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Greetings!
It was so wonderful being back in worship with you last Sunday! I sure missed being here in person while I was away with my family. I'm so thankful for those who were ready to step in and preach (Pastor Bam and Rev. Eric Buter). We always have good preachers around here! I know you were blessed by them, too. Of course, I joined you in worship online while I was away. Isn't it wonderful that we can still worship, even if we're not in the same room?
Last Sunday, we took in five new members: Daniel Bracamontes, Shakina Nayfack, Sharon Louder, Anthony Degoede, and Jax Santiago. Welcome, all!
I know you're excited about our Spring Congregational Meeting this weekend. We'll get an opportunity to vote on new Board Members while we honor those who have served during this last term: Dean Coffey, Ina Serene, Ed Shaughnessey, and Martin Miny (a couple of whom are running for a second term). Also, we'll honor those who have served us so well as Lay Delegates: Pam Fairbanks and Oriel Briguela Mueller. Thanks to all of you for your dedication to God and this church!
I hope you're enjoying the sermon series, Road Trip to Pentecost. We've been covering the "clobber scriptures" (scriptures traditionally used as a weapon against LGBTQ people). Hopefully, you ware getting to see these scriptures with fresh eyes! This Sunday, Patricia Wahle will bring the message entitled, Who's to Judge? If you'd like to read ahead, check out Romans 1:16 - 2:16 (New Revised Standard Version). I know we will be blessed!
Pastor Keith
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Reading is taken from
Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 16 through Chapter 2, Verse 16 (The New Revised Standard Version - Updated Edition)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is God’s saving power for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith, as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.”
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and injustice of those who by their injustice suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. Ever since the creation of the world God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been seen and understood through the things God has made.
So they are without excuse, for though they knew God, they did not honor God as God or give thanks to God, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.
Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Their females exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the males, giving up natural intercourse with females, were consumed with their passionate desires for one another. Males committed shameless acts with males and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to an unfit mind and to do things that should not be done. They were filled with every kind of injustice, evil, covetousness, malice.
Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. They know God’s decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die, yet they not only do them but even applaud others who practice them.
Therefore, you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others, for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.
We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with truth. Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of God’s kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. God will repay according to each one’s deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality,
God will give eternal life, while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but injustice, there will be wrath and fury. There will be affliction and distress for everyone who does evil, both the Jew first and the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, both the Jew first and the Greek. For God shows no partiality.
All who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged in accordance with the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God’s sight but the doers of the law who will be justified.
When gentiles, who do not possess the law, by nature do what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, as their own conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them on the day when, according to my gospel, God through Christ Jesus judges the secret thoughts of all.
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| Our Founders MCC Podcast entitled "Queer Christian Faith" Podcast is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Iheart Radio, audible and our YouTube Channel MCCLATV mcclatv - YouTube | | |
Saturday, May 2nd, Congregation Forum will be held in the afternoon at 1p.m.
ALL THE MINISTRY REPORTS CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBPAGE!
Topic:
Forum for Spring Congregational Meeting
Time:
May 2, 2026 01:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88493029826?pwd=HaLeb2fB8WWxvt84KKlf9yhbIsVnH3.1
Meeting ID: 884 9302 9826
Passcode: 707149
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May 8th: Screening of the new documentary of our church at a theater in USC, 7pm
The screening is being held at the Eileen Norris Cinema Theater.
Parking options:
1. Shrine Structure or the Jefferson Structure. Both are $4/hour.
2. Parking garage across the street from campus at the USC Village. First two hours are free, then $5 every thirty minutes thereafter.
We can expect to be there for about 4 hours.
For those wanting to use the LA Metro:
The USC University Park Campus is served by the Metro E Line (light rail) at the Expo Park/USC and Jefferson/USC stations.
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Steps to Liberation
Visibility is courage. Community is power. The steps begin here.
Dear Founders Church Family & Community,
The Board of Directors and Rev. Troy Perry are collaborating in the promotion of the Flag50 initiative to honor the 50th Anniversary of the creation of the Pride Flag in 1978. The painting of our church steps in the Pride Flag colors will honor our church as the birthplace of the MCC movement and recognize our central historical and spiritual role that is part of our heritage as God’s children.
You are invited to attend this special gathering on Sunday, May 17th at noon with Rev. Troy Perry walking up the freshly painted steps and the creator of the first Pride Flags, Lynn Segerblom, present for a unique Q & A to dedicate our steps as a welcoming place for all, making VISIBLE the diversity of who we are, a living movement for our LGBTQ+ rights. This initiative will be live streamed around the world and is anticipated to be a BIG MEDIA EVENT that will make Founders MCC a Global Hub for the Flag50 Initiative. Special thanks to Rainbow Advocacy, which is coordinating a number of LGBTQ groups to pay for painting of our church steps in the liberating colors of the Pride Flag.
The Board of Directors invites the members and friends of Founders MCC to donate to this effort through your special gifts to pay the estimated costs ($6,500) for the enhancements listed below to spruce up the exterior area in preparation for this historic event:
· Professional hot power washing and sealing of concrete ledges
· Installation of skateboard deterrents on the rails and ledges
· Repairing the vandalized front door
· Painting our front doors and handrails indigo
· Repainting the red and the white front curbs
· Repainting the Norm Cox sign boxes in front of the building
· Touch up painting of bare wood on the white wall at the rear of the property to prepare for a queer art show that same afternoon.
Please designate your gifts in PushPay using the “Special Offering” option. Together we can make a difference in our world and our community.
Sincerely yours, The Board of Directors
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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.
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: 04-26-2026: $6,402.00
Special Offering: $452.00
Facility Rental: $706.00
Tithing: $5,244.00
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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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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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View as Webpage / Ver como página web / Ver como uma página da web
Rev. Sandra Ann (Sam) Morris
In Memoriam
Too Soon for Us, But In God’s Time
We are heartbroken to say “see you again” to our friend, aunt, colleague, sponsor, pastor, Shenanigans Co-ordinator, Rev. Sandra Ann (Sam) Morris.
First of all, Sam would shun all this attention.
Her family of origin, Gwen and Ralph Morris and big brother, Brian welcomed Sam on Feb 16, 1960. We imagine baby Sam thinking why is everyone staring at me?
That was Sam. A deep introvert whose spirit drew people to her.
Fueled by an unquenchable curiosity, a helping spirit and a wild imagination, Sam grew into a writer and an artist. Whether in Toronto or New Orleans, Mexico, Georgian Bay or BC (Before Cottom) #iykyk Sam lived boldly and openly.
She wore her struggles with mental health and addiction like medals, and her example of unashamed openness gave those around her permission to do the same. She sponsored and inspired many in the recovery community.
An honours graduate of the Toronto School of Theology, Sam was ordained into the ministry of word and sacrament on Aug 20, 2016 by the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. Sam brought her whole self to her role as a pastor. Leading Mental Health ministries at the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto was her passion and her calling, and her presence in that role saved lives.
Sadly for us, Sam completed suicide on April 21, 2026. We share this as fact, without shame or judgement. The community she built with such care is devastated but united in love. We are heartbroken but we know where all the pieces are.
A celebration of life will take place at the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto (115 Simpson Ave, Toronto, ON M4K 1A1) on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 1 pm.
The service will be livestreamed on MCC Toronto’s YouTube channel, [MCCTorontoTV].
At Sam’s request, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to MCC Toronto, at [mcctoronto.com/donate/].
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