Today’s Ashland (OH) Times-Gazette features the MOPS meeting at the Ashland Grace Brethren church (Dan Allan, pastor). This is an excerpt–to read the entire article, click here.
The joy of motherhood: MOPS club offers women the opportunity to share experiences in raising young children
Forty women entered Grace Brethren Church on Wednesday morning, all with something in common.
They all have children ranging in age from newborn to 5 years old. Some left the professional work force when their children were born, and many use the twice-monthly meetings of MOPS — Mothers of Preschoolers — to meet new friends and share the common challenges of being a mother to a young child.
The women usually spend the morning talking about their children, husbands and life — all things moms and women — while their young children play in another room.
Everyone brought something for breakfast — there were four egg casseroles, doughnuts, juice and pudding — enough for everyone to have seconds.
While eating breakfast, the moms sat at assigned tables and talked. Some had toddlers bopping on their laps and others had little ones sleeping in strollers. Some are expectant mothers.
Although the group is called Mothers of Preschoolers, it is open to anyone with children from birth to kindergarten. The children are in free, volunteer run daycare at the church during the two-hour meetings the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month.
At 9:30 a.m., coordinator Julie Donatini addressed the group.
“Good morning ladies,” she said, as members finished their conversation and focused on Donatini. She led a prayer and went over the day’s business. She encouraged the women to start thinking about leadership positions and rattled off some important meeting dates for April.
The goal of MOPS, Donatini said, is that no mom is left alone.
“This is a family and a community,” she said.