A BUMPY START Good Morning!
September 10, 2013 Good Morning! A BUMPY START By Sarah Sanderson >> Co-Coordinator Upcoming Topics: Oct 1: Embracing Your Story Authenticity Nov 5: Sharing the Beauty – Dear fellow mothers of Blessed to Be a Blessing Here is our agenda preschoolers, Dec 3: Embracing the Author of for Our Story I have a confession to today. make: when I first came to Welcome MOPS a few years ago, I didn’t like it very much. I was Breakfast & Check-In uncomfortable making conversation with people I didn’t Question know, and I was intimidated by being around so many moms who seemed to have it all together. Underneath my Introduce Steering insecurity was a feeling of worthlessness – I didn’t believe Raffle/Announcements I would ever measure up, or that anyone would ever really want to get to know me. Speakers: Amy Sklut Like I said, that was a while back. Then, over the and Tami Wilcox course of the next couple years, God put me under the Small Group Discussion knife. In what might be described as spiritual open heart surgery, God led me on a journey that included confession, Young Lives Speaker confronting childhood traumas, extensive counseling, and Shauna Edwards renegotiating family relationships. The whole process was Connection Cards extremely messy. Spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically, I was a wreck. Clean Up and Pick Up Coming out on the other side of all that, though, I Kids can see the beauty that God has created from ashes in (Continued on page 2) 1 (Continued from page 1) my life. Through it all, God used people, prayers, Bible verses, and much more to show me that I’m not worthless but worthy, by the grace of God - worthy to receive love from God and others, worthy to enter into real relationships, worthy to be accepted for who I am without comparing myself to others. Where Does My $55 Go? And guess $24 to MOPS International (44%) what? Now I can $11 to Leadership Training (20%) honestly say that I $10 to MOPPETS (Childcare) Expenses (18%) love MOPS. My $10 to Program Expenses (18%) heart has been healed enough that I can enter into relationships with all of you without feeling afraid, ashamed, or insecure (most of the time, anyway!). I’m so thankful for MOPS and for the role I get to play in serving all of you here. This year our theme is “A Beautiful Mess: Embrace Your Story.” That theme lends itself to showcasing the physical messes of mothering young children. We’ll share plenty of stories about crumbs, laundry, and poopy diapers. But sometimes our mess goes deeper than all that. Sometimes the work God is doing in our hearts makes us feel messy on the inside. Our vision for MOPS is that it will be a safe place to share and encourage one another with those messes, too. Thanks for joining us this morning. Whether your mess is in your car or in your heart, we believe God is bringing about something beautiful through it all. We invite you to journey with us this year as we embrace our messes and look for the beauty in each other’s lives. And if you came today feeling like MOPS just isn’t your thing, watch out – someday you might be the one up front with a microphone. God has a way of surprising us! With love, Sarah Sanderson 2 Family information: Husband- Aaron, Daughter- Sophia (4), Hunter (17 months), Chloe (Boxer- 7 years) > Hometown: Born in California, but raised in Spokane since age 5 > Job status: Stay at home mom- previously a patent law paralegal Q & A with Anna Goforth from our Steering Team > First joined FP MOPS: last year- thanks to the encouragement of Amy Hook (sis in law) & Carly Pickering > What compelled you to join MOPS? I wanted to meet more mamas like me :) > What church do you attend? Summit Ridge Christian Fellowship > Number of years on steering team and current leadership role? This is my first year - Registration- > Some of my proudest mom moments are when... My daughter talks or sings about Jesus, my kids act lovingly towards one another, anytime we have a sweet, special moment! > One of the greatest challenges I face as a mother is...teaching my kiddos to get along, time management. > I have been impacted by MOPS... It has helped me realize we all face the same challenges, frustrations, pains, and joys! > One of your favorite things: Spending time with my little family & time alone with my husband. > What do you like most about fall? My daughter's birthday, football starts (I love watching with Aaron), attending the Spokane County Fair & apple picking at Greenbluff with Aaron and the kids- I love watching their joy