Greetings!

I am so excited about what has been happening at FMCC for the last couple of weeks, as well as what is about to happen at FMCC! During this year's Stewardship sermon series, we have been reminded of (and shared!) what brought us to FMCC and what has kept us here. We've shared our dreams of the future - what we want to see in ministry for and from FMCC. (Thanks, Rev. Steve Swafford!) And we've taken some time of introspection to see how we each fit into that collective dream. 

We've talked about a commitment to eat better and exercise our bodies and spirits. And yet we know that for that to happen, we have to COMMIT to do so. And that is what Stewardship is all about - our commitment to God through our community of Faith utilizing our Time, Talents, Tithes, and Testimony.

This Sunday, we will complete our Stewardship sermon series with a message entitled, Refocusing Our Vision: Committing To A Better Life. If you'd like to read ahead, check out Ruth 1:1-19 (Message). I look forward to seeing you either in person or online for all the events surrounding our dreams this week. God bless.

Pastor Keith
Founder's Metropolitan Community Church Announcements for the week of 11-19-21!
Focusing Our Vision - Tomorrow, November 20th - Noon - 5 p.m. 
Put it on your calendars: A day of VISIONING for our church! The pandemic has certainly changed the ways we connect, worship, and enjoy community. Now, where do we go from here? What are our priorities? What programming do we want? And how do we DO ministry that will bring in more people and inspire those of us who are long-timers? These and other questions will be explored. Rev. Steve Swafford will facilitate this workshop. This will be both in-person and on Zoom tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 20th, Noon to 5:00 p.m. Here's the link for the Zoom: Founders MCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Recognition of Trans Day of Remembrance - This Weekend  
November 20th is the annual Trans Day of Remembrance. There are multiple events happening online and in-person, so we encourage everyone to participate. This Saturday, there is an online event from West Hollywood at 6:00 p.m. (Registration required: https://www.weho.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/24180/15), and we will also recognize TDOR this Sunday in worship. Our Trans*Unity ministry has worked hard to provide a beautiful tribute to those we have lost over the last year.
World AIDS Day Service - Dec. 1st 
This year, we will participate in the Interfaith World AIDS Day service at Kol Ami Synagogue in West Hollywood on Wednesday, December 1st, at 7:00 p.m. They will have a section of the AIDS quilt, and Dr. Michael Gottlieb will be the main speaker. (He wrote the very first report for the CDC identifying 5 gay men with what was then called GRID, Gay-Related Immune Disease.) Safety protocols are required, and we must REGISTER IN ADVANCE to attend. Register here: 
Stewardship Commitment Cards  
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.
Changes To The Board Of Directors  
We would like to welcome Gef Aviles to the Board of Directors! Gef was appointed by unanimous vote at our monthly Board meeting on Tuesday night. Gef will fill the position vacated by David Crocker, who resigned recently due to a new very demanding job. Thank you, David, for a wonderful voice on the Board. We miss you, but we know you will continue to serve God and bless your home church here at Founders! And, welcome Gef!
Holiday Pictures
We've been calling for "Fall Pictures" for our Passing of the Peace moment in worship, but now we need your holiday-themed pictures! Yes - Advent starts next weekend! Please send pictures to [email protected] . Thanks to Gef Aviles for his faithfulness in updating the video each week! (Pictured: Rev. Alejandro Escoto and 1:30 Music Director Peter Kirkpatrick).
New Church App Coming Soon!!!
Volunteer Opportunities!
Food Available
Food Delivery

Our Food Delivery is every Friday Morning between the hours of 7:30 A.M. to 9:30 A.M.

Food Distribution

Each Saturday, our church offers food to those who are in need. In addition to the HopeNet food that comes each week, we have started offering fresh produce from Food Forward. Come by from anytime between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning to pick up food. 
If you haven't done so already, please send a picture of your vaccination card to [email protected] so the check-in line will run quickly on Sunday!  
Vaccinations for those 5 years of age and older:
Tithes & Offerings
General Tithes & Offerings for November 14, 2021: $4,346.30



Total Designated Funds: $.00


Facilities Rentals: $175.00

Grand Total of all tithes, offerings and designated funds: 11/14/21

$4,521.30

Attendance: 48
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.
Wednesday Night Bible Study Groups are back!!!
 Wednesday: Bible Study with Pastor Lucia Chappelle and Garett Klindt, 7:30 p.m. on Facebook

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!
Update on Global General Conference 2022!


Imagine a General Conference where we, as MCC, truly live out our commitment to inclusion and justice. Where as many MCCers from around the world participate as possible, experience the strength of being in community, and share the joy of being spiritually transformed. This is the Global General Conference 2022.
A New Kind of Conference

Global General Conference 2022 is an audacious experiment in creating a truly global General Conference. Being birthed during a global pandemic, this is a moment to open ourselves up to new possibilities and opportunities. We are ALL experiencing this for the first time and learning together. Sometimes it may require moving out of our comfort zones, being willing to engage in new ways, and being open enough to see how this global General Conference allows others to be part of the experience, often for the very first time. 

General Conference will take place in two phases: 

To begin, our Global General Conference will take place in-person at locations around the world and also online from 1-3 July 2022.  

The second part of our Global General Conference will be the Business Meeting and will take place online from 15-16 July 2022. 
1-3 July 2022
In-Person & Virtual Gatherings

We are excited to announce that there will be multiple locations for in-person gatherings around the world! Through these location and online content, we will experience the diversity of our denomination – ethnicity, gender identity, age, and ability. 

