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Greetings!
Wow! What a wonderful time of worship and fellowship last Sunday! There may have been rain outside as we gathered, but we had Spiritual Rain on the inside! We had about five new guests last Sunday, and they seemed THRILLED with the church. Join me in prayer that they continue to come and join our community of Faith.
I want to say a big Thank You to Sandra Contreras and Pastor Bam for spending two days at the church this week as the updated technology was being installed. Sandra, our church's Media Specialist, helped us get the updated system that will enhance our on-site and off-site worship spaces. I also want to especially thank Alvaro Reyes again this week for the amazing job he has been doing not only as our 1:30 p.m. Worship Coordinator, but also, during the week, he has cleaned and organized church closets. Thanks, Sandra, Pastor Bam, and Alvaro!
September is the month we use the 12-Step program for our sermon series. This year's theme is, One Day At A Time. Last Sunday, I spoke on Steps 1 through 3. This Sunday, I will bring a message entitled, Mirror, Mirror, and we will look at Steps 4 through 7. If you'd like to read ahead, check out the Gospel reading, Matthew 7:1-5, 24-29 (Message Version).
God bless you all.
Pastor Keit
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1st Reading is taken from
Alcoholics Anonymous,
Steps 4 through 7.
Step 4: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Step 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Step 6: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Step 7: Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
Second reading is taken from
Matthew, Chapter 7, Verses 1 through 5
and 24 through 29
(The Message Version)
Jesus said, “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.
But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”
When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying—quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard.
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Collecting needed items for SELAH. This month: New undergarments (especially for men) and socks.
| | Our Founders MCC Podcast entitled "Queer Christian Faith" Podcast is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Iheart Radio, audible and our YouTube Channel MCCLATV mcclatv - YouTube | | Trans*Unity Yard Sale, tomorrow, Saturday 9/12, 7 am –11 am, here at Founders MCC Church on 4607 Prospect Ave. | | Breaking Bread, September 15th, 6pm, 1920 Hyperion Avenue | | Saturday, September 19. Annual church clean-up day, starting at 9 am. Remember, "many hands make light work." | | Tuesday, Sept 22nd. FMCC/ICMF will once lead the weekly prayer vigil at the downtown federal building, 300 N. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles, CA. Noon to 1pm. Let's show up and represent FMCC/ICMF well. If you are able, wear your FMCC/ICMF t-shirts. | | |
With the ICE, Homeland Security, and Border Patrol raids occurring so frequently here in Los Angeles, we at FMCC/ICMF realize the fear that many of our congregants have in leaving their homes. We are initializing an immediate ministry called, ANGELS. This ministry is for those who may be fearful of going to the grocery store, the pharmacy, and the department store and need to reach out to an ANGEL for help. It is also for people who may be willing to run these errands (for those too fearful to leave home currently) to let us know you're willing to BE an ANGEL. So, if you need an ANGEL, or if you're willing to be an ANGEL, please contact us at care@mccla.org and we'll match you up if at all possible.
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Rapid Response Network Launches Hotline to Protect Immigrants From ICE Raids in Los Angeles, 888-624-4752
There continues to be a need for a "White Wall" to help protect the attendees of our 1:30 Spanish-speaking service. Please see Pastor Keith.
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Join CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice) and other social justice groups who have been gathering weekly in Los Angeles to pray for the return of family members who have been detained or deported.
We invite people of all genders to accompany them and hold our disappeared community members in prayer. We are hurting along with them, and we have their backs.
This vigil takes place every Tuesday, Noon at the Los Angeles Federal Building.
Pastor Bam Noriega
Founders MCCLA
(480)773-0527
| | Order your shirts today from Lulu Madrid for only $25! | | We need additional volunteers to help in the sound booth (see Don Mueller) and broadcast booth (see Sandra Contreras) | | |
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.
Grand Total For Week Ending: 09-06-2026: $7,352.00
Facility Rentals: $3,408.00
Church Outside The Walls: $200.00
Tithing: $3,744.00
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| Interested in Church Membership? Or, maybe, you just want to know more about our church's core beliefs and history. Set up an online meeting with Rev. Steve Swafford at membership@mccla.org for an individualized study! | | Join us before and after worship for a time of Hospitality in the church courtyard. Martin Miny is heading a team of people to get coffee, juice, and pastries ready each Sunday. Volunteers are always welcome! | |
As we continue to cope with Covid-19, we are changing our protocols. The new protocols are in line with the rest of LA County. Until further notice, here are our guidelines:
1. We will no longer require vaccinations and boosters for church attendance, though we highly encourage them.
2. We will make wearing masks optional. Please feel free to continue wearing masks as you feel comfortable.
3. We ask people that have symptoms of (or tested positive for) Covid, flu, monkeypox, or any other easily communicable disease to please refrain from attending until they are well.
As we have from the very beginning of the pandemic, we will continue to keep in line with the advice of the LA County Public Health Department. Thank you so much for your patience as we navigate new guidelines.
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Rev. Keith Mozingo (Moderator)
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Cesar Maldanado -
Spanish Speaking Ministries
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Patricia Wahle -
Vice Moderator
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Ed Shaughnessy - Treasurer
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MCC Kinship Groups
Kinship Groups offer a safe space of connecting with other people of similar struggles and challenges. We have groups for Trans, PAD, API, God-Talk, and Latinx.
If you have any questions, are interested in a particular Kinship group, or interested in forming another Kinship group, you may email Rev. Hector Gutierrez.
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Let’s Get CONNECTed: Invite More MCCers to Subscribe to this Newsletter!
As the recent General Conference 2025 has just been concluded, and as the spirit of connectedness within our denomination is still in the air, we encourage you to invite more MCCers to subscribe to our denomination’s newsletter.
We are delighted to grow our community by sharing our good news and stories with one another via this platform.
We invite all MCCers to subscribe to our denomination e-news by clicking on the following link: bit.ly/connect-mcc
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Language is a Matter of Justice!
Justice Statement on
Inclusion and Non-binary Language
(Galatians 3:28
and MCC’s Core Value of Inclusion)
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As the Council of Elders of Metropolitan Community Churches, we affirm that language is a matter of justice, liberation, and pastoral responsibility. The words we choose in worship, preaching, pastoral care, and community life shape who is welcomed, who is affirmed, and who is fully seen in the Body of Christ. In this moment—when gender-diverse, trans, and non-binary people face erasure and harm—our call is clear: our language must reflect God’s boundless welcome and the dignity of every person.
Inclusive language in the MCC congregations is what sets MCC apart from other denominations because MCC is the only denomination that offers truly inclusive language to its congregations.
We ground this commitment in Paul’s proclamation in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
This verse is a declaration of radical equality. Paul dismantles the categories used to divide, rank, or exclude human beings. When he proclaims that there is “no male and female,” he is not erasing identity—he is erasing hierarchy. He is announcing that in Christ, the binaries used to limit human worth lose their power. This liberating vision calls the Church to speak, bless, and lead in ways that honor the full spectrum of gender identities present in God’s beloved community.
Inclusive and non-binary language is one of the most powerful ways we embody this value. It is not merely a stylistic choice—it is a spiritual discipline, a justice practice, and a pastoral commitment to the flourishing of all God’s people.
We encourage pastors, deacons, worship leaders, and lay ministers across our global movement to:
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Use language that affirms all genders, pronouns, and expressions of self
- Review liturgies, sermons, rituals, and communications for gender expansiveness
- Speak of God in ways that transcend restrictive binaries
- Model the liberating love that MCC has championed for more than five decades
Our theology proclaims that God’s love is vast, creative, and unconfined. Let our words be the same—opening space, healing harm, and proclaiming a Gospel where every person is named, seen, and celebrated in the fullness of who they are.
In Peace, the MCC Council of Elders:
Elder Hattie Alexander-Key
Rev. Elder Mark Byrd
Rev. Elder Nokuthula Dhladhla
Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggleston
Elder Velma Garcia
Rev. Elder Rich Hendricks
Rev. Elder Aaron Miller
Rev. Elder Elaine Saralegui Caraballo
Rev. Elder Stuart Sutherland
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