experiencing these things! > Things I do: Pinterest during down time, dance with my kiddos, pray throughout the day, try to keep up with Hunter's energy level! > Things I don't: exercise enough, read my Bible enough, scrapbook :) > Favorite verse right now: " Bless our God, oh peoples, and sound His praise abroad-Who keeps us in life and does not allow our feet to slip." Psalm 66: 8-9 3 Introducing Your Beautiful Mess Tami Wilcox and Amy Sklut Speaker Notes Hi MOPS moms! My name is Carly Pickering and I am in charge of lining up meals for new moms in our group, as well as mom's in need of meals for other reasons (surgery, family emergencies, etc). Delivering meals to families in our MOPS groups is such a wonderful ministry and one that I am passionate about! I will be sending out emails through the year, and you will have a chance to sign up to deliver a dinner! Keep in mind, these meals can be as simple as you want them to be (even a Papa Murphy's pizza and carton of ice cream is a huge help to a mom who just brought a baby home from the hospital or one who is going through a difficult time!). Or, consider doubling a meal that you would be making for your family that night anyways! If everyone in our MOPS group can commit to delivering one meal this year, we will be able to bless so many moms.:) Please let your table leader know if you are pregnant, or if we can deliver meals to you for another reason. You can also contact me if you know of any moms in need! Please email me at [email protected] 4 What is Young Lives? In Young Life, we have the privilege of extending Jesus Christ’s love to kids as they are, where they are. For high school and middle school girls who are expecting or are raising a child on their own, that love takes the form of a program called YoungLives. What can I do? This year our MOPS group is partnering with this local ministry to provide our moms with an opportunity to serve others. Today, Shauna Edwards, the director of Spokane Younglives, will come to share about the ministry with us. We will begin our partnership with a diaper and wipe drive. Please bring any diapers and/or wipes to MOPS and they will be collected throughout the year and passed onto the ministry. Young Lives Shauna Edwards Speaker Notes 5 Mentor Mom Spotlight >>> Margo Clark —————————————————————————————————————————————-- I have been married to my husband, Gary, for 55 years. We have 3 married children, two daughters and one son, 8 grandchildren – 4 girls and 4 boys, 4 great-grandchildren – 1 girl and 3 boys. We feel truly blessed! They all come home each Easter because they know bunnies and Jesus are BIG to Grammy (and Papa understands too!) Now that I am retired from my work as a Real Estate Broker, my interests are centered in family activities, cooking, reading, walking, biking, serving and visiting with church and P.E.O. friends. I have served as a Deacon and Elder in our church. My experiences as a Mom have included working the evening shift at a local hospital to help my husband finish college (while our 2 girls were babies), starting a co-op preschool, leader of our daughters Brownie and Girl Scout troops, Jr. High Church Youth Leader and High School ski trip coordinator. Gary and I have tried to be involved in our children’s lives encouraging them to bring their friends to our home, when possible. At times, I will admit, to feeling exhausted, disorganized and needing to pray “Help Me Lord”. Looking back, we sure had a lot of fun, and our pictures show smiling faces Thank goodness! (The truth be known there probably was a messy kitchen or piles of laundry – just not time for it all! My kids remember “Company is coming in 4 hours, I am going to the store, throw that in the closet and whatever you do don’t open that door when the company is here!” Oh dear! I have chosen to be a MOPS mentor again this year because I want to support these young mothers who have so much responsibility to nurture their little ones to grow up and to provide hope and love in this challenging world of today. I pray I can be Christ’s light in some way and be an encourager to them in their journey. It is such a joy to share in their lives! Margo Clarke Mark your calendars! October 8th - Scone making party More info to come next month. 