3.26.2009

May 26th Steering Meeting

*set up for vendor fair; got two extra tables in to accommodate more vendors (total of 20??? vendors)

Brief meeting:

*Sue will be at church from 9-2 tomorrow with no lunch break for anyone wanting to drop off baked goods
*will charge 50 cents for pop due to good deal at Hy-Vee
*worker appreciation still on for Apr. 30, Sherry will be gone and Marcy will help run the event
*no brunch at May 7th meeting due to library field trip
*we WILL have brunch at the last meeting of the year
*cost is $21.95 if you register for MOPS prior to May 29th; then the price is $23.95; you can pay Kristin now

3.12.2009

Mar. 12th Steering Meeting

All members present.

*devotion on changing life seasons: seasons can change suddenly
*time of prayer
*24 moms attended Tun O' Fun; $339 spent; event went well
*positive feedback provided re: PJ Day, Tina B, Ramona A.
*e-vites have been switched to Zoji.com, your spam filter may catch these
*next steering meeting is Mar. 26th; will set up for vendor fair at this time; Teresa will bring two large boxes for us to tack signs on
*Juliane is sending out e-mail invites which can be forwarded on for the vendor fair in lieu of postcard invites
*11 confirmed vendors for fair, still waiting to hear from some, can have 18 vendors max.
*Jenny will sent out mass e-mail bake sale reminder; Juliane may include something about bake sale in her e-mail, too
*d-group leaders are to call their members and ask them to help with bake sale/vendor fair
*Jenny will do MOPS table at vendor fair
*Sherry will be in charge of children's activities for fair
*Angela will do a lunch run for the vendors
*Emily J. has volunteered to do a shift at MOPS table
*discussed provided water and a treat for vendors to thank them
*those sitting at MOPS table need to keep a count sheet of how many people attend
*Jenny will put up downtown area posters, Sherry will do churches, Juliane will do other areas
*Apr. 2 Marcy and Marilyn will discuss grief and losing loved ones
*Apr. 16 W.O.W. panel rescheduled
*Apr. 23rd steering
*Apr. 25th is summit in Sioux Falls, let Sherry know SOON if you want to go; eve. group members are going
*Apr. 30th (fifth Thurs.) will be MOPPET Worker Apprec. Brunch; discussed having children sing songs and compiling books for the workers
*All moms should bring items to brunch; d-group leaders can discuss what members should bring
*brunch time 9:30AM until finished
*May 7th field trip to library (tentative)
*Next year's MOPS theme is "Life on Planet Mom" (galactic theme)
*dicussed future fundraising ideas: selling raffle tickets and winner gets their house cleaned; selling CDs for $10 and MOPS gets $5 profit from ea. CD sold
*Male viewpoint needed for May newsletter article; Angela's brother may be a possibility
*Kristin said a training category will be a new part of our budget; $ to be allocated for convention expenses
*reviewed mid-year evaluations completed by MOPS moms; would be nice for moms to share recipes of items they bring to brunch
*thanks to Roxanne and Sarah for babysitting today

3.05.2009

Mar. 5th MOPS meeting

Announcements:
*Thanks to Kristin J. for organizing the Tun O' Fun event. Well done!
*We have had many directory revisions and additions in recent months. Some of the e-mails and phone numbers listed in the directory may no longer be correct. There are also some new moms. I am reluctant to publish the info. on here for security reasons. Please check your Jan. and Mar. newsletters to see what these latest changes are.
*There will be TWO steering meetings this month: Mar. 12th (due to cancelled Jan. meeting) and Mar. 26th. Anyone interested in steering involvement next year is invited to attend the next meeting. Childcare is provided. Steering is a great way to meet new people as it involves a much smaller group and more time is spent together. :)
*Kindergarten screening will be held at Garfield school Apr. 29-30 and May 1st. (Wed-Fri) Your newsletter did not list the Wed. date. Contact Garfield to make an appt.
*Mom's Night Out to be held at Marilyn P's house on Friday, Mar. 13th at 7:00PM. If you didn't receive an e-vite, please contact Jenny C. (number on back of newsletter). Come for games, food and socialization.
*Thank you, Sherry, for babysitting in 2-3 class today.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT:
*MOPS Vendor Fair/Bake Sale (fundraiser for MOPS) to be held at First Baptist on Sat., Mar. 28th from 10-3.
*If you want to rent a table to market your home-based business wares (i.e. Tupperware), cost is $40. Contact Juliane (number on back of newsletter).
*If you know of someone who'd like to rent a table, contact Juliane.
*ALL moms needed to help out by:
-attending vendor fair
-inviting others to attend vendor fair
-bringing baked goods (see below)
-working a shift at the bake sale
-working a shift at the MOPS publicity table
-Watertown has a very budget-friendly MOPS program. We are about the most inexpensive group in the state. In order to keep our dues low and also to cover childcare costs, we need all moms to pitch in and help out with this fundraiser. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year.

BAKE SALE DETAILS:
-We're looking for a variety of goods, so use your creativity (pies, bars, cookies, breads).
-Wrap items at home and label. Wrap a variety of sizes (i.e. single items, pairs, half dozen).
-Drop off baked goods at: 1. First Baptist Church on Fri. from 9-noon or 1-3. 2. First Baptist Church at 9AM the day of the vendor fair 3. At the home of Jennifer O. (phone number in newsletter and MOPS directory)

QUESTIONS?:
-contact Juliane (fundraiser coord.) for vendor fair info.
-contact Jennifer O. (hospitality) for baked sale info.
-contact Jenny C. (publicity) if you'd like to work a shift at the publicity/welcome table

Mar. 5th Speaker Summary (thank you, Jen. O. for taking notes)

*Ramona A. (4-5 MOPPET worker) was the featured speaker. She illustrated her personal testimony by decorating a cake as she spoke.
*talk based on Isaiah 64.8
*The cake being decorated represents us. We are molded by God.
*Ramona lost her mother at a young age and became a Christian after her death.
*Before we become Christians, we mold ourselves. Afterwards, God molds us. He molds us to fit His plan for our lives.
*God builds our lives under pressure and trials. Ramona had a break down but never gave up hope.
*God chooses what we go through, but we choose how we go through it.
*When Ramona's sixth child was 4 yrs. old, her husband left her. She thought God dropped the cake on the floor. She pulled herself up and called on God. God is molding her to this day.
*God doesn't mold us for a few weeks or months, but for a lifetime.
*Give everything to God, humble yourself and be open to His plan for you.

Have a great weekend!