Lisa Goldberg - "An Abundant Marriage this Christmas"

This week we heard from Lisa Goldberg at Side By Side Ministry. She shared the powerful testimony of how she and her husband overcame infidelity in their marriage and journeyed from hurt to hope together with Christ. Based on our MOPS theme verse of John 10:10, Lisa shared some tips on how to have an abundant marriage during the stress of the holidays.

"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

 An Abundant Marriage this Christmas

1. Pursue an abundant life in Jesus together
• Put God First, husband next, kids after
• pray together
2. Follow God's design for your family
• Don't group your husband with the kids, value him by giving him respect
3. Actively protect your marriage from the thief
• Agree on practical ways to protect your marriage (find ways to connect each day, not being alone with the opposite sex, sharing your feelings, alcohol can leave you vulnerable, etc.)

Resources Recommended by Lisa

• Two As One, Connecting Daily with Christ and your Spouse - Ryan & Selena Frederick
• Praying Circles Around your Marriage - Joel & Nina Schmidgall
• Boundaries - Dr. Henry Cloud
• For Men Only/For Women Only - Shaunti Feldhahn
• Love and Respect - Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

Announcements

Don't forget about our Movie night fundraiser this Friday night from 6-8pm at each Crossroads Campus. We accepted concessions donations at the meeting today, but you are welcome to bring more on Friday. You can also still sign up to serve at either the Millbrook Campus or the Wake Forest Campus.

If you signed up to serve, please arrive early for setup. This is a great opportunity to give back and your family can hang out and watch the movie in the process! They will be watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and the old "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". Each movie will last less than an hour. We look forward to seeing you there!

Today was our last meeting of 2019! We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and we'll see you back on January 14th, where we will hear from Teresa Glenn, author of "Becoming a Peaceful Mom." She will encourage and show us practical ways to have peace and partner with God as a Mom.

Nicole, Sarah, and Torri’s groups are responsible for bringing brunch.

Holiday Marketplace

This week's meeting was our much anticipated holiday marketplace! We had lots of vendors setup in the great room for some holiday shopping. We were also able to purchase raffle tickets to support MOPS and win some great prizes too!

A big thank you to our vendors for participating! Check out their sites to learn more about each business!

• D. Thornton Realty
• Hope Threads
• Gabi's Grounds Coffee Shop
• BLOOMHERE
• Designed for Joy
• The Green Ruffle
• Crochet My Heart
• Joy Love Create
• Breaking Bread Bakery
• Younique with Lacinda Norman-Melanson
• Birthways and Baby Days with Victoria Brown
• Statement Designs with the Gray's
• Creations from Sarah DeSalvo and family

Announcements

We also announced that we will be providing small Christmas gifts for our MOPS Kids teachers as a way to show our appreciation. Please bring all gifts to the great room during our next meeting on December 10th. We will have bags out with each teacher's name on it so you can place the gift in the corresponding bag. Gift bags will be delivered to the teachers at the end of the meeting.

Below is the teacher list for each classroom:

Cuddlers Suzi, Shirley
Walkers Kaye, Yvonne
Runners Amie, Crysta
lNew 2's Sheila, Courtney
Younger 2's Martha, Margaret
Older 2's Sami, Suzanne
Younger 3's Stephanie, Lydia
Older 3's Glenda, Zaia
Fours Babal, Michael
Five & Up Brenda, Rebecca, David
Floater Rebecca

Our next Fundraiser is providing and working the concession stand at the Crossroads Family Christmas Movie night on Friday, December 13th, from 5:30pm-8pm! Bring the family and let them watch a movie while you give back to our group!

Movies will be shown at both the Millbrook Campus and the Wake Forest Campus so signup to serve at whatever location is most convenient. We also need pizza, hotdogs, candy bars, and baked goods to be donated. It's like a giant bake sale and we need your help!

Food donations can be brought to our December 10th MOPS meeting if you are unable to attend the night of the event.

