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Greetings!
What a blessing to have our special guest, David Eilert, in worship last Sunday. He certainly blessed us; and we blessed him! After worship, David said the Spirit had awakened something inside of him that he hadn't felt in a long time. He'll be back to visit with us again sometime; in the meantime, he'll start lining up some other places to share his anointed musical talent.
I want to thank Ed Shaughnessy for bringing a wonderful lunch for us! There was plenty of food for both services. Thanks so much, Ed! (You know that fried chicken and potato salad is the perfect Sunday meal for us Southerners!)
As you may remember, September is "Recovery Month," a time to recognize those who have chosen sobriety, breaking bad habits, and many even using the 12 steps practiced by the 12-Step program. This year's theme is entitled, Sober Minds. Sober Bodies. Sober Spirits. Each Sunday of September, we'll hear from someone in our congregation who has a personal testimony of how their lives have changed for the better in recovery. This Sunday, we'll concentrate on Steps 1-3. Our Student Clergy, Bam Noriega, will bring this week's message! Come expecting a blessing.
Pastor Keith
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Reading is taken from the 12-Steps published by Alcoholics Anonymous.
1. We admitted we were powerless over addiction—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
The second reading is taken from
Romans 8, Verses 26 to 27, and the third reading is Proverbs 3, verses 5 and 6
(both from the New International Version)
From Romans: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us through wordless groans. And the one who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
From Proverbs: Trust in God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to God, and God will make your paths straight.
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These two weekly opportunities for sharing your insights on Sunday's message require no prior knowledge other than having viewed the Sunday 10 AM message. "Growing Deeper And Higher" will be offered weekly onsite (no Zoom) on Sundays in the Education Center at 11:30 AM, and online on Thursdays via Zoom at 7:00 PM PDT. The Zoom link for Thursday's gathering is:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85030319029 pwd=d3WuF91sKVXinDjUSIu6SeV1LLPBRF.1
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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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Gay Days @ Disneyland
Join us on Saturday, September 13th, for a Gay Day at Disneyland! As always, we want to be a witness, so wear your Founders t-shirt! Here's a link for the tickets: HOME | Gay Days Anaheim
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Church Outing: September 20th
Join us as we support one of our own members, Steve Harper, with his poignant and thought-provoking one-man-show SNOW: [BLACK MAN. WHITEOUT CONDITIONS.] on Saturday, September 20th at 6:00 p.m. Click here for tickets: SNOW - Steve Harper — We Can't Be Erased
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Founders Metropolitan Community Church will again host the Hollywood Queer Short Film Festival as part of Our 57th Anniversary Celebration weekend on October 4-5, 2025!!!
Hollywood Queer Short Film Festival (HQSFF) announced that tickets for this year’s festival (October 4-5 at Founders MCC Church, 4607 Prospect Ave. LA) are now on sale.
The HQSFF theme this year is VISIBILITY IS RESISTANCE, which acknowledges “the considerable efforts being made by the current national regime to take the whole world back to a time when all manner of queer expression was suppressed and we were practically invisible,” according to Festival Director Jim Hoffman, “But we’re not going anywhere.”
Each week until our Anniversary, our Enews will highlight one of the 30 short films that will be shown at the Festival. Afternoon showings at 2 p.m. will be in the Black Box Theater. Evening showings at 7 p.m. will be in the Sanctuary. Dive Into the Current: Saturday, October 4th at 2:00 PM
The documentary program this year features LESBIANS IN BOYSTOWN, in which award-winning filmmaker Betsy Kalin explores a world that has existed in tandem with the better-known male-dominated image of West Hollywood since its founding. A complete lineup of all the films can be found at the festival website: www.hqsff.com The home page includes a direct link to buy tickets.
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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.
| | Order your shirts today from Lulu Madrid for only $25! | | |
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.
| | 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: 08-31-2025: $11,271.00
Helping Hands: $347.00
Facility Rentals: $5,813.00
Christine Daniels scholarship fund: $338.00
Tithing: $4,773.00
| | 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:
- August 25
- September 29
- October 27
- November 24
- December 29
(see other time zones)
Click Here for Zoom Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/719817716
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Veterans Kinship Group: Important Update
Veterans Kinship Group: This is a new group that was recently formed within MCC, where we invited those from any military service who completed their obligation and received an honorable discharge, to consider joining.
A vet from Chicago reminded the organizer about the historical fact that many LGBTQ+ service members were forced to accept other than honorable discharges simply because of who they were.
