As Pride Month continues, so does work for Founders Metropolitan Community Church, which may be the most inclusive church in Southern California.
The church was founded by Rev. Troy Perry. Perry, a gay man who started the church in the 60s in his Highland Park apartment. Rev. Keith Mozingo is the Senior Pastor now.
“There was no church, synagogue, temple whatever. There was no place of worship for an openly gay person,” Rev. Mozingo said. “And so, he created a spot and said, ‘Well, if we are not welcome at other places table, we’ll just build our own table and invite everyone to come.'"
It only grew from there. The LGBTQ+-friendly house of worship that started with 12 people in an apartment now has 150 churches worldwide.
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“Our congregation is what I believe we describe as heaven,” Mozingo said. “I don’t think heaven is one color, I don’t think it’s one gender, I don’t think you can put one label on what heaven is. This is heaven on earth.”
Mozingo, who is also gay, said he’s spent all his life in a church and this has been the highlight of his life.
“Metropolitan Community Church has been the most significant thing that’s ever happened in my life in knowing that I found out that God really does love me,” he said. “If I died today, you can tell people I died really happy. That I died the happiest I’ve ever been in my whole life.”
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Now, he wants others to share in that happiness too.
“It’s just important for us to keep getting that message out that we are here and that you can be here too,” he said.
Founders Metropolitan Community Church has their service in English at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings and 1:30 p.m. in Spanish. The church is located at 4607 Prospect Ave. in Los Angeles.
