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Greetings!
What another wonderful service! The music just keeps getting better and better! Thank you Louis Ramirez for making that piano talk to us and to our special guest singer, Kyle Belmont, for raisingthe roof!
I'm so pleased with your reception of this year's opening message for our stewardship sermon series, Show Us The Way. This past Sunday, we asked the Spirit to show us The Way Of Necessity. This Sunday, the message is The Way Of Generosity. We'll study the story of Zaccheus as written in Luke's gospel. Zaccheus and Luke were both very wealthy men, but they obtained their wealth in very different ways. Of course, when Jesus get's in the picture, things change...and so do we!
This weekend is also our celebration of Day of the Dead. I always look forward to our ofrendas. It's such a special time, one that allows us not only to remember our loved ones who have gone, but also to honor them. You saw in the announcement last Sunday the beautiful ofrenda our congregants built for the city of Santa Monica's Day of the Dead celebration. This Sunday, our church will go a step further, building an amazing ofrenda inside as well as decorating the steps outside. I can hardly wait to experience it. If you are out celebrating this weekend, please be vigilant in watching out for one another, and let's all stay safe.
Also, don't forget our Congregational Meeting next Sunday, as well as the Forum on Saturday to discuss all the documents, including the 2026 budget. There are several new things we will discuss that I believe will make us all very happy! Please check out the documents on our website prior to the forum and meeting.
God bless.
Pastor Keith
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Reading is taken from
Acts, Chapter 11, Verses 1 through 18
(The Message Version)
The news traveled fast and in no time the leaders and friends back in Jerusalem heard about it—heard that the non-Jewish “outsiders” were now “in.” When Peter got back to Jerusalem, some of his old associates, concerned about circumcision, called him on the carpet: “What do you think you’re doing rubbing shoulders with that crowd, eating what is prohibited and ruining our good name?”
So Peter, starting from the beginning, laid it out for them step-by-step: “Recently I was in the town of Joppa praying. I fell into a trance and saw a vision: Something like a huge blanket, lowered by ropes at its four corners, came down out of heaven and settled on the ground in front of me. Milling around on the blanket were farm animals, wild animals, reptiles, birds—you name it, it was there. Fascinated, I took it all in.
“Then I heard a voice: ‘Go to it, Peter—kill and eat.’ I said, ‘Oh, no, Sovereign. I’ve never so much as tasted food that wasn’t kosher.’ The voice spoke again: ‘If God says it’s okay, it’s okay.’ This happened three times, and then the blanket was pulled back up into the sky.
“Just then three men showed up at the house where I was staying, sent from Caesarea to get me. The Spirit told me to go with them, no questions asked. So I went with them, I and six friends, to the man who had sent for me. He told us how he had seen an angel right in his own house, real as his next-door neighbor, saying, ‘Send to Joppa and get Simon, the one they call Peter. He’ll tell you something that will save your life—in fact, you and everyone you care for.’
“So I started talking. Before I’d spoken half a dozen sentences, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as it did on us the first time. I remembered Jesus’ words: ‘John baptized with water; you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So I ask you: If God gave the same exact gift to them as to us when we believed in Jesus Christ, how could I object to God?”
Hearing it all laid out like that, they quieted down. And then, as it sank in, they started praising God. “It’s really happened! God has broken through to the other nations, opened them up to Life!”
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In Memoriam: Bonnie Kathleen Dostie
The memorial service for long-time member Bonnie Dostie has been scheduled for Saturday, November 15th at 1:30, here at Founders. The family is asking for pictures of Bonnie that can be used for her video tribute, to be sent to pics@mccla.org, no later than November 10th.
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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
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Time Change: Clocks are set back one hour the first Sunday in November at 2:00 a.m. local time to end Daylight Saving Time (DST) and return to standard time. Clocks "fall back" one hour, meaning they are set one hour behind.
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Rev. Steve Swafford will once again be offering a membership class after the 10am worship service on November 2nd. If you are not yet a member of our congregation, consider coming to the class to learn more about Founders and our denomination. Coming to the class does not obligate one to become a member, but one must have attended a class if they wish to become a member.
Steven Swafford is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://pepperdine.zoom.us/j/83068543432
Meeting ID: 830 6854 3432
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On Saturday, November 8th at 2pm, the Board of Directors will conduct a Congregational Forum to go over the budget and reports that will be formally presented at the Congregation Meeting the next day. The budget and reports can be found at our website, FoundersMCC.org.
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On Sunday, November 9th, between the 10am worship service and the 1:30 worship service, the Board of Directors will conduct the annual Fall Congregational Meeting. All are encouraged to attend, but only members can vote.
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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.
| | 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: 10-26-2025: $9,864.00
Facility Rentals: $876
Bequest: 1,750.00
Christine Daniels Scholarship Fund: $600.00
Tithing: $7,638.00
| | 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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Inviting all MCC Trans and Nonbinary People of Faith to a Monthly Online Gathering
We held our first gathering last month (June) and it became clear that more of these gatherings are needed and welcomed. With the relentless attack globally on Trans and Nonbinary people, many emotions are being experienced within our global MCC community.
Rev. Elder Aaron Miller, on behalf of the MCC Council of Elders, is offering to host monthly meetings on Zoom with co-facilitators Rev. Elder Maxwell Reay and Rev. Dawn Flynn through the end of this year.
Discussion topics:
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WHAT is happening and WHAT we are feeling -- in the place and country where we live
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HOW can we be safe/er during these times
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WHERE do we find grounding and spiritual renewal
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WHERE do we (and can we) -- find God in the midst of this?
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WHAT do we need and HOW can MCC help?
Please consider joining us for this much-needed time to gather. We know, as people of faith and Beloved of God, we are stronger when we center in love and for love, together.
Upcoming Schedule - 2PM ET, on these dates:
(see other time zones)
Click Here for Zoom Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/719817716
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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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Statement in Support of Marriage Equality
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The Council of Elders urges the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the challenge to marriage equality filed by Kim Davis. Marriage laws are rooted in the necessity of providing an institutional basis for defining the fundamental relational rights and responsibilities of persons in organized society. They are a fundamental human right, as previously recognized by the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015.
Society benefits from providing same-sex couples a stable framework within which to raise their children and the power to make health care and end-of-life decisions for loved ones, just as it does when that framework is provided for opposite-sex couples.
Metropolitan Community Churches have challenged restricting this fundamental human right to heterosexuals almost from the very founding of our denomination in 1968. The Rite of Marriage is enshrined in our founding documents, and to deny the ability of our members to marry would fundamentally violate our right to religious liberty.
Millions of same-sex couples have been, are, and will continue to be married, leading exemplary lives and in many cases raising their children. MCC will not countenance discrimination against LGBTQ+ persons in any form. We wholeheartedly oppose the Court even considering this bogus challenge to the current law of the land. A challenge that has already been rejected by every court that has heard the case, including a previous decision of the Supreme Court not to hear the case on the merits.
We also write to affirm the power of our member churches and pastors to perform same-sex weddings as an integral part of our function as a religious body duly incorporated in the United States. Obergefell v. Hodges correctly articulated that “The nature of marriage is that, through its enduring bond, two persons together can find other freedoms, such as expression, intimacy, and spirituality. This is true for all persons, whatever their sexual orientation…. No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family.”
The Council of Elders and all of MCC will staunchly defend our right to marriage equality for all.
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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