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Greetings!
I want to start my message today with giving thanks. Thank you to all who attended the Visioning Meeting last Saturday, to Pastor Bam for leading it, and to the Media Team who worked behind the scenes to make it a hybrid meeting. It is wonderful to hear how the current ministries are blessing people as well as to hear ideas of possible new ministries. Thank you to all who attended the Prayer Service last Friday night and to Rev. Cindy Solomon-Klebba for leading it. Thank you to all the new folks that came for the Media Team/Sound Tech training and to Don Mueller for leading it. Thank you to Alvaro Reyes for cleaning out the Usher's Closet (off the vestibule). Thank you to Pastor Bam and Martin Miny for cleaning out the Conference Room. A lot of things are happening around here, and I just can't thank you all for your commitments!
We want to welcome a new member to our church: Francesca Shumann. Francesca lives in Ohio, but she has been very faithful attending our worship services online for several years. I am so thankful that the ministry of FMCC/ICMF reaches out around the world and touches people's lives to the point that they want to be a part of it all.
Last week, we heard another wonderful message in our Radical Hospitality: Come, Taste, and See sermon series. Thanks to Raul Radilla for sharing his message in both services (and to his spouse, Fernando Alfaro for interpreting at the English service). This Sunday, I will continue the sermon series with a message entitled, Sheep And Goats: A Parable. If you'd like to read ahead, check out Matthew 25:31-46 (Message Version).
As always, let's come to worship ready for all the Spirit has for us!
Pastor Keith
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Reading is taken from the Gospel of Matthew,
Chapter 25, Verses 31 through 46
(The Message Version)
Jesus tells the disciples a parable:
“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Humanity will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by God! Take what’s coming to you in this realm. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’
“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Sire, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—
I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’
“Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Sire, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’
“He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’
“Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.”
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Last Sunday, we welcomed Francesca Shumann as an FMCC member. Although currently living in Ohio, Francesca has been consistently loyal as an online viewer of the 10am service and of weekly online activities. Here is a picture of her as Pastor Keith welcomed her into membership.
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On Friday, August 21, join us for our next Breaking Bread event. We will start at 5:30pm at La Cabanita, a Mexican restaurant in Glendale. The address is 3445 N. Verdugo Rd, Glendale, CA 91208. Then we will proceed to Highlands Theater LA, to see Vinny Mohr in a production of Mary Poppins. Tickets are $28 for adults, and $18 for those younger than 18 yo. The address is 4441 La Crescenta Ave, La Crescenta, CA 91214. Tickets can be bought at Eventbrite, search for Mary Poppins, or highlandstheaterla.com.
La Cabanita at 5:30 3445 N Verdugo Rd, Glendale
Highlands Church Theater: 4441 La Crescenta Ave, La Crescenta CA 91214
(make a note that tickets can be purchased at the door)
| | Our Founders MCC Podcast entitled "Queer Christian Faith" Podcast is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Iheart Radio, audible and our YouTube Channel MCCLATV mcclatv - YouTube | | |
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: 08-16-2026: $4,544.00
Facility Rentals: $1,839.00
Tithing: $2,705.00
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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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Collective Presence
Justice Statement on Voting
(Galatians 6:2, Proverbs 31:8–9, and Luke 10:1)
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Across generations and across every place our people have gathered to pray, to heal, and to rise again, we have learned this truth: democracy is a spiritual practice. Voting is one of the ways we incarnate our faith in public life. It is how we honor the ancestors who could not vote, and how we protect the children who will inherit what we choose.
Scripture teaches us that “we are to bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). In this season, that burden-bearing looks like helping one another reach the ballot box — offering clarity, companionship, and courage. It looks like showing up even when we are tired, and helping someone else show up when they are unsure.
We remember the wisdom of Proverbs: “Speak out for those who cannot speak… defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8–9). Voting is one of the ways we speak out. It is one of the ways we defend. It is one of the ways we ensure that the voices of the vulnerable are not erased from the public square.
And we remember that Jesus sent the disciples two by two (Luke 10:1). Not alone. Not isolated. But in companionship, solidarity, and shared purpose. So we say to our communities, with the authority of our history and the tenderness of our calling:
- Show up. And bring a friend.
- Bring someone who is unsure.
- Bring someone who is tired.
- Bring someone who has never voted before.
Walk together. Stand together. Witness together.
Because voting is not only a civic duty — it is a communal ritual of liberation.
- Every ballot cast is a prayer for the world we long for.
- Every vote is a declaration that our voices matter.
- Every shared trip to the polls is a reminder that we are not alone.
As the Council of Elders of Metropolitan Community Churches, we affirm that participating in elections is a nonpartisan act of moral responsibility. We do not speak for parties — we speak for people. We speak for the dignity of every body, every family, every beloved community striving for safety, justice, and flourishing.
Let us vote with clarity. Let us vote with courage. Let us vote with the unshakeable conviction that our collective presence can bend the arc toward justice.
And let us go together — one body, one people, one hope — bringing a friend, a neighbor, a beloved along the way. May it be so! A’ho, Ashe, and Amen.
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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