement, "The Talk" and Adult Mile Markers (specifically for Teen MOPS).
o Feel free to pass these along to get leaders and moms excited about diving into this year’s curriculum!
Meet your group Care Specialist
My husband Buddy and I live in Loveland, Co with our 2 kids Riley 12 and Amaley 9. We have moved 3 times in 4 years with the railroad. I am passionate about helping leaders see their potential and walk along side them to help them.
A Book I recommend for leaders
I’m an author and, for almost seven years, I had the privilege of being a columnist for The Seattle Times, one of America’s leading newspapers which has 1.8 million readers. As an avid reader (I fell madly in love with books in the second grade–we’ve never had a break-up yet) and experienced writer, I’ve been published in numerous books, magazines, journals, and e-zines. My new book (yippee!!), The Jesus-Hearted Woman: 10 Leadership Qualities for Enduring & Endearing Influence, was released in 2013.
In addition to being a personal and leadership coach who enjoys helping my clients get “unstuck” so they can move forward in their lives, I’m a frequent speaker at various events and conferences for all kinds of groups across America. I absolutely love to talk to people at heart-level about things that matter most. When I speak, it’s important to me to weave together humor, life-in-the-real-world stories, and relatable issues with solid biblical truths in a way that brings hope, sparks greater faith, and encourages true life-change. I’m always amazed at what God has up His big sleeve when people who want to know and love Him more and come together in His presence!
Bible Studies and Book Clubs for Moms
Many groups like to offer off-week Bible studies, book studies or book clubs for moms (outside of the regular MOPS meetings). We have some great ideas to help you get started!
Off-week Bible Studies
Looking for a good basic Bible Study for your off-week meeting?
Bible Basics 101 is a study designed for any woman who is curious about the Bible. Some moms may have become active in the church but have “holes” in their Bible knowledge. Some come to MOPS from another faith or from no faith and have never opened a Bible before. Still others spent time running away from a Christian heritage and are now considering returning to it. All of them need to be met where they are. Their questions are legitimate, their concerns real, and their misconceptions generated sometimes in the heat of difficult moments from their past.But … if they are willing to open God’s word and be open-minded enough to consider that it might be the truth, that is a huge step. If you are going to lead this study, your job is to be faithful to gently speak the truth in love, to show them what the book says, to calmly with grace answer their questions, to love them in the midst of those questions and struggles, and to pray for their hearts to experience Him while their minds wrestle with the questions that are barriers to their faith. Trust the Bible to speak its own truth.
UPDATED!! Want a no-reading-ahead idea for moms?
Use our discussion questions designed to work with our Hello Dearest Magazine. You can read the articles together and use the questions to start your conversation. Find the Conversation Starters HERE.
NEW!! Want a Book Club designed to improve your Leadership skills?
Join us on MOPS Leaders social media starting January 11th for an online book club discussion ofFlourish: The Four Essentials Every Leader Needs. Download the book now for free.
Book Clubs
A story is always better when you have someone to share it with! A book club is a great way to encourage moms to connect with each other outside of the regular MOPS meeting. (The tips below work for any kind of book club – not just MOPS books!)
Getting Started
Before you start your club, ask yourself these questions:
- Why are you starting a book club? What do you hope to get out of it?
- What type of people will make up the club? Is it just for your MOPS group, for friends of members and/or for moms that might be on your waiting list? (This is a REALLY good idea if you have a waiting list!)
- What types of books will your club primarily read? We suggest the MOPS theme book or the MOPS devotional book. (See our tips on book selection below.)
- Do you want to lead the club? Or will someone else lead? Or will you share the responsibility?
- When will you meet? On the weeks in between your MOPS group? During the summer? Or both? Pick a schedule and stick with it. After you complete a book, you can adjust if necessary – adding new members, changing the date or location of the meetings.
- Where will you meet? In your regular MOPS room, at your house, in a coffee shop or library? If you meet in homes, you could rotate to other members’ houses and could even rotate leaders. If it’s at your house, you lead that week!
- What about food? If you are meeting in a restaurant or coffee shop, food is available. If at home or church, decide what kind of snacks, dessert and beverage you want. You can also keep it simple and have members bring their own tea/coffee/soda. Whether the host for the week provides the food, you rotate or everyone brings something, don't let food for the club become a competition or a distraction.
- How many women can attend? This probably depends on your location. You can always find a bigger location if your group grows or split into more than one club. You probably want to have some good discussion and that gets more difficult as the group grows. Eight to sixteen members is a good number - large enough to allow for a few to be gone and still have good discussion but not so large as to keep everyone from participating.
Choosing a Book to Read
We, of course, suggest you start with this year’s MOPS theme book! Then move on to some of the other MOPS publications. Sherry Surratt's book Brave Mom: Facing and Overcoming Your Real Mom Fearsis perfect for a study. It includes discussion questions at the end of every chapter to guide your discussion. Last year's them book, The Artist's Daughter by Alexandra Kuykendall is also a great book that will spur your group to story-sharing and discussion.
But after you read all of those, you can ask everyone attending to suggest two books.Let them know if you want to focus on a certain genre or type. (Fiction—general, current or classic, historical, mystery, sci-fi, western, romance; Nonfiction—memoir, biography, history, current events, science, travel, cooking; Others like poetry and drama.)
Discuss all the suggestions at a meeting and work toward selecting a favorite. If you can’t agree, you can take a private vote or make a list and take them alphabetically (by the book name or the name of the member suggesting them), or just draw one at random.
Your First Meeting
You have made all your plans, now you get to start meeting! Let people know about your club at least two weeks before you will start meeting and be sure they know the details (when, where, how long, is there a place for their child?) If you’ve already selected it, tell members the name of the book you are studying and some suggestions of where to get it. (If you are using the MOPS theme book, remember there are always special deals when you buy in bulk. Check out that option before you send a member out to find her own.)
Suggest that everyone read the first chapter of your selected book and come with one question or comment about it ready to share with the group. Remember, reading a book for discussion is different than reading it for fun. Encourage members to read carefully and take time to make notes about phrases/sections that apply to them or make them laugh, cry or think.
Start the Conversation
Start the first meeting by sharing what you know about the author of the book, found on the book or at the author’s or publisher’s website. Then you are ready to jump into discussion the book. Our MOPS theme books have discussion questions for each chapter included. Start with those questions but don’t feel like you have to cover every question. Start with the ones you like the best and, if you have time, go back to the others or ask members to share other questions or comments they thought of while reading.
Here are a few discussion questions you can use for any book and they may help get the conversation started.
- What is the main message of the book?
- Why do you think the author chose the title?
- What is your favorite passage?
- Can you relate to this book? How did the section you read this week apply/change/affect your life?
Growing your Club
The first place to advertise your club is in your MOPS group! Have a current book club member share what she likes best about your club in your newsletter or in a meeting.
Make some memories. Keep track – in writing and in pictures – of the members and the books your club reads.
An Online Option
Online book clubs are popular and don’t limit you to members in your own town. You don’t have to worry about a meeting space or snacks. Members can drop in anytime!
To set up an online club, consider a private Facebook group. The leader posts a new question every few days and members discuss. You can set up actual meeting times where all members log in at the same time and comment OR members come to the page at their convenience and post their responses and read other’s comments. The key is to make sure everyone knows where your group is in the book so they don’t post things relating to things most members haven’t read about yet!
This was taken from the MOPS leader website under Topics