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Greetings!
Another day of rejoicing! Yes, in all the craziness of our world, we absolutely must find ways to rejoice! Oh, some days, seasons even, that oppression and depression seem to come from every direction. When that happens, it is time for us to take action! It is time for us to do something for someone else. it is time for us to reach out into our community and find a way to help others.
Last Sunday's message was about taking action in our community. I have been trying to find ways to reach out to our trans siblings in Kansas since the law passed in that state that invalidates their drivers licenses if the licenses have a gender marker different than their original birth certificates. Only a few minutes after worship, Arvin Olbes texted me some resources for us to look into to support them. At the moment, the one we can do from afar is to donate to organizations that are "on-the-ground" there, such as the ACLU (who have already brought a law suit concerning this law). As I find out other ways, i will bring them to your attention. Again, as I said last Sunday, this is not our first time our community has had to stand up for ourselves, fight for our rights, and support one another. We made it through the other times, and we'll make it through this time, too!
I hope you are enjoying our Lenten Sermon Series, Changing The World. This Sunday, we will continue the series as I bring a message entitled, The Role Of Faith In Change. If you'd like to read ahead, check out these verses: Matthew 17:20, John 14:12, Philippians 4:13, Mark 11:24, and Psalm 37:5 (New International Version).
Come expecting a blessing!
Pastor Keith
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Readings are taken from the New International Version.
Matthew 17:20
20 Jesus replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
John 14:12
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Sovereign.
Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all this through Christ Who gives me strength.
Mark 11:24
24 Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
Psalm 37:5
Commit your way to the Sovereign; trust in God and God will do this.
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Hello all! Please remember that the time changes this Sat night (early Sun morning) We roll our clocks forward one hour for Spring Forward!
| | Our Founders MCC Podcast entitled "Queer Christian Faith" Podcast is on Spotify and our YouTube Channel MCCLATV mcclatv - YouTube | | |
Membership Inquirer's Class - March 15th
If interested in becoming a member, or simply finding out more about our church and denomination, please contact Rev. Steve Swafford at admin@mccla.org
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This year, Founders MCC will be leading a procession down Vermont on Good Friday at 6 pm.
Immediately after, we will meet together for a bilingual Good Friday service, "Stations of the Cross" in the Sanctuary.
The Stations of the Cross service will focus on current social justice issues we are experiencing, along with traditional scripture readings and music. The issues could consist of:
Gaza, the Supreme Court, erasure of trans people and American history, authoritarianism, transphobia/homophobia, ICE, immigration, environmental crisis, poverty, homelessness, hunger, and Christian nationalism.
If you feel called to speak in this service on any of these issues (Max 3 mins, English or Spanish), please let Rev. Eric Buter, Lucia Chappelle, or email at justice@foundersmcc.org.
This is a wonderful opportunity to share a message, thoughts, and feelings about what surrounds us in the world today.
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At our upcoming (May 3rd, 2026) Congregational Meeting, we will vote on candidates for Board Members and Lay Delegates. Currently, there are two 3-year board positions and two 1-year board positions open. We also have two 3-year Lay Delegate positions open. All who are serving in these positions are eligible to re-run, though some have indicated they don't plan to do so. Are YOU feeling called to serve in one of these positions? Please prayerfully consider next steps. Applications can be found on the church website (www.foundersmcc.org). Completed applications should be returned to board@mccla.org by April 12th, 2026 in order for background checks and distribution of information ahead of the Congregational Meeting.
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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.
Bam Noriega
Founders MCCLA
Student Clergy
(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: 03-01-2026: $6,939.00
Facility Rentals: $2,475.00
Latin Ministry: $80.00
Tithing: $4,384.00
| | 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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Dean Coffey -
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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Third Sunday of Lent
Elder Hattie Alexander-Key
Advanced Copy
Watch on YouTube | Watch on Vimeo
(Subtitles available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese)
Reading 1: Exodus 17:1-3
Reading 2: John 3:5-42
I bring you greetings from MCC Detroit, MI, USA. I am Elder Hattie Alexander-Key.
During the season of Lent, we are reminded of Christ’s ministry of love, healing and sacrifice for our sakes. We acknowledge our desperate need for God’s guidance as we navigate the dry and desolate areas of our own lives. Our desire is to be filled with the Spirit of the living God, to bring refreshing at a times when we feel loss, anger or fatigued by the forces of the world. We need direction. My God, we are thirsty for you!
In the text from the torah, we see how the wanderers grumbled their dissatisfaction with the way they were being led. How many of us have felt that our leaders are misleading us? How often have we felt like we are lost in a place where there is no water? We are angry, dissatisfied, frustrated, yet we hear God telling us to love our neighbors and pray for those who are hateful towards us. Our humanity cries out, “That’s not the way I want to do it!” Our frustration urges us to repay bitterness with bitterness. Still in our lashing out, we feel dried out, because, as Jesus told the tempter in his desert experience, “One cannot live by bread alone.” (Matthew 4:4).
