MOPS, Teen MOPS meet at North Wake Church

North Wake Church's MOPS is the second in our occasional series on MOPS programs in the region.

North Wake caught my eye because it offers two programs: The traditional MOPS and one for teen moms as well.

Andrea Hart, a mom of three, runs the traditional MOPS. North Wake's program, now in its 16th year, runs from October to May and meets on the first and third Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. About 50 women gather for each meeting where they hear from a speaker, break up in smaller groups, eat breakfast and talk about everything from parenting and discipline to crafts and fitness. A one-time registration fee is $40. Meetings are $5 each.

Jess Chilson, a mom of three and another on the way, is the coordinator for the Teen MOPS program, which is about three years old. The group meets on the second and fourth Monday of the month from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. starting in September. It serves moms of babies to kindergartners who are ages 13 to 21 and is free.

Jess tells me she works with teens and their children in a variety of situations. Some still live at home with their parents. Others are married or living with a boyfriend. And some are on their own.

There's no typical meeting, but the moms have dinner, usually hear from a speaker and take part in an activity. It might be a basic cooking class or scrapbooking or a how-to on using coupons. One meeting focused on relationships. The married teen moms met with a married couple. The moms who were dating met with a dating couple. And the single moms met with single women.

"It's an amazing ministry," Jess says. "It really is. You don't go to bed and forget about it."

For more information about North Wake's Teen MOPS program, email Jess at nwteenmops@gmail.com.

And learn more about both programs in the video.