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Mothers of Preschoolers, MOPS.  

For me, the name elicits many things. For one, it is the mental image of a frazzled mom with a young child clinging to her side and maybe another strapped to her belly.  It is a weary mother who cannot seem to brush her own hair, though she has brushed her children’s. It is an exhausted momma who tries to keep a clean house, but fails regularly.  It is a woman, a mother, who might be tired, often overwhelmed, certainly underappreciated and likely underpaid.  She works hard, loves deeply, struggles mightily, and fights fiercely for those she loves. But still, too often she neglects her own needs and is left feeling empty.  This is one image I get when I hear Mothers of Preschoolers because…This. Is. Me. But this is only part of the story.

You see, there is another image that comes to mind when I hear the MOPS acronym, one of joy and of challenges shared.

After having attended MOPS for three years I see the image of a community of women and their children coming together to combine their strength, what is remaining of it, to combine their gifts, talents, ideas, and skills.

That together, these women would thrive; their burdens and joys shared!

Each woman content, knowing that there will be days when she is the one being carried through the messiness of life, and other days when she will be the one carrying! Much like Paul shared with the Corinthians, that both our abundance and need be shared.

“Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality—at the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality.”  -2 Corinthians 8: 13-14 (NIV)

Having seen and experienced the beauty of this community, of joys and burdens-shared, between mothers in the East Mountains I know that there is a transformation that happens as God uses a community of women to lift one another up. And as women, once we’ve experienced the hope, gratitude and strength of that generosity, it inspires us.

MOPS is about living lives intertwined.

It is about the hope given to other mothers in the middle of their struggle; whether it be the birth of a new baby, postpartum depression,  or health problems, MOPS moms have risen up to the challenge to provide for not just the basic needs, but also providing hope. 

I’ve seen God in our midst, as we are the served and the servant.

The MOPS community sends the resounding message that we are not alone in this marathon of motherhood and life. 

Instead, we persevere together. Friendship is born from this kind of space.  Stronger women and families emerge from this community because, though it can often feel lonely raising kids in your own home, you know you are not alone.

There are women here who have your back.

Visit MCC's MOPS page to learn more about this ministry.

“Your life is a lot like a quilt,” Barb said, “a masterpiece tapestry made by the Master Craftsman Himself, God.”

I was sitting in my kitchen, still in my pajamas, late in the morning, with a coffee cup in one hand and a phone in the other.  My two year-old hanging on my knee.  I thought, “Disordered tapestry, yes. Masterpiece, no.”

Barb Procter has spent years attending, and then facilitating, MCC Women’s Community Bible Studies.  I know she has been where I am now.  But more than that, I want to hear how she survived it.  What had studying the Word meant to her?  How had His presence made these times easier?  How had the relationships she developed, the moments of vulnerability, and the stories she heard from other women during these Bible studies helped her in the day-to-day?

As she spoke, I was reminded of Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Barb drew a beautiful word picture for me about how it is that God stitches together each experience, memory, and emotion to make something completely unique, completely you.

Yes, your life is like a beautiful tapestry; there might be days it feels more like a dishtowel than a masterpiece, but every single stitch, fabric, color and design are there for a reason.

Barb said, “The Lord weaves our lives together with wonderful colors of bright purple, royal blue, orange sunsets and yes, on occasion, darker colors too.”

While we may wish that every fabric was bright and beautiful, and mourn those dark colors, or hard times, there is a reason for those, too. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we are reminded of this when He says, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).’  Barb reminded me that the tapestry of our lives wouldn’t look the same without these experiences.

I was taking notes as Barb continued, “Our life, this beautiful masterpiece, is a testimony of God’s work, in our lives. The stitches woven throughout our life, our quilt, are His Word; woven into every moment of our days, weeks, and years. It is the strong thread of His Word that holds it, and us, together.”

That image, this word picture, absolutely stuck with me and keeps me wondering what my tapestry will look like when it’s all said and done.  When I stand beside Jesus.

I have to think that it is good to consider where we are at. Are we spending enough time in prayer?  Enough time in the Word that He, our Master Craftsman, might stitch together the broken bits along with the brightest and most beautiful moments, the everyday and mundane?

What might he stitch together to bring something remarkable, Godly, and God-glorifying to and of our lives?

Is God, right now, weaving the experiences of your life together to make a unique tapestry?  Have you welcomed those stitches, the thread that weaves these experiences together, or have there been times when you wanted to pull them out? I’ve done both, sometimes on the same day!

My conversation with Barb has convinced me that there are women here who can help.  My mundane and terrifying is their melody and tenor.  And that the MCC Women’s Community Bible Study is just the place for our washrags to be transformed into tapestry. 

As Barb points me back to God’s constant and unchanging Word, I realize she is an example of how to thrive, not just survive.  My knowing that God is using every moment – even this one- to make a tapestry that I will laugh over, cry over, smile and sometimes mourn over, makes me happy to be His work of art. 

