Greetings!

As you may know, I am in NC to bring the eulogy of my friend and our fellow-congregant, Derrick Singletary. This is an awesome responsibility since I've been a close friend of Derrick's for more than 30 years. I solicit your prayers as I continue to work with the family, as well as my friend and colleague, Rev. Wanda Floyd in preparing for Derrick's funeral. Also, keep Fairfax and I in prayer as we try to get back to Los Angeles this weekend. With so many flight cancellations and delays, one never knows.

Thank you in advance for hearing not just my suggesting but the Spirit's call to be Church Outside the Walls. Isn't it wonderful when God speaks to us, and gives us a simple assignment that can help so many people? Project: Living Water is off and running. We will bring water to share with the Midnight Mission and the community service group Water Drop to get bottled water for people in need. I keep hearing Jesus' words, "I will give you LIVING WATER." That's the water that GIVES LIFE, and we can be the hands, feet, and heart of Christ extended.

Can you feel it? Revival is in the air! Rev. Onetta encouraged us to prepare for what is "now," and Elder Larry (and his friend, Rainbow) listed off ministries we can step into IMMEDIATELY. That's revival! As I've been praying over the last couple of months, I kept thinking about "revival" as a series of consecutive services. While I'm not opposed to us having that, soon even, the Spirit reminded me that we could have a revival of services to our community! Who says we can't have it all?! I'm so excited about what the Spirit is doing. More surprises coming, and I can't wait! Thank you, Rev. Onetta Brooks, Elder Larry Rodriguez, and "Rainbow"!!!

This Sunday, Rev. Steve Swafford will continue this revival spirit with a message entitled, Bones and Breath. If you'd like to read ahead, check out Ezekiel 37:1-14 (Message) and John 11:38-44 (Message). Let's prepare our hearts for all that Spirit wants for us! I'll see you soon!

Pastor Keith
 In The Spotlight/Outside The Church Walls!  
Living Water - WE can make a difference! This week, and running throughout the month of August, we will take on project "Living Water." Bring in packages of bottled water, and we will distribute it to LA's Midnight Mission and Water Drop, both groups that are running very low on water to give out to those in need. Let's be the "Living Water" that Jesus preached about.
Saturday Night Spiritual Interfaith Service - 8/13/22  
Join Rev. Sheena Metal this Saturday, Aug. 13, at 5:00 p.m. online, as she brings our monthly Interfaith service! If you haven't worshiped at this service lately, you have missed a blessing! You can watch this service on our Founders MCC Facebook page.
Rev. Steve Swafford Preaching 
Rev. Steve Swafford will bring the message this Sunday. Rev. Steve is a member of our Volunteer Staff, and we are so pleased to have him bring the "message of the hour." He always blesses, and this week will be no different! 
Board of Directors Meeting - Tuesday
Join us for our monthly Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday, August 16th at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. Here's the link: 


Meeting ID: 865 4355 3071
Passcode: 870280
DTLA Proud
DTLA Proud is coming up Aug. 27 and 28, and FMCC will be there both days! Please contact Rev. Alejandro at [email protected] if you can help set up, staff, or take down FMCC's booth!
Volunteers Needed!
Our Media Team is looking for gifted people who can create PowerPoint, operate Sound, operate the new church app, and operate Cameras. If you are already gifted in these areas (or you want to find out if you're gifted in these areas!), please contact Rev. Keith at [email protected]. 
Stewardship Campaign Info  
 These are the 2022 Stewardship Refocusing Our Vision Campaign totals so far.  

Tithes 37 @ $156,630.00
Building Fund 13 @ $5,182.00
Please take some time this week to prayerfully consider your financial commitment for 2022. Then, fill out the Stewardship Commitment Card either in person or online at www.foundersmcc.org. We so appreciate all that you commit to make Founders MCC a vital part of our lives.
If you haven't done so already, please send a picture of your vaccination card which shows verification of the two original shots plus the first booster (3rd shot) to [email protected] so the check-in line will run quickly on Sunday!  
Vaccinations for those 6 months of age and older:
Free Home Covid Test Kits 
Tithes & Offerings
Thank you to all who have given so generously through our online giving portal. Our church cannot function without your generosity!! Feel free to continue giving through our website (on PushPay) or simply sending a check in the mail (4607 Prospect Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027). Again, thank you.
Evening Vespers
Hospitality - online - after worship!
Don't forget that we have a time of Hospitality after worship each Sunday. The link is at the top of the first page of our website. Come and have some fun with your church family!
STATEMENT FOR THE RELEASE OF
BRITTNEY GRINER
10th of July, 2022

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, to proclaim release to the prisoners.  (Isaiah 61:1)

“God empowers us to be God’s healing presence in a hurting world”  (From MCC’s Statement of Faith)

The Council of Elders of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) continues to pray for the release of Brittney Griner, detained in Russia since February 17, 2022. Griner is a gifted basketball player with a stellar collegiate and professional career at Baylor University and the Phoenix Mercury respectively. Due to the lack of equitable compensation for female athletes in the United States, Griner has played in a Russian basketball league in order to maximize her financial earnings. 

In particular, the MCC Elders urges U.S. diplomats to pursue all options to bring Brittney home. As Christian scriptures compel us: “Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them” (Hebrews 13:3). 

