The Magic of MOPS

Consider this an invitation – a weekday invitation to experience hot coffee, a warm breakfast, new mom friends, advice from experienced mentor moms and pro parenting tips from engaging speakers. Did I mention there is childcare? Because there is! That’s right – all the aforementioned is experienced in peace, without interruption thanks to the magic of MOPS.

While MOPS stands for “mothers of preschoolers,” it is open to first-time pregnant moms up until your youngest finishes preschool. Some locations have even started MOMSnext groups for mothers with older school-aged kids too!

At its heart, MOPS is a place for women to connect face-to-face to be encouraged in their role as mothers. My group meets at Northwest Bible Church every other Friday morning during the school year, but there are tons of groups that meet all different days of the week throughout our metroplex. 

“I leave MOPS feeling enriched and encouraged. This season of motherhood can sometimes feel isolating and lonely, but MOPS gives me a place to belong.” ~Emily Morgenstern; MOPS member for 8 years

But MOPS isn’t just a “Dallas thing” – it is an organization that is uniting mothers across our nation and has spread to other countries as well. There are so many neat opportunities within MOPS besides the bi-weekly meetings.

I have had the privilege of getting to know the membership strategist for MOPS International, Jinny Jordan, through some pieces I have written for their beautiful blog. She was kind enough to answer a few questions to help us all learn a little more about what MOPS has to offer.

What would you say to a new mom that is considering trying MOPS for the first time?

Don’t be afraid to just show up! You need a community of other moms, and you need a reason to get showered and dressed at least twice a month. And if it doesn’t feel like the right fit, give it more time or find another group. There are so many different moms out there. You’ll find your people if you’re just willing to keep showing up!

I’ve heard some moms voice hesitancy over joining MOPS because they are not religious or practice a different religion than Christianity ~ do you have any thoughts to share with them?

MOPS is for all moms. The beauty of MOPS is that we understand that at the end of the day, motherhood is what binds us even in all of our beautiful differences. Motherhood is the common denominator amongst us all, and we are for all moms.

“Time and time again MOPS delivered me from the lonely, dark valleys of motherhood into a sisterhood of like-minded, grace-giving, sleep-deprived heroes who empathized with, understood and validated me like no one else could during some of the most difficult and beautiful times of my life.” ~ Stacey Reinig; former MOPS member for 6 years

How do you see MOPS ministering to young mothers?

In a nutshell – child care. When you find a group, many MOPS groups provide child care for a couple hours so you can get some sanity time for yourself along with other moms who are living the same wild ups and downs of motherhood. And in that, community is formed which is vital and a lifeline to moms who are in the nitty gritty of mothering.

Is there anything new going on with MOPS that we should know about?

MOPS has about 4,000 MOPS groups worldwide, and we are in more than 60 countries. We are growing beyond the walls of country borders and church doors, and we are pursuing our mission to reach 1 million moms.

We just rolled out our MOPS Speaker Network which accepts applications from professional speakers, experts in various fields, or moms who have a great story to tell and would like the opportunity to speak at our MOPS groups. Contact [email protected] for more information.

MOMcon 2019 is the ultimate mom getaway featuring Bob Goff, Mandy Arioto (MOPS president and CEO), amazing artists like Crowder and more. All moms are welcome to join us in Orlando, Florida, September 5-7, 2019.

If you have never been, you must go experience this magic for yourself. Registration for Fall 2019 is starting soon as most groups are wrapping up for the summer. You can find a group near you to visit by going here: https://www.mops.org/groupsearch/ and plugging in your zip code.