Each small group rotates bringing brunch items throughout the year. Next week is Victoria, Autumn/Sasha, Jen, & Ayesha/Becky’s groups. Get more information and signup for items here.

No groups are assigned to assist with childcare next week since we are protecting our last meeting of the year. Enjoy the holidays!

Our last meeting of 2019 will be On Tuesday, December 10th. We will be hearing from Lisa Goldberg at Side By Side Ministry about "Protecting your Marriage from the Thief." It's sure to be a great reminder before you encounter all the holiday stresses that can affect your marriage!

Toy Swap and MOPS Video - We are all Creatives

This week at MOPS....

We had our annual toy swap so everyone went home with some great toys for their kids! The rest was donated to the Missions Thrift Store, which will be reopening soon after the fire this past September!!

We watched a great video from MOPS International about how we are all inherently creative and the world needs what we have to offer! You can watch the video here if you missed it!

We had two craft options, either a yarn wall hanging or a watercolor print. Both will be available at the meeting NEXT WEEK if you missed it today!

Announcements

At today's meeting we had an update from our MOPS Finance department about how we are doing financially and why we continue to do group fundraisers. You can view the complete presentation here. The biggest question we heard afterwards is "What can I do to help?"

1. Participate in fundraisers! We have a Movie Night coming up and we need your help! If we don't have enough people sign up to donate or work concessions we will be unable to participate. See below for more details and how to sign up.
2. MOPS is a non-profit organization so donations are tax-deductible. You may donate to our group here. Ignore the registration part and just select how much you would like to donate.
3.  You tell us - what fundraisers would you like participate in? You may have a fresh, new idea to bring in the money! Tell us here.

Our next Fundraiser is providing and working the concession stand at the Crossroads Family Christmas Movie night on Friday, December 13th, from 5:30pm-8pm! Bring the family and let them watch a movie while you give back to our group!

Movies will be shown at both the Millbrook Campus and the Wake Forest Campus so signup to serve at whatever location is most convenient. We also need pizza, hotdogs, candy bars, and baked goods to be donated. It's like a giant bake sale and we need your help!

Food donations can be brought to our December 10th MOPS meeting if you are unable to attend the night of the event.

Next week at MOPS....

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday we will be meeting next week on November 19th, instead of on the 26th. 

Butterbraids will be delivered during the meeting so please make arrangements if you are unable to attend. Butterbraids must stay frozen so we are unable to store them at the church.

Next week is our Holiday Marketplace where many different vendors will be setup with tables to shop from during the meeting. Each vendor has donated an item that will be raffled off to our group. Raffle tickets will be available to purchase for $1 each, so please bring cash! Feel free to invite any friends who may want to shop the marketplace, but keep in mind that they will be unable to utilize childcare. 

Sasha's group is responsible for assisting in childcare if we have a worker shortage. 

Sarah, Shara, and Torri's groups are responsible for bringing brunch. Get more information and signup for items here.

Raquel Robinson - Living a Balanced Life

Our speaker today, Raquel Robinson, is first a woman of God, wife and mother of three girls and one boy; originally from right here in NC. She is a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist. She was a volunteer and staff member of Crossroads Fellowship in Children’s Ministry for just under ten years and now worships and volunteers at Elevation Church. Her passion is for women of all ages to learn how they can have a more sustainable healthy lifestyle. Raquel is currently a fitness instructor with the City of Raleigh at the Abbots Creek Community Center. She also uses Facebook & Instagram to share nutrition, exercise and total body wellness tips on her page “Rock Life with Raquel”.

Raquel spoke to us about how to address the imbalances in our lives and she put the knowledge in our hands that should build a confidence to live a well balanced life. All too often an imbalanced life is caused by guilt, too many obligations, seeking praise, comparing ourselves to others, or pride. Pride can be self seeking, exhausting, and dangerous! To get your life back in balance try creating a weekly schedule to prioritize items that are important to you. Identify your priorities, set boundaries, and practice self discipline. She also shared a short home workout that can be done to get you focused. View her presentation slides here.

