Weekly Worship - June 02, 2018

HU Chant

Chanting HU, an ancient name for the Divine while in a contemplative state, is a simple technique to open your heart to greater happiness, love, inner peace and understanding.

Join in Saturday, June 2, 10:30 a.m., at the Center for Spiritual Living located at Nicholas Bravo 17, Ajijic, for a short (30-minute) group HU Chant followed by fellowship time. For more information, contact Hallie Shepherd at 766-1047 or 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.. Sponsored by Eckankar, Mexico.

Abundant Life

Remembering is very important to us as people. We remember the good events of childhood and then we remember the difficult events that taught us so much.  In our lives as believers we need to have a good memory as well. We need to remember all the things that the Lord has done for us. We have the written word to remind us of the things good things that God has done in the past and even promises of what he will do in the future. God wants us to remember and never forget so we talk about the events of the Bible daily and meditate on them as we accomplish the activities of the week … we will never forget! 

Come Sunday, June 3, as Pastor Gary encourages us to remember what God has done.

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).

St. Andrew’s Anglican

“The religious authorities are trying to trip Jesus up. Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not, they ask? In Sunday’s Gospel lesson, Jesus sees through their deception and offers them — and us — a different way of thinking about faith,” says the Rev. Glenn Chalmers, Rector pf St. Andrew’s.   

St. Andrew’s service of Holy Eucharist begins Sunday, 10 a.m. and bilingual Sunday School starts at 9:45 a.m. Coffee hour, a time of fellowship and welcome, follows the service.

Every Sunday, Operation Feed, 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, lentils, garbanzos, oats, oil and salt. The parish distributes these foodstuffs to the Lakeside’s neediest families.

Decluttering? Clearing out your closet? Don’t forget our resale shop, Todo Bueno. Every donation or consignment benefits the Outreach Ministry of St. Andrew’s. Be it clothing, kitchenware, electronics, bric-a-brac, furniture, appliances, books, collectables, sports equipment, etc., bringing it to Todo Bueno enables our parish to financially support a number of Lakeside charities. Todo Bueno is located on the highway, just west of S&S Auto in Riberas de Pilar, and is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, Monday through Saturday.

St. Andrew’s is located at Calle San Lucas 19, a block south of the Carretera in Riberas del Pilar.

St. Andrew’s is looking for a part-time office manager. Call 333-201-2294, or email 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..

Unitarian Universalists

Rev. Matt Alspaugh will speak on “Tikkun Olam – To Repair the World” at the next meeting of the Lake Chapala Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Sunday, June 3, 10:30 a.m.

In the Kabbalah, the mystical teachings of Judaism, there is a story that God created the world out of vessels of light made from parts of God’s essence. But some vessels shattered and the shards, representing brokenness, still carry power and need to be reunited with God. Both mystical and practical effort are required to repair the world.

Moving beyond the story, we consider the nature of brokenness in our world, our role as humans in that brokenness, and how we might heal ourselves and repair the world. What does repair look like? What are we called to do? Undeniably, this is a most urgent topic in these times.

Kathy Koches is the service leader.

The Unitarians meet Sundays at Hidalgo 261, on the Carretera in Riberas del Pilar, opposite the Catholic Church.

Lake Chapala Baptist

We are teaching people to be bastards rather than sons. That’s a problem. Hebrews 12:8: “But if you all are without chastening, of which all sons are partakers, then you are bastards and not sons.” If a Christian, then ipso facto – chastening. We run away from it on our own. We cry and moan when it does happen. This is understandable even though wrong because … well … pain is painful. What is worse, those in leadership let it slide also. They hide and don’t confront sin (other than the top nasty nine). They don’t teach how to be a spiritual son, how to stand up under pressure. They don’t teach that chastening even exists and it is shocking to the pew sitters when it arrives. We harbor, not spiritual Arnold Schwarzeneggers, but Tiny Tims happily tiptoeing through the tulips without a spiritual care in the world until they fall apart when a bit of chastening occurs. Sad indeed!

Lake Chapala Baptist Church is located at Santa Margarita 147, Riberas del Pilar. Sunday worship begins at 11 a.m.

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.

Christ Church Lakeside

Christ Church Lakeside, formally Christ Church Episcopal, an Anglican/Episcopal mission of the Diocese of the West in the Anglican Church of Mexico, will observe the Second Sunday After Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, June 3, with the Holy Eucharist at 10 a.m. in the La Huerta Eventos Center, Carretera West 522, West Ajijic. Fr. Danny Borkowski will preside and give a message with the theme “The Conspiracy” based on Mark 2:23-3:6.

Following refreshments and coffee (bring your own cup) after the service, the Lunch Bunch will meet at noon at Casa Linda Restaurant (formerly La Mision), Rio Bravo 6, in WestAjijic, (376) 108-0887.