Our spiritual hunger and thirst can only be satisfied by Jesus, the Bread of Life and fount that is ever-flowing!
In the Gospel reading we see how one who was considered learned; a teacher of teachers, came to see Jesus late one evening, seeking the wisdom of God. He was thirsty for knowledge and understanding. But, the natural mind wars against spiritual things. “But if the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, it will give life, refreshing, peace to our life in this bitter earth.
Jesus says to us, “Follow me,” through this desert place. Seek the love and peace of God and do not trust in your own understanding. Love God with every fiber of your being and your neighbor (even the hateful ones) as you love yourself.
Just as Jesus wandered through the desert, we too must wander through dry places and remember to reach out for the refreshing that only God’s presence, power and passion can bring.
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Amen.
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Statement on Middle East War
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Once again, the devastating effects of bombing and weaponised drones can be seen across the Middle East. Civilians, including children, are being killed and injured. Homes, hospitals, schools are impacted, infrastructure destroyed.
This war on Iran, initiated without due scrutiny of the US Congress, does not have a clear purpose, nor a coherent plan to support the country once the destruction has ceased. The Council of Elders condemns this military action and calls upon all sides to work for a peaceful solution.
The people of Iran have lived under terrible oppression for many years. It is they who should be deciding the future of their country.
War Is Not the Answer
by Elder Velma Garcia
War is not the answer—Let peace be the dancer that silences every false answer.
War is a trembling dark shadow cast across the soul of the world-yet peace is the living answer the wounded world must hurl.
War is a noise meant to drown out the deeper questions, some are afraid to answer, for the brave and courageous will continue to ask.
War is just another diversion, another glittering lie, pulling our eyes away from the work of healing, from the labor of listening, from the courage it takes to love what is fragile and repair what is broken.
Crimes against humanity are crimes against our own becoming— they tear at the fabric that binds spirit to spirit, ancestor to descendant, and earth to breath.
For our spirituality knows better. It remembers the ancient truth that every life is a mirror, every child a promise, every stranger a reflection of the Holy we carry.
And so we speak it again: war is not the answer. The answer is the long, steady work of justice, compassion, and the fierce tenderness that refuses to let go of our shared humanity. A’ho!
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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Learn How MCC Is Achieving
Goals Through Flourish
In the February Newsletter:
- Learn More About Flourish
- Trainings And Webinars
- Mentoring
- Grant Support
- Celebrating MCC Leaders: February - Rev. Toni Kruger-Ayebazibwe
- Resources for Clergy and Lay Leaders
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Five (5) Key FlourishObjectives:
Mentorship
Convening Spaces
Respite
Equitable Resources
Infrastructure
Learn how MCC is advancing the mission and goals of the denomination through Flourish by downloading the information page below.
LINK to Flourish Information
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Interested in becoming a Mentor, or need a refresher on the MCC Mentor Program?
Mentoring is a meaningful relationship that fosters personal and professional growth through guidance, shared wisdom, and mutual trust. It strengthens both the mentor and the mentee while building a culture of learning and support across MCC.
We will be holding a Mentor Training webinar this spring. If you are interested, please complete the interest form using this LINK.
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Is your church looking for funding for a
special project to support your ministry and community?
Flourish will partner with you in researching and give guidance in writing a grant to support your ministry and community impact.
If you would like assistance with grant research or the application process, please contact us at Flourish@mccchurch.net.
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Celebrating MCC Clergy and Lay Leaders for their
work in the community!
Flourish is honored and excited to highlight the leadership within MCC. The work of MCC is not confined to a building; it reaches into communities and extends around the globe.
We invite you to share your story and your work—or to lift up someone whose contributions should be recognized—by emailing Flourish@mccchurch.net.
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This month, we recognize
the work of
Rev. Toni Kruger-Ayebazibwe
Use the links below to learn about Rev. Toni and her work with the Global Interfaith Network for People of All Sexes, Sexual Orientations, Gender Identities and Expressions
(GIN-SSOGIE)
Link in English
Enlace em espanhol
Link em português
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Ways Flourish can Support the work of MCC in your Church, Network and Community
- Mentoring
- Flourish will partner with you in researching and give guidance in writing a grant
- Respite for Clergy and Lay Leaders
- Spiritual Direction
- Strength Finder training
- Board Training
Individualize programming meeting your needs as a leader
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Important Information and Links
Request funding to SupportMCC Networks and Kinship Groups: LINK
Respite Program For Clergy and Lay Leaders: LINK
Flourish Staff Information: Link
Would you like more information about Flourish. Contact the Program Manager at Flourish@mccchurch.net.
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