You may choose to travel to any site or simply participate fully online. The Core Team and local organizers from around the world have so far identified the following locations for our Global General Conference 2022:

Houston, Texas, USA
São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil 
Manila, Philippines  
Latin America (Outside of Brazil): Virtual Only 

Locations could be added or removed depending on the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Please note: We are working with local organizers to plan a location in Africa, Europe and possibly Australia/New Zealand. Stay tuned for more information on locations and feel free to reach out to us with ideas you have!


Features of the In-Person & Virtual Gatherings:

  • Globally curated worship experiences will be in-person at each location and streamed online. 
  • Workshops will include online presentations, in-person facilitated dialog, and chat groups to contact presenters, ask questions, or offer ideas. The online portion will be available for 6 months after the conference.
  • Plenaries will be viewed in-person and online with a diverse line-up of speakers.
  • In-person meals and social activities will be included at each site.
  • Registrants will utilize an online app to connect, chat, and interact with all other participants gathering from around the world. 
  • A pre-recorded worship service will be available for all of our churches to use locally on 3 July 2022 focused around the conference theme. Worship leaders can take part in the entire in-person or online experience without needing to plan or execute their own worship service. 
15-16 July 2022
Virtual Business Meeting


Features of the Online Business Meeting:

  • The 2022 General Conference Business Meeting will be online only. 
  • Every voting-eligible church can have their pastor and delegate(s) vote, no matter where in the world they are.
  • Voting will be done online and be open for a minimum of 24 hours.
  • Formal and informal Business Forums will be online beginning in June 2022.
  • Registration for the Business Meeting will be independent from the Global General Conference 1-3 July 2022.
THANK YOU to our amazing General Conference Core Team, Governing Board, Council of Elders, and leaders from all over the world in helping us to re-shape and adjust our plans over the last year!

Global General Conference Core Team: 
Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos
Dr. Lillian Dunlap 
Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggleston
Rev. Elder Hector Guiterrez 
Rev. Jennifer J.C. Hall 
Chad Hobbs
Barry Hundley 
Rev. Lori McPherson
Léo Rossetti 
Rev. Lauren Bennett, co-chair
Mike Haase, co-chair

If you have any questions or ideas you want to share with our core team, please contact us: [email protected] 

We look forward to co-creating this new way of doing General Conference with you. 
More Information Coming Soon!

Keep watching your emails for updated information.

Registration will open soon so be thinking about which location you want to travel to, if any!

Specific hotels or retreat centers are still being identified or in negotiation. In some locations there may be multiple housing options.
"God, I offer myself to thee,
To build with me & to do with me as thou wilt.
Relieve me of the bondage of self,
That I may better do thy will.
Take away my difficulties,
That victory over them may bear witness to those I would help.
Of thy Power, thy Love & they Way of Life;
May I do thy Will always. Amen."
-    The Third Step Prayer of Alcoholics Anonymous
 
As we proceed with grief, anger, fear and cautious optimism with a bruised view of the world, and with broken hearts, it is often difficult to identify God or the things we call miracles. This leads us to the repetitive cycle of being in our heads, and our thoughts racing with anger, depression, and and self-righteousness. 
 
How can we see clearly amidst a storm that seems to shift and change, but continually obstructs our view? How, then, do we connect with our faith in God, as the ocean of grief and fear sweep over us again and again? How are we to be present when that grief of the past, and intense fear of the unknown future are constantly barging in? 
 
When we connect to God, we can see our part and move into the service that will remove our spirit from the shackles that bind us! We open our mind to move toward stopping the madness. We achieve peace and can live more happily and normally when we are of service to others; Now that comes in many forms:
-    checking in beyond social media. Make that call to see how someone is doing. 
-    Make or buy a meal for someone lonely or food insufficient.
-    Smile with your eyes as you pass a stranger on the street; it could change their whole day.
-    Remember to Breathe! We often forget to breathe, so when we remember, it becomes a form of prayer. This allows the oxygen that we have blocked to come in so that we can see clearly, and hear God's still, quiet voice.
-    Stay where your feet are. It is the only place we have the power to do God's work, and that is Powerful!
 
Reach out in whatever ways you can to meet the needs of others. This is how we get relief from our own pain, and how we honor God. Pray with me now.
 
God of the Highest Love,
 
As we move into service to others, open our hearts to feel your presence and know that you lead us with your protection.
Allow us to achieve justice, no matter how small the victories, and to recognize them and to give You the praise and gratitude owed in them. 
Please move our feet in the direction of Your Will, that we may be free of self-will, and so achieve freedom in its purest form. Help us to love others as you love us. Give us the Strength of your eyes, hands and heart as we work to make the world as it should be. 
Help us to identify You in all things, great & small, and to call them all Miracles. 
In your many names, we pray. Amen.
PRAYER SUBMITTED BY:

LOLA SHAHDADI (She/her/hers)
In addition to being the ASL interpreter for FMCC, Lola Shahdadi has a beautiful family - her wife, Lynne & 6-year-old daughter, Ella. She is also a writer and the author of the blogs “Raising A Baby Activist" (social justice focused) and the former "The Razzle Dazzle Mommy" (parent/adoption focused). You can read and subscribe at www.raisingababyactivist.com
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi
Founder's Metropolitan Community Church Board Of Directors
Rev. Keith Mozingo (Moderator)
Jenni Nichols (Vice Moderator)
Oyie Esguerra (Treasurer)
Kim Doneche (Clerk)
Gef Aviles (Member)
Antonio Martinez (Member)
Bob Stayton (Member)
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.