6 Summer Babies! Are you looking for more ? Jessica Folsom and family welcomed Looking To Christ: His Story – Our Story Alexandra Mackay on May 14th. She weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. New this Fall - a weekly Bible study for MOPS moms at FPC Lisa Chun and family welcomed Soren Makai on May 7th. He weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces and was 21 inches long. Sarah Pell and family welcomed Norah Diane Pell on May 29th at 4:22 am. She weighed 8 pounds, 13 oz and was 20 inches long. Kristi Williams and family welcomed Margaret Rose on June 5th. She weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces and was 21 inches long. Jessica Anderson and family welcomed Korbin Dexter on May 21st. He weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. Thursday Mornings Sept 19- November 14th (no meeting on Oct 31) 9:30 to 11:00 AM Through an in-depth study of Jesus Christ, we will gain a better understanding of who Jesus is, what Jesus taught, how Jesus lived, and how he calls us to live. Jesus is God in action! As we come to know more of Jesus' story, we begin to recognize God’s amazing love for us, which enables us to embrace our own unique stories. Who should come? Anyone who is interested in learning more about Jesus Christ and the Christian faith in a relaxed and conversational setting with other moms… Bring your questions, a Bible if you have one (we have Bibles if you need one), and join us. Childcare is provided free of charge but you must pre-register. Questions? Need more info? Sarah @ 624-5818 or [email protected] ; Kerry Hill @ [email protected] ; Jeanne Walsh @ 991-2587 or [email protected]. ————————————————————————————————————————— Do you feel overwhelmed? Inexperienced? Laura Collins and family welcomed Harrison Connor on May Intimidated? Insufficient? Too old? Too young? 25th. He was 6lb, 5oz and 19.5 inches long. Kallie Mills and family welcomed Mason on July 9th. He weighed 8 pounds, and was 19 inches long. Rachelle Stolcis and family welcomed Genevieve Mae on July 29th. She weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces. Laura Chuang and family welcomed Olivia Fei-Li Chuang on August 21st. She weighed 8 lbs 13 oz and was 19 inches long. Too invisible? Too afraid? GOD CAN USE YOUR WEAKNESS! Register now for Gideon, a DVD and small group Bible study by well known and respected Bible teacher Priscilla Shirer. Priscilla is a dynamic teacher and herself the mother of young children. She is practical and personal in her teaching. You will come to know the Bible and yourself better. Thursday Women’s Studies Fall Session: Sept. 12 – Dec. 5, 9:30 - 11:30 am, Fireside Room. Look for a brochure or contact Robin Gray 536-4392 or Brenda Norton 747-1058 x220. Cost $20, scholarships available. Childcare provided at no charge. Preregistration required, contact Carole Spotts x114. 7 2013-2014 MOPS steering team Crystal Cochran - Co-Coordinator [email protected] Sarah Sanderson - Co-Coordinator [email protected] Joanna Semler - DGL Coordinator [email protected] Discussion Group Leaders Ashlee Erlandson [email protected] Jessica Folsom [email protected] Amy Gustafson [email protected] Suzanne Holling [email protected] Amy Hook [email protected] Megan Kapaun [email protected] Rachel Pitts [email protected] Jill Reuter [email protected] Rachelle Stolcis [email protected] Hospitality Kathleen Duke [email protected] Angela Parris [email protected] Robin Pettit [email protected] Amy Tilton [email protected] Linda Storey (Mentor Mom) [email protected] Moppets Amy Beert [email protected] Christy Krustangel [email protected] Anne Grow (Coordinator) [email protected] Events & Outreach Kristin Daniel (Publicity) [email protected] Sarah Conklin (Scones) [email protected] Sarah Pell (Service) [email protected] Carly Pickering (Meals) [email protected] HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Jolen Hollingsworth 8/9 Mandolyn Hume 8/12 Suzie Zidek-Mayne 8/28 Josie Dix 8/29 Kelly Estes 9/3 Erin Rocha 9/9 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do good things He planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2.10 Nuts & Bolts Laura Chuang (Finance) [email protected] Jessica Crockett (Newsletter) [email protected] Anna Goforth (Registration) [email protected] Mentor Moms Kae Johnson [email protected] Jami Webb [email protected] Tani Carlson [email protected] Debbie Canaday [email protected] Margo Clarke [email protected] Liz Little [email protected] Kathy McCaffree [email protected] Sue Mushlitz [email protected] Barbie Olson [email protected] Diane Scelfo [email protected] Wendy Shoemaker [email protected] We would love to hear from you!!! Newsletter submissions welcome. Email Jessica @ [email protected]. Deadline for the next newsletter is October 1st. 8
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