Announcements

Join us next week for our whole group playdate at Baileywick Park! Bring the kids in costumes and we will have a small Halloween activity for them to do.

Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday our MOPS meetings have been moved to the 2nd and 3rd Tuesdays in the month of November.  There will NOT be a MOPS meeting on November 5th or 26th. We'll see you on the 12th and 19th!

Our next meeting on November 12th is our Toy Swap! Bring any toys you want to get rid of and shop to find some new treasures just in time for Christmas! Any remaining items will be donated to the Crossroads Missions Thrift store.

Butterbraids orders are due November 5th. Share your link with neighbors and friends so they can purchase these delicious pastries and give back to our group. Find your order link here.

All vendor spots have been filled for our holiday market on November 19th. Please pay for your table if you registered for on, or your spot will be given to the next person in line.

Feel free to invite friends to come with you to shop the market, but keep in mind that they will be unable to utilize childcare. We will not have a speaker that meeting and will instead have an extended time of fellowship and shopping!

Small groups have been assigned specific meetings to assist with childcare should we end up with a teacher shortage. Please be willing to serve when it is your assigned time, otherwise children will have to attend the MOPS meeting with their mothers. Each mom will only be called to serve once per MOPS year.

If the assigned moms are not in attendance at the meeting, their small group can cover for them and switch assignments.

Each small group rotates bringing brunch items throughout the year. Next week is Jen, Ayesha/Becky, and Nicole’s groups. Get more information and signup for items here

We hope you will join us for our next meeting on November 12th! Since we will be having our toy swap we won't have a speaker but will watch a short video from MOPS international and complete a fun craft to take home! You won't want to miss this extended time of relaxed fellowship with your small group!

Molly Stillman - Finding Jesus in the Storms

We had an encouraging, emotional meeting this week hearing from Molly Stillman on "Finding Jesus in the Storms." Molly shared her experience with pregnancy loss twice in the span of a few months. She learned that the old saying, "God won't give you more than you can handle" was a lie, but she learned that He won't give us more than HE can handle. She turned to God during these troubling times and found Joy that can only be found in him.

We encourage you to reach out to Molly on Instagram @stillbeingmolly and check out her blog at StillBeingMolly.com  Molly also recommended the book "What the Bible is All About" by Henrietta C. Mears for a good comprehensive study of the bible, and it can be found on Amazon.

Announcements

Today we announced our two upcoming fundraisers, Butterbraids and a Holiday Market!

As in years past, our group will be selling Butterbraids as a fundraiser. These delicious pastries can only be bought through fundraisers, so for some people they are a hot commodity they can only purchase limited times throughout the year.

This year we are setup for online ordering instead of the paper forms we have used previously. Each MOPS member should have gotten an email this morning from "My Fundraising place" with information about how to order online. Your link can be given to anyone who wishes to purchase Butterbraids, but you will be responsible for delivering the frozen pastry to them once they are delivered to Crossroads during our November 19th meeting. All orders must be placed by November 5th in order to be processed in time for our November 19th delivery.

If patrons would like to bypass the $.99 ordering fee they may make out a check to Crossroads Raleigh MOPS or give you cash, which you can then enter in the website for them to complete their order.

Please direct any fundraiser questions to crossroadsRaleighMOPS@gmail.com

On November 19th we will have a holiday market in the great room during our scheduled MOPS meeting. We will have a variety of non-profits with tables setup so you can support and learn about their ministries. Local Businesses are also able to sponsor a table for $20 and must donate an item to be used in a raffle. During the meeting, we will not have a speaker but will have time to browse the various vendors and purchase any goods.

If you are interested in sponsoring a table please email crossroadsRaleighMOPS@gmail.com

Anytime there is a fifth Tuesday of the month, we gather all the small groups together for one big playdate! This year we will meet at Baileywick Park on October 29th at 10am. Feel free to have the kids come in costume and bring any fall activities or snacks you want to share (optional)!

During our November 12th meeting we will have a Toy Swap right in time for you to find some good gift options for Christmas! Bring any toys you want to get rid of and place them in the great room. We will all shop from the toys that are brought and take home some new treasures! Any left over toys will be donated to the Crossroads Missions Thrift Store.

Please make sure your registration is up to date! If you have a child that may attend some MOPS meetings due to track out or other circumstances, they must be registered or they will not be able to enter a children's classroom. Email CrossroadsRaleighMOPS@gmail.com if you have a child you need to add to your registration.

Torri, Victoria, and Autumn/Sasha's groups are responsible for bringing brunch at our next meeting on October 22nd. Sign up here.

At our next MOPS meeting on October 22nd we will be hearing from Health and Wellness Coach Raquel Robinson.

Robin Camu - The Enneagram

This week Robin Camu spoke to us about the Enneagram. Robin is the owner and sole practitioner at Unorthodox Counseling located in Raleigh. She has a Master’s Degree in Counseling and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), licensed in the State of North Carolina. She is also certified by the Narrative Tradition (David Daniels and Helen Palmer) to teach the Enneagram. She is experienced both as a leader of small groups and as a seminar speaker.

The Enneagram
Based on your test results
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In a nutshell, the Enneagram is a model of human personality containing nine interconnected personality types. The Enneagram provides a dynamic framework that helps explains how you act, react, feel, think, and navigate through countless scenarios in life. It provides self-understanding at a level far deeper than that offered by other similar systems. 
Robin provided a test for us to determine our enneagram types, which can be taken here.

Based on your test results, you are given an enneagram number type from 1-9. There is no ranking system and no type is better than another. Each type has certain desires, fears, and sufferings/sins that drive them. The 9 Types are also further divided into 3 triads that are hyperfocused on one of three emotions: Fear, Anger, and Shame. The Fear triad is also called the “thinking” triad, Anger is “instinctual” (or, “gut”), and Shame is “feeling.”

Robin also recommended the book, "The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective" which is what she used to tie the enneagram to Christian truths. If you would like to discuss your enneagram type further, Robin is available for a counseling session.

Announcements

We need your extra yarn! Please bring any yarn you are willing to donate for a craft to the next meeting and put it on the coffee bar!

Please pay your local semester dues if you haven't already. Starting Oct 8th you will be unable to utilize childcare unless dues are paid. Please bring cash or check to the next meeting or pay online here.

Local dues are as follows:

• Moms attending with no children in childcare: $60/semester

• 1 child in childcare: $70/semester

• 2+ children in childcare: $80/semester

City Barbecue fundraiser -- Crossroads MOPS & MOMSnext is having a Fundraiser on Tuesday, October 8th, at City Barbecue in Raleigh! All you have to do is eat BBQ, and our group will get 25% back! The fundraiser runs from open to close, 10:30am until 10:00pm, and applies to all orders, take-out and call-in/web orders as well as dine-in orders. You must have the barcode shown here to scan for our group, either on your phone or printed out, in order for us to get credit for the order.

On the 5th Tuesday of the month we have a whole group MOPS playdate so you can get to know moms in other small groups! This year we will meet at Baileywick road park at 10am on October 29th. Bring your kid in costume for some pre-halloween fun!

Keep in mind that our MOPS group follows the WCPSS school calendar. If school is cancelled or delayed, our MOPS meeting will be cancelled.

Nicole, Sarah, and Shara’s groups are responsible for bringing brunch to the next meeting. Sign up here.

Join us at our next meeting on October 8th! Molly Stillman, a local life and style blogger and podcaster, will be joining us. Her blog exists to inspire women to walk joyfully and confidently in purpose, and to know that they were created with a purpose for a purpose. She was one of our most loved speakers last year so you won't want to miss it!

First MOPS Meeting of 2019-2020!

We had a great first MOPS meeting of the 2019-2020 year! We have an awesome new coordinator this year, Sarah DeSalvo, and she and the leadership team have planned a great year ahead!

Our new coordinator Sarah DeSalvo

In addition to lots of coffee and yummy breakfast, we also got to decorate our own journals for the year!

We destroyed that brunch table!

Did you fill your cup to the full?

Everyone was so creative with their journals!

Our speaker this morning was Heather Dixon, who spoke to us about her journey in dealing with a terminal illness. She shared 4 simple habits to living like Jesus, which are worship, word, pray, and obey. These routine patterns of determined faithfulness will help us fulfill our purpose on earth, which is to bring glory to God in all that we do.

Check out her book if you're interested in more!

Heather Dixon speaking to us at the meeting

At our next MOPS meeting we will hear from Robin Camu about the Enneagram, which is a personality test that can provide valuable insight into understanding yourself and those around you. 

• Autumn/Sasha, Jen, and Ayesha/Becky's groups will be responsible for bringing brunch. Please sign up here.
• Nicole's group 1 will be on-call for serving in childcare. 
• If you have any updates to you or your children's registration information for this year, please email crossroadsRaleighMOPS@gmail.com
• If you have any questions or concerns about your child's MOPS Kids class, please email kids.CrossroadsRaleighMOPS@gmail.com
• Don't forget to pay your dues! You can bring cash or check to the next meeting or pay online here

Fire at Crossroads Fellowship

You may have seen the news about the fire at Crossroads Fellowship this past week. Crews are working hard to restore the building for occupancy, but currently the children's classrooms are unable to be used due to significant smoke and water damage.

We hope everything will be restored by the time MOPS kicks off on September 10th, but we will keep you updated! Please pray for the crews working tirelessly to restore the building!  

Last meeting of 2018-2019

Our last meeting of the 2018-2019 MOPS year was a good one!

We watched a video on raising compassionate kids by Osheta Moore and had some good discussion time...

...worked on our nail art crafts....

...put together gift bags for Human Coalition...

...and said "Thank You!" to Kara McLendon who has been our fearless leader for several years and is stepping down as MOPS coordinator!

Don't forget to register for next year's MOPS! If you haven't signed up already, please join the waitlist here. We want you to be part of our group!

Please join us this summer for our twice-monthly playdates! Our first one will be May 24 at Cedar Hills Playground.

Have a great summer! 

Waitlist for 2019/2020 MOPS Year

We still have one more meeting scheduled for the current MOPS year next Tuesday, but due to an overwhelming response to our pre-registration for the upcoming 2019/2020 MOPS year we have already had to switch to a waitlist for next year!

If you have already registered and paid your MOPS International fee, then you are good to go for next year! If you haven't registered yet and are interested in joining us this fall, please fill out our waitlist form at https://forms.gle/giE9qTKvLKaVGy4z7 . We hope to open up additional space in childcare and will contact you as space becomes available.

Please note that this waitlist only applies to childcare. If you wish to join us and will NOT be utilizing our childcare, then please email our coordinator at CrossroadsRaleighMOPS@gmail.com for registration information.

We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but we also see this as a blessing that our group is growing and many moms will be getting the support they need next year! Please pray that additional childcare workers become available so we can grow our children's program to accommodate more families! If you know of anyone who may be interested in serving twice a month in our children's program please contact us!

Craft meeting and MOPS swap!

Our April 24 meeting was a fun time of crafting, swapping clothes, and fellowshipping with each other.

Our amazing craft (thank you, Jackie!) was nail art made with colorful string. Everyone was so creative in their choice of colors and patterns for their art.

After our MOPS swap was over, we filled several large carts with clothing and other household goods to donate to the Missions Thrift store! 

Announcements: 

- Our last meeting of the year is May 14. We will be putting together spa bags for Human Coalition. If you have any items to donate, or gift bags to use, please bring them to our meeting! 

- Nicole, Torri, and Victoria's groups will be bringing brunch. Sign up here at Signup Genius. You can also check out the upcoming brunch schedule and info by clicking on the "Brunch" tab here on the blog.