In a recent interview on the “CBS Mornings” television program, Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner said: “I will not be quiet anymore. My wife is struggling, and we have to help her." MCC stands with Brittney, her wife and family and recommends people help in the following ways:

  • For people in the United States, contact the U.S. State Department public information line at 202-647-6575, press #8 and leave a brief comment (simply, “I’m calling to ask the State Department to advocate for the release of basketball player Brittney Griner. Thank you.”) Additionally, call the White House comment line at 202-456-1111 and ask for the President to advocate for Brittney’s return home.
  • Also consider contacting your elected U.S. Representative and Senators via phone and with a hand-written letter. Use simple, polite and direct wordage like above. Use this link to find your elected officials: https://www.commoncause.org/find-your-representative/addr/ 
  • For people outside of the United States, contact your diplomatic representatives to Russia. Ask them to advocate for the release of Brittney Griner.
Introducing …
Our New Internal MCC Website!
Made just for YOU
Lay Leaders and Clergy of MCC
As many of you know, MCC has been in a three year process of revising our web presence and communications strategy. Our hope has been to ensure that our web presence is targeted to the appropriate audiences and provides easy access to the information and resources that respective audiences are looking for. Ultimately, of course, we hope to reach more people with the life-saving message and ministries of Metropolitan Community Churches.

The first phase was the launch of our visitor-based website at www.VisitMCCchurch.com. This website is aimed at those who do not yet know MCC, but who share our core values and are searching for the type of churches and spiritual communities that are a part of MCC. This external, visitor-based site introduces people to MCC, and is completely multilingual. Visitors can hear our stories through the testimonies of MCCers writing about their experiences in their own languages. They can also quickly locate the most up to date information about all of our congregations around the world. The VisitMCCchurch.com site also includes news coverage of MCC and individual leaders and congregations worldwide.

The second phase of our redesign is now complete through the launch of our new internal website at www.InsideMCC.org. This site is very specifically targeted to MCCers - clergy, lay leaders, church members, etc. Our goal for this site is for it to be (a) simple, (b) easy to navigate, and (c) successful at providing MCCers with the resources and information you need to do your best work. At InsideMCC.org you will find up-to-date contact information for Staff, Elders, Governing Board Members, Commissions, etc. You will also be directed to our new Resource Bank where you can find everything from worship resources to financial reports. The site also contains information about how to best find and utilize the resources that are available.
We encourage you to spend some time reviewing the new site(s), and as always, we invite your feedback. We also urge you to read the various READ ME FIRST documents found in different sections of the Resource Bank. Watch for the announcement of introductory videos about the new InsideMCC.org site and the Resource Bank. 

We are striving to be more inclusive and accessible in terms of language. While the website is created in English, Google Translate can make it more accessible to other languages. The same is true of the Resource Bank. Google Translate can be used on any of the documents whether the original is in Spanish, Portuguese or English. We acknowledge the limitations of the current technology noting that some MCC/ICM terms may not translate accurately and that the technology may not reflect the cultural nuances and evolution of language. Still, this is a big step forward in making our resources available to all of our global MCC members. 

If you have any questions or feedback, please contact [email protected].


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Prayer for Us to be Proactive Regarding Climate Change

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth."—Genesis 1:1(NIV)

The first creation story begins with ruach, the very breath of God, moving across the face of the earth. In the second story, God forms the human from the adamah, the earth, and breathes God’s own breath into the human. 

The evidence for rapid climate change is compelling: Global Temperatures are rising, the ocean waters are warming, the ice sheets are shrinking, the glaciers are retreating, the snow cover is decreasing, the sea levels are rising, the Arctic Sea Ice is declining, extreme weather events are increasing with intense rainfall events occurring around the world and the acidity in the ocean is increasing. This increase is the result of humans emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and hence more being absorbed into the ocean. 

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.—Matthew 25:35 (NIV)

In many parts of our beloved world, we are now gasping for clean air. Next to air, water is our most essential necessity. In the metropolitan areas of the world, some of us are blessed to have abundant, clean water to drink and use for cooking, growing food, washing clothes, and flushing toilets. We seldom worry that the water we drink could make us sick — or even kill us. 

In other parts of the world, hundreds of millions of people don’t share this blessing. Every year we recognize this reality with the United Nations’ World Water Day on March 22. This is a day to champion the rights of people everywhere to have access to affordable, safe, and convenient drinking water. 

Almighty God,
Help us to end the wasteful habits we may have formed. 
Help us to end the desecration of your (God's) creation.
Help us to provide equal access to the fruits of creation, so they can be shared equally among all people, all communities and all nations and may we find sustenance in the fruits of the earth and the water you have given to us. Trusting in your bounty, we shall all have enough.
May you rain your tears over us to extinguish the destructive fires! 
May you breathe on us to clear away the smoke and pollutants that poison our bodies! 
May you animate us to become good stewards of all that you place in our care, of Mother earth, to be lovers of one another, and to be the doers and show-ers of grace, mercy, peace, love, and justice you created us to be. 
Thank you for the abundance of blessings that you provide to us daily. Forgive us oh God when we fall short of our goals to care for Mother earth, to care for each other, or to care for our relationship with you! 
These things we ask in your many names and in the name of Jesus, the Christ of God! May it be so! Ashé, A’ho, and Amen

Call to Action for Climate Change
PRAYER SUBMITTED BY:

ELDER VELMA GARCIA
Elder Velma Garcia lives in Manor, Texas U.S.A. and is a long-time member of upRising, a Church Without Walls in Austin, TX U.S.A.
Founder's Metropolitan Community Church Board Of Directors
Rev. Keith Mozingo (Moderator)
Martin Covarrubias (Vice Moderator)
Kim Doneche (Clerk)
Gef Aviles (Co-Treasurer)
Tony Martinez (Co-Treasurer)
Roger Owens (Events & Archives)
Bob Stayton (Properties Committee)
Parking Available
Children's Hospital has so graciously volunteered up to 10 spaces for us to park. It is a small lot off Sunset Blvd., just beyond the Metro Station entrance.