We have four amazing women's Bible studies at MCC going on right now! Today is the perfect day to get involved! Click here to see all the Women's Bible Study options!

Jodi Kenney is an Army wife, mother and household manager. She is also the Communications Coordinator for MCC. She and her family have been attending MCC since 2016.

I grew up in a family of three girls, with the fourth being my mother. Being a part of a group of women, bound-together through life’s joys, struggles and experiences, is something I am intimately familiar with. What I did not realize, until years later, is that there was so much more that I needed than just sharing experiences.  As women of faith, we are not bound simply by experiences; we are bound by our love for Christ, our devotion to His Word and by the building-up of His body of believers.  Women’s Ministry is something distinctly unique. A gift from God.

As I found the Lord through Women’s Ministry, He moved us, deployed us, and challenged us.  Every church, every community, every struggle found me leaning on the women around me for support. I have been taught more from the one-on-one relationships solidified in Women’s Ministry, bible studies, prayer groups, meals ministries, and fellowship events, than from any single sermon. It’s where I feel most comfortable to make mistakes, to cry and to laugh out loud, to ask the stupid questions and to, when necessary, share my fears.  And, more than once, completely fall apart. You see, these women showed me how to live what my pastors taught:

Keep seeking God: I saw that it was safe to ask any question in my search for God by Linda’s graceful responses during my very first bible study…in the book of Revelation.

Give selflessly: I saw that in June, as she called to check on me every single day of Dave’s deployment, just so I knew that someone saw me and someone cared.

Always offer hospitality: I saw that in all the women of Dyer’s Creek Church each time those women fed a mourning family.

Study God’s word daily: I saw that in Jeri as she cultivated our love of the Word by showing us her devotion to God’s Word every week in Explorer’s Bible Study.  

Pray: I saw and learned that as Mildred taught me how to pray; week by week in our prayer group and in Donna, as she prayed over my family during a difficult season.

Reach out to the newcomer: I saw that in Pam’s invitation to walk and Elizabeth’s invitation to tea when I first arrived in the East Mountains.

Disciple other women: I saw that in Avril as she taught me how to be a leader in Sanctuary Bible Church’s Women’s Ministry.

For me Women’s Ministry isn’t about events, it’s about the relationships cultivated and ultimately the lives intertwined, through living life together, side-by-side, prayer-by-prayer, study-by-study. Women’s Ministry is about speaking God’s truth into women’s lives; it’s about discipleship, about filling in the gaps and watching for those who may not have been seen. It is answering the question: “Is there a place for me?” with a resounding YES!

Women will always need relationships with other women. I will always need godly role-models who can speak God’s truths into my life. Who have walked the hard road and who can guide me through things I’ve never experienced. I will never stop needing these women.

Are you, like me, wanting to build relationships with other Godly women?

I will never forget the spring I truly learned about the profound importance of biblical context. It started with a woman who came to see me for counsel. She was terribly depressed because her children were sick and she truly believed it was her fault. It turns out that she thought she didn’t have enough faith! When I tried to clarify, she impatiently said, “You know ‘By His stripes you are healed.’ 1 Peter 2:24.”

So, we looked at the passage, and yes, that was the exact wording. But 1 Peter is not about health at all, it is all about persevering.

That’s when I realized, more than ever, that to understand God’s word you had to understand the context from which it came!

The only way to understand context is by digging deep into God’s word and truly seeking to understand.

You see, there is terrible pain from misapplying and misunderstanding Scripture—

• A person believes that God does not love them because He has not made them wealthy. He has been falsely taught that his prosperity is tied to his faith and is crushed under the burden of trying desperately to have the right amount of faith. He does not know the Lord’s economy (Luke 6:20-23).

• Marriages have been destroyed because a spouse blames the devil instead of acknowledging that it is his or her own sin that is tearing at the fabric of tenderness. This leads to a lack of repentance, confession, reconciliation and restoration.

• A mother blames herself for her child’s sickness because she thinks her faith is not strong enough to heal him, instead of seeking what the Lord may have for the family through the trial (John 9:1-3).

• The most tragic is the one who believes in a nebulous deity, but refuses to worship the real God. He does not know the joy of a saving faith, but simply has the faith of a demon (James 2:19).

A group bible study can be a great place to start seeking to understand! It is my prayer that each of us are in Bible study with one another; that we would persevere and seek to learn His Word and link arms with other believers and to “do” His Word.

If you are someone who desires to read and study the Word, but are not sure how to begin; or if you are someone who is seeking a group to study God’s Word with; we invite you to consider one of MCC’s bible studies or Community Groups. Check out MCC’s Men’s and Women’s ministry pages to see where you might join in! If you or someone else needs or is interested in Biblical Counseling let us know, you are not meant to walk through life alone.

Please persevere in your study of God’s word; for this is the ministry of God’s Word in us -- it is on-going; we are challenged; we are shaped; we are encouraged as we dive into its depths; and we are simultaneously satisfied and yet crave more of Him.