Jewish Congregation
Shabbat Torah services are held the first and third Saturday of the month, 10 a.m., and Shabbat evening services and potluck every second and fourth Friday, 6 p.m. at the Lake Chapala Jewish Congregation.
The synagogue is located at Sta. Margarita 113, Riberas del Pilar (mountainside of the Carretera, diagonally across from Mom’s Restaurant). Call (376) 766-2668 or go to lakechapalajewishcongregation.com.
Abundant Life Church
Asks Pastor Gary Neighbor: “Have you ever been told a crazy story? There are things that people tell us that sound impossible and we begin to laugh only to see their serious face and know that they are not joking. I wonder if that is not how Joseph felt on the day that Mary told him she was pregnant, but had not been unfaithful to him. In fact, Mary told Joseph that she was pregnant and still a virgin! This story sounds insane, but it is the truth. The question that we have to wrestle with this Christmas season is if we believe the crazy story that Jesus, born in a manger, is, in fact, the savior of the world. Come this Sunday, December 17, to be challenged to hear the voice of God speaking confirmation to you that the story is true. God wants you!”
Note that service times will change on Christmas Eve, Sunday December 24. Rather than the normal time for Sunday services, they will start in English at 7 p.m. for a special candlelight communion service. Service time in Spanish will be at 5 p.m. All are welcome to attend this special time.
Abundant Life Church is affiliated with the Assemblies of God of Mexico and has services for everyone. An English-language worship service is held each Sunday, 10 a.m. and Bible Study Wednesday, 3 p.m. Spanish-language services are Sunday at noon. Spanish-language Bible studies are Wednesday, 6:45 p.m. A children’s ministry is held Saturday, noon, and youth meet Sunday, 6:30 p.m.
The Church is located at Carretera Chapala-Jocotepec 140, San Antonio Tlayacapan, a block from Super Lake. For more information, call 331-417-7038 (cel).
Unitarian Universalists
“The Gift of Light” is the subject of the Lake Chapala Unitarian Universalist Fellowship service on December 17, presented by Donna Burroughs, with Karyn Carpenter as the service leader
Burroughs will speak about her experiences with Judaism as a young woman in New York and the celebration of Hanukkah.
The Unitarians meet 10:30 a.m. at Hidalgo 261 in Riberas del Pilar, opposite the bell tower, on the north side of the Carretera. Questions? Call Fred at 766-1458.
Lake Chapala Baptist
Says Brother Bob Hendrick: “A young preacher visiting a family on their farm was walking with the farmer’s five-year-old son in a pasture. As they strolled through the field, they came upon a dead horse. The young boy asked the preacher, ‘What happened to our horse, Old Joe?’ The young theologian explained, ‘Old Joe has gone to be with Jesus.’ The young’un wrinkled his nose and asked, ‘What is Jesus going to do with a dead horse?’ Now, I am not certain about the afterlife of pets, although the Bible does mention wolves, lambs, calves, lions, goats, and leopards in heaven, so animals will have their place. Nevertheless, it will not be because of a choice they made. However, whether or not a man ends up in heaven is based upon his choice to follow Jesus, who said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father, but by me.’”
Sunday, December 17, 11 a.m., Brother Hendrick will give the sermon at the worship service of the Lake Chapala Baptist Church, located at Santa Margarita 147, Riberas del Pilar.
Lakeside Presbyterian
Pastor Ross Arnold returns to the pulpit Sunday, December 17. The lighting of the rose-colored “Joy” candle will be lit, thus beginning the third week of Advent. His sermon, “The One and Only,” is based on John 1: 1-14.
Pastor Arnold will connect what we are told in John’s Gospel about Jesus, to some of the experiences he and his wife Carolyn recently had in the Middle East and Asia. There, they observed worshipers at Hindu, Jain, Zoroastrian and Daoist temples, and at Muslim shrines and mosques. The focus will be what we need to understand about the uniqueness of Jesus as we prepare to celebrate His coming into the world.
Lakeside Presbyterian Church is located at San Jorge 250 in Riberas del Pilar. Turn toward the lake at Mom’s Restaurant and it is two blocks down on the right. English-language services begin each Sunday, 10 a.m. and Spanish-language services are 9 a.m. and noon. Everyone is welcome.