The Bible Study, which Christ Church Lakeside sponsors, will meet at 2 p.m. on June 5 in the home of Elizabeth Carroll, located at Galeana 35 in Ajijic.  You’ll have to come up Javier Mina from the Carretera, turn left at Emiliano Zapata, and turn left on Galeana.   Better yet, park on Javier Mina and walk a block to Elizabeth’s house.  All are welcome to learn about and discuss the inspired contents of the Bible.

Little Chapel by the Lake

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Mark 8:34.

“He was doing so well! Then he had to go and say this?

Self denial? Shoulder a cross and follow Him to crucifixion? Seems like a sure fire way to thin out the vast throngs that had been amassing to see Jesus. But that was just as well. From day one Jesus makes an honest offer. No hype. No sales. Just the cold hard truth of it. “Follow Me. It will take everything you’ve got. Consider carefully before you commit. The life I call you to is not for wimps.” But He would go on to make one other thing clear about the “offer,” spelled out on every page of the gospel story: Jesus would give His all for us.

Join the friendly folks at the Little Chapel this Sunday, June 3, 11 a.m. as Pastor Jim Andrew further explores what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Be our guests afterward for a mid-day meal (comida).

Join us on Wednesday, June 6, 3:30 p.m. at the Chapel to carpool  for Fun With Music when we go and sing at Mi Casita in San Antonio Tlayacapan, (next to Lety’s Restaurant) from 4-5 p.m.

The Little Chapel by the Lake is located at Chapala-Ajijic Highway 10 in Chula Vista, directly opposite Mirasol.  Contact 766-2538 for more information. 

Lakeside Presbyterian

Sunday, June 3, Pastor Ross Arnold will begin a new series of sermons entitled, “Strangers, Aliens & Reformers.”

“Throughout the history of Christianity, the Church has often drifted away from the orthodox principles of the true faith. Today, the Church in the West again appears to have confused self-centered cultural values with the teachings of Jesus. In this sermon series, we’ll consider how we need to push back against false modern values, and return to true Christianity.”

Outreach News: You’ll see a lot going on at Lakeside Presbyterian Church, even if it isn’t Sunday morning. Each Saturday morning, Mexican families from nearby villages gather outside the building even before the doors open at 9 a.m. They are anticipating a morning of life-skills training on computer basics, English, and sewing – all with childcare provided.

Bilingual assistance helps newcomers find their way and understand the morning’s plan. 

A hot brunch, served at 10 a.m., lets everyone socialize. Then at 10:30 a.m., it’s back to class. Most leave for home at noon but women who want to learn sewing skills stay for another hour.

Lakeside Presbyterian Church is at San Jorge 250 in Riberas del Pilar.

English-language services begin each Sunday at 10 a.m., Spanish-language services at 9 a.m. Sunday School for Adults begins at 8:30 a.m. in the Library, and Fridays, Bible Study begins at 9:45 a.m., also in the Library.

San Andres English

“The old covenant was sealed with the blood of the sacrifice which Moses sprinkled on the people.  The new covenant was sealed with the blood of Christ who offered himself as a perfect sacrifice to God.”

Fr. Basil G. Royston, D. Min., will offer the homily “Abba, Father!” at San Andres Catholic Church’s English-language service Sunday, June 3, 9 a.m.

The San Andres English congregation holds a “First Sunday of the Month Food Drive” to help support the children at Villa Infantil orphanage in Jocotepec and the sisters who care for them. Consider bringing a non-perishable food item, toilet tissue, cleaning products, and the like to Sunday’s Liturgy.

San Andres is located at the corner of Ramon Corona and Parroquia, one block from the Ajijic main plaza.

The Lord’s Church

Sunday June 3, the Lord’s Church will hold a non-denominational Christian, English-language service at the beautiful event center at La Paz 14 in San Antonio Tlayacapan. Plenty of free parking, beautiful setting and even a playground for the children.

Live praise music is brought to you by a band without a name yet (currently called Wineskins) at 10 a.m., and the service, including worship, praise, communion and message, begins 11 a.m.

Home Church Int’l

Human beings have a habit of looking for things or ways to make things more palatable. Sometimes these alternatives are mere substitutes. We say, “Aw, I don’t have to do all that. This other way works just as well.” While this is logical, the results in the process may vary. The importance or value derived from substitutions are probably the key which governs our choices.

The spiritual realm works the same way. Christianity is not a religion. Yet this is true for mere religions.  Examining their motives reveals them to be pretty self-serving. Why do these seekers drift to these counterfeits, and avoid the reality of the one true living God, Jehovah, I’ve been in meetings lately with large crowds during a time when one might find them in a church or synagogue. They are finding comfort and community in a gathered setting which becomes a substitute for true Godly worship with a congregation. This focus leaves them short of God’s eternal design. Pastors Paul and Susana Allen urge all to take personal inventory of their spiritual life and choose God’s fellowship. For more information, contact them 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..