What to do? Who to call? Where to email? Ok, so we admit it. Knowing who does what here at the “Guadalajara Reporter” has become a little hazy.
It once was a no brainer. If you had information about a huge birthday party, a meeting, a group’s special event, an organization’s fundraiser, a church service, an art show, a concert or a play, or if you just heard a wonderful story about a lakeside resident you knew to call Jeanne Chaussee. For years, she had her fingers on the pulse of all of the social, charitable, spiritual, and arts events at lakeside.
When we lost Jeanne almost a year ago, we lost a good deal of that knowledge and continuity. We’ve done our best to adjust and keep up. It’s been harder for the publicity folks in the community who aren’t quite sure who to contact.
Editor Michael Forbes has tried to make it as easy as possible by funneling all lakeside news into a single email address, lakesidenews2013@gmail. You’ll always know where to find it; it’s right up there at the top of this column. Contributors don’t have to make a decision – we’ll dole the stories that show up in that inbox.
Emailing to any of our private emails, calling us at home, dropping off stories at either of the “Guadalajara Reporter” offices (in Guadalajara or in Ajijic) can slow down the process. We could miss your event entirely due to the time lapse as unexpected messages are discovered and then shuffled from one email address to another and one person to another.
We really do want to cover your news, but we’d much rather let our readers know about your special day before the event. Nothing is worse than reading about a really swell style show or play or concert and then realizing that it’s over. Let us notify our readers in time for them to come let us help you get the crowd you want to show up.
Recently I heard from a friend in San Juan Cosala who said his artist, poet, municipal and musical friends were wondering why we weren’t mentioning their events or those in Jocotepec in our columns. The answer is simple. We didn’t know about any of those happenings, at least not in time to meet our deadlines.
When I posted that reply on Facebook, I received a barrage of helpful suggestions telling me that I should contact this one or call that one or email another one to obtain information about the events being planned by a variety of groups and venues. Now I have a host of new Facebook friends and I’ve “liked” a barrage of groups and organizations. Still, while it may not be apparent to the person who is publicizing a single event, it’s just not possible for me to contact everyone, every week, to find out if they happen to be planning something. We need the facts and short explanations, press releases or at the very least, the copy of the poster sent to the email address above in order to help you.
While I’m up here on the soapbox, there’s something else I’d like to request. Jeanne knew everything that there was to know about you, your groups, it’s officers and its activities. I don’t yet have all of that information memorized or even at my fingertips. So, please, while members of your organization may use an acronym or nickname for the group, don’t assume that I know what those letters represent. It is our newspaper policy to give the full title of organizations at least once in an article and then we retreat to the shorter, simpler initials, popular translations, or nicknames.
Did I mention the deadline schedule? If you send your information to the email address above on Monday or Tuesday, you can be assured of your event being in the paper that is distributed on Friday. That’s good for things scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, not so good if it is set for Friday evening.
Oh, and be sure to email us at the address above if you know someone or something that readers would enjoy hearing about, or local projects that should be spotlighted. I keep a growing list of story ideas and cross off one or two a week. It may take time for me to get to your favorite, but I’m always happy to learn about these folks and the things they do. So do our readers.
British Club
Ceri Dando will be the featured speaker at the Saturday, June 7, 1 p.m. meeting of the British Club at Manix Restaurant.
Dando and his goddaughter Anne Ford attended the first of this season’s three garden parties hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on May 21.
Over 7,500 people attended the May 21 event, and by end of summer more than 30,000 will have attended the parties at the palace and one held at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
The parties, which feature tea, cakes and strolling through the beautiful palace gardens have been a summer mainstay at Buckingham Palace since the 1860s, when Queen Victoria instituted what were known as “breakfasts” even though they took place in the afternoon. The events once took the place of the presentation parties attended by debutantes, but now have evolved into a way of rewarding and recognizing public service and are attended by people from all walks of life.
To make reservations to attend the meeting and hear Dando’s experiences at the palace, call Alicia at (376) 766-4786 or email cpdando2000@yahoo. Be prepared with your selection of a main dish. Choices this month at 120 pesos including tip include chicken Florentine or bass with mushroom sauce, both served with a small salad. A third option at 80 pesos is the large salad. Dessert this month is carrot cake.
Cruz Roja Updates
Dr. Edgard Macias, D.D.S. and director of Dental Express, discusses a variety of the innovative smile-saving dental techniques available here at Lakeside in a Wednesday, June 11, 2 p.m. presentation in the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) Gazebo. During the talk, hosted by Cruz Roja, Macias will explain the latest in crowns, veneers, implants, computerized dentistry and more. This event provides information for area residents without making an appointment with a dentist.