Christ Church Episcopal
Christ Church Episcopal, a mission of the Diocese of the West in the Anglican Church of Mexico, will observe the third Sunday of Advent, December 17, with Holy Eucharist at 9 a.m. in the Little Chapel by the Lake. Vicar Danny Borkowski will preside, and give a message “The Messiah,” based on Isaiah 61: 1-4. Refreshments and coffee will be available in the fellowship hall after the service.
The Lunch Bunch will meet at Cocinart at 11 a.m. The Bible Study will meet Tuesday, December 19, 2 p.m. at the Fellowship Hall of the Little Chapel, where they will continue their exploration of Paul’s letters in chronological order. All are welcome.
The Christmas Eve Service, Sunday, December 24 will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be preceded by a music prelude (carol singing) at 5 p.m. Come early to be sure and get a seat.
St. Andrew’s Anglican
Sunday, December 17 is the third Sunday of Advent. Mother Liza Spangler says that in the Anglican tradition, we hear about John the Baptist on two of the four Sundays of Advent. He is either preaching repentance or offering a baptism of repentance.
Many of those outside the Christian faith (and some inside) see repentance as being about us and how bad we are, but in fact, it’s ultimately about God and how good God is, she says. And that is why John’s preaching is, as last week’s Gospel reminded us, the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ.
St. Andrew’s service of Holy Eucharist begins 10 a.m. and a bilingual Sunday School starts at 9:45 a.m. Coffee hour, a time of fellowship and welcome, follows the service.
On Christmas Eve, Sunday, December 24, St. Andrew’s will celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent at 10 a.m. Later, the congregation will join in an annual Carol Sing at 6:15 p.m., followed by Holy Eucharist at 7 p.m. After the service, St. Andrew’s traditional bonfire will be lit. Attendees are asked to bring a savory or sweet treat to share.
Every Sunday, the feeding program supported by St. Andrew’s welcomes donations of non-perishable food items. Boxed milk and empty cardboard egg cartons are especially welcome, in addition to rice, beans, pasta, oil and salt.
Decluttering? Clearing out your closet? If you are, please don’t forget Todo Bueno resale shop. Every donation or consignment you make benefits the outreach ministry of St. Andrew’s. The sale of clothing, kitchenware, electronics, bric-a-brac, furniture, appliances, books, collectables, sports equipment, etc., enables St. Andrew’s to financially support a number of charities around Lakeside. Todo Bueno is located on the highway, next to S&S Auto in Riberas de Pilar, and is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. .daily, except Sunday.
St. Andrew’s is located at Calle San Lucas 19, a block south of the Carretera in Riberas del Pilar.
San Andres English
“We celebrate our joy in Christ’s redeeming work among us, realizing that he who is to come is indeed already with us, “unknown to us.”
So says Fr. Basil G. Royston, D. Min., who will offer the homily “Our Joy in Christ,” at San Andres Catholic Church’s English-language service on Sunday, December 17, 9 a.m.
San Andres is located at the corner of Ramon Corona and Parroquia, one block from the Ajijic main plaza.
Home Church Int’l
When Christmas time comes, we see gifts, shopping lists, yuletide events, etc., dominating. These are very important to most of us. Then, the pseudo-intellectuals seem pulled to focus on doubt or other excuses. Some will start arguing about the date we have chosen as the birth date of Jesus. It is true that trustworthy scholars have determined that the probable birth time was during what we understand as the early Spring time. So, is this really worth the attention it is given?
Not only is our materialism misleading from the probable time, but it deviates from the real meaning. Who really stands amazed at the new information about the birth time? Interesting, but not game-changing. This is known as “majoring on the minors.” Yet, it seems that all rejoicing appears diverted from the true Christmas, the Mass of Christ. This Mass is the celebration of God choosing to enter our midst for our eternal good. Pastors Paul and Susana Allen know that this, for one, is how God chose to show us what He is like, and His incomparable love. No more majoring on the minors! For further word, contact the pastors at (332) 242-8648, or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..