MOPS Convenes Meeting of the Moms in Tennessee
by Mary Rettig
September 22, 2004
(AgapePress) - Mothers from all over the world will be gathering in Nashville, Tennessee, this weekend for the annual Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) International Convention.Elisa Morgan, president of MOPS, promises that three-day conference (September 23-25) holds a lot in store for the women who will be attending. She says the 2004 convention will see some 5,800 mothers and leaders "from everywhere, gathering together to be encouraged and to be trained and to be inspired about being a mom, being a woman, and being a leader in this day and age."
Morgan notes that she will be speaking at the event, as will Rick Warren, Stormy O'Martian, and Rebecca Pippert. "And in addition, we'll have fabulous music from Point of Grace, Aaron O'Donnell, George Roe, Out of Eden, and Dave LeMieux," she says.
The theme of this year's convention is "Fresh Fruit: Growing a Life That Matters." Morgan says the main purpose of the conference on Christian mothering is, as always, to connect moms from all over to each other and help them realize they are not alone in this most significant vocation.
The MOPS spokeswoman notes that mothers fare much better in every way when they are connected to an understanding source of support, help, and hope. She says mothers of young children often go through a phase during which they are spiritually vulnerable and seeking.
"It's just an amazing time when moms go, 'You know what, I don't want to do motherhood alone,' and start looking again at 'What are my values, what do I believe, and how do I want to raise my family?'" Morgan says. Also, she adds, "It's a season when moms turn back to God if they had known Him in their past, or they begin to explore Him for the first time."
Having headed MOPS for nearly 15 years, Morgan says she has seen the organization bless countless women, really ministering to and encouraging them. She sees MOPS as a very practical, useful, and adaptable organization, which churches can easily use to do outreach and provide support.