CRIVC President Margy Kassier is holding a series of monthly summer workshops to share step-by-step instructions for residents who wish to purchase and use the important Cruz Roja Medical Emergency Information Kits.
Each 20-peso kit includes a bilingual information form with vital emergency medical information for one person, a label, and a refrigerator magnet. These items are packed in a jar which is to be kept in the refrigerator where it can be quickly located by emergency medical personnel. More than 400 of the kits are in use in lakeside homes.
Workshops will be held at the Cruz Roja table at LCS at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 13; Wednesday, July 11; and Monday, August 18. The Lakeside Presbyterian Church will host a Kit Workshop at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10 at the church in Riberas del Pilar.
Tarahumara Project Event
Libby Townsend, head of the Tarahumara Project, is busily putting together a Saturday, June 22 event to benefit the Tarahumara of the Copper Canyon.
“Details for this Ajijic fundraiser are still coming together,” says Townsend, adding, “We’ll have the complete story for next week’s edition.”
The Tarahumara Project supports the work of free Tarahumara children’s hospital and indigenous school in the Copper Canyon in the northern state of Chihuahua.
Lakeside Freethinkers
The Lakeside Freethinkers, founded in April 2012, met on May 21 to formally establish the framework of the organization. Once the group’s bylaws were passed and officials elected, the local group was entitled to affiliate with sister organizations in the United States, Canada, and other countries.
Officers include Chair Chad Olsen, Vice-Chair Ron Napier and Secretary John de Waal. For more information about the Lakeside Freethinkers 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..
Buddhist Community
The Heart of Awareness Buddhist Community meets for meditation and dharma teachings at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at Encarnation Rosas 9 in Ajijic. The subject of the Wednesday, June 4 dharma film is “Freedom from Desire and Satisfaction.” This meeting will be followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant.
Heart of Awareness is a non-sectarian Buddhist practice community grounded in the original teachings of the Buddha as preserved in the Theravada/Vipassana tradition. The Membership includes people with Zen, Tibetan, and Shambhala backgrounds as well as those with no prior meditation experience. For more information, call Karin Miles at (376) 766-0020
Center for Spiritual Living
Attendees at the Friday, June 6, 5 p.m. meeting at the Center for Spiritual Living will continue the exploration of global chants and the world’s simple dances which express the depth, beauty and harmony of different spiritual traditions.
The Thursday discussion group is sharing the book “A Thousand Names for Joy” by Byron Katie with the weekly meeting beginning with optional meditation from 10 to 10:20 a.m. The group discussion continues until noon.
Retreat Ajijic, scheduled for July 14-21 will feature John Waterhouse, world president for Centers for Spiritual Living. This retreat is entitled “Despierta & Escucha” (Wake up and Listen). Call Tim Schubert at (376) 766-0920 for details.
All events are held at the Center for Spiritual Living Lake Chapala at Nicolas Bravo 17 in Ajijic.
Open Circle
Raul Ruiz will be the featured speaker at Open Circle on Sunday, June 1 as he looks at what foreigners need to know about the way Mexican people see life and the world. Understanding the core of Mexican culture and how it elicits and nourishes patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving will help expats interact with local residents in a way that favors adaptation rather than imposition.
Raul Ruiz received his bachelor’s degree in psychology at ITESO, a Guadalajara Jesuit University, in 1978 and then worked for the state, IMSS and Telmex before opening a private practice as a psychotherapist and training other counselors as well as teaching leadership skills for the executives of automotive companies in Celaya, Queretaro, Mexico City and San Luis Potosi. He recently moved to lakeside, and still holds an office in Guadalajara.
Open Circle begins with a social time with coffee, tea and sandwich bites at 10 a.m. followed by the 10:30 a.m. presentation.
Lakeside Presbyterian
Pastor Ross Arnold is presenting a series of sermons for the church’s 10 a.m. Sunday worship service based on the Psalms. All of the 150 Psalms are beautiful poems which were written to be sung.
On Sunday, June 1, Pastor Ross delves into Psalm 8, a psalm composed by King David to celebrate not only the majesty of God, but also two diametrically opposed concepts: the humility and the glory of what it means to be human.
Following the service the congregation stays for fellowship and refreshments in the garden, where Pastor Ross’ fresh insights unfailingly provoke lively “post-sermon” discussions.
Lakeside Presbyterian Church is on the Carretera in San Antonio, between the furniture store, Vigolari, and S&S Auto. Watch for the sign: “You have family at Lakeside!”
Little Chapel
The message by Rev. Gene Raymer at the Little Chapel by the Lake’s 11:15 a.m. worship service on Sunday, June 1 will be “Full-Time Position Open.”
The congregation of the Little Chapel shares a 10:45 a.