To correct this oversight, all who served in any military service and fulfilled their obligation (even if curtailed) are invited and welcome. If you are interested in joining, please email the following information to the group organizer, Rob Hill, at robrtmhill@gmail.com
Name
Service in which you served (AR, AF, NV, MC, CC)
Current MCC or other congregation, if applicable
City and State
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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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METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY OVER 'SENSITIVE LOCATIONS' POLICY
The global denomination of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) today joined more than half a dozen other religious organizations in a lawsuit against the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, asking federal courts to intervene against the new DHS policy regarding "sensitive locations."
For many years, federal policy limited enforcement of immigration violations at locations such as schools, hospitals and churches. Last winter, DHS changed its policy, allowing Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agents and other law enforcement to disrupt worship services and otherwise invade sanctity of religious spaces.
MCC objects.
"[P]eople across the country, regardless of their immigration status, reasonably fear attending houses of worship," the complaint reads, in part. "Churches have seen both attendance and financial giving plummet. Congregations have gone underground to protect their parishioners, eschewing the in-person meetings that are central to their faith. Baptisms that previously would have been occasions for communal worship and celebration are now being held in private. Churches have quietly stopped advertising services in languages other than English."
Plaintiffs are asking the Court to rule the current DHS policy unconstitutional and to vacate it. The filing also demands a jury trial to address all complaints.
"This lawsuit is not about providing 'sanctuary' to criminals seeking to avoid arrest," said Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggleston, global moderator of MCC. "We must act to protect the integrity of sacred spaces and the 'religious liberty' on which the Far Right hangs its hat far too often. No government should take action that discourages or prohibits freedom of assembly to worship and observe religious rites and deeply-held faith traditions. We pray – in both the spiritual and legal contexts – that U.S. Federal Courts will act to restore safety and sanity by voiding this unjust policy."
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Grace and peace to you in the liberating love of Christ.
We write to you as a community deeply committed to affirming the sacred worth of every person. In this time of increasing legislative activity around gender identity, we, as MCC leaders, are called to respond with courage, knowledge, and pastoral care.
Across our country, laws governing gender-affirming care for transgender and nonbinary minors are shifting rapidly. In many states, access to medical treatments such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and affirming procedures is being restricted or criminalized. In others, care remains protected but politically contested. Amid these changes, our ministry must remain rooted in compassion, vigilance, and prophetic witness.
As MCC, we urge our churches, lay leaders, and clergy to:
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Know your state's laws. Legal landscapes vary widely. Use trusted sources such as KFF’s Policy Tracker and FindLaw’s State Guide to remain informed. Your awareness protects not only your congregants, but also your church’s integrity and legal safety.
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Practice pastoral vigilance. Be mindful of inquiries from unfamiliar individuals or organizations. There are anti-trans organizations that are intentionally seeking to entrap trans-supporting organizations and leaders through dishonest "inquiries" for pastoral care. These are helpful questions to ask to make sure you are dealing with a credible person:
- What’s your name?
- What organization/publication are you with?
- How will this video be used?
- What’s the angle of this story?
- Are you presenting “both sides”?
- Can I see your credentials?
- Can I see your ID?
- Hang on while I google you.
If they can’t or won’t answer those questions, move on.
If you think you may have been the target of a malicious enquiry, please let Rev. Dexter Brecht [revdexterbrecht@mccchurch.net] and James Hartman [jameshartman@mccchurch.net] know. James can also assist with press releases and checking the authenticity of journalists and reporters.
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Protect the privacy and safety of trans youth and families. When in doubt, consult with legal counsel, denominational leaders, or MCC’s Public Policy Team. There are significant risks for our clergy, lay leaders and congregations around minor children in the current climate and we must remain vigilant.
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Equip and educate your leadership. Offer training on gender identity, trauma-informed care, and legal rights. Let our churches be places where trans youth and their families know they are spiritually and practically supported. At the same time, be cautious around minor children and ensure they are accompanied by their legal guardian/s; using ‘parental/guardian consent forms’ when such care and practical support is indicated and appropriate.
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Affirm MCC’s legacy of justice. Since our founding, we have been pioneers in LGBTQIA+ inclusion. Let us continue this holy work by advocating for trans rights, educating our communities, and embodying Christ’s radical hospitality.
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Identify your local allies and stay in communication with them. Now more than ever we must realize that we are stronger together and accurate information empowers us to make wise decisions in regard to our ministry and those we serve.
As Scripture guides us: "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Defend the rights of the poor and needy." (Proverbs 31:8–9)
Holy One of Justice and Grace,
We lift our voices and hearts to you, burdened by laws that harm our beloveds.
Strengthen us to be vigilant and bold, compassionate and wise.
Give us holy discernment as we shepherd those entrusted to our care.
Bless our churches to be sanctuaries of truth, healing, and sacred affirmation.
And may your Spirit guide us as we rise for justice, speak in love,
and remain steadfast in our calling to affirm the divine in every child of God, regardless of age. In your many names we pray, Amen.
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