getting out of the house with Capital MOMS

Part of my job at Capital (I work at Capital Christian Center) is to have a date (coffee/lunch) with new people who are looking to get connected at the church. In the first month of doing these dates, I was getting asked over-and-over again if we had a MOMS group. My answer at the time was no. But it got me to thinking...why don't we have a group? is it that hard to run a group? should i start a MOMS group since i'm a young mother of a 7 month old (at the time)?

I'm so grateful to say that we launched our MOMS group in June of 2010. Since then, we have had TONS of outings and made great friendships along the way. The whole goal was to be somewhat of a support system for MOMS and also an open door and connection point for new people to the church. We still have tons of room to grow in how we do things, but I've loved the journey so far.

I'm also grateful to say that I don't have to do it alone! I have a great support system and team of leaders who help make the load light! We divide up months of responsibility and have a blast at our planning meetings. Our goal is to do 1 event a week. Most MOMS do work, but we have several stay-at-home moms too. We break it up like this: 1 free event, 1 paid-for event, 1 art/craft at the church, 1 MOMS only outing, and every-once-in-a-while a family outing. It tends to work pretty good. I'm a working mom and wish I could make it to every event, but i can't. Luckily, we are able to do a lot of events on Mondays/Fridays which help in my case. But all the good deals for MOMS tend to be on Tuesdays/Thursdays...I guess you just do the best with what you can.

We launched the group all on FACEBOOK. It has worked perfectly for us. We post events, photos, pictures, and discussion groups. Most young moms these days are on Facebook, so naturally it was an easy starting point.

We are always looking for new fun ideas and ways to stay creative and keep our kids wanting more. If you have a fun idea, please comment below! A new thing I'm super excited about is an upcoming event called" Coupon Craze, Infatables, & CBS 13 News!" That's right...we are getting featured on CBS 13 News. I think God seriously gave us this idea and team of young MOMS to reach out in our community. Going on fun outings and talking about our kids is such an easy entry point into talking and inviting new people to church. It has been an absolute JOY for me and Judah of course (he loves every event! he just loves getting out of the house in general- another reason we started the group)...=)

Check out our pictures on facebook (and recently our videos too- thanks to my husband for my flip) If you know of anybody in the Sacramento area that is looking for friends...point them our direction!

Also, if you need help in starting your own MOMS group...we have great tips and suggestions. Comment below and I'll connect with you!

Here is a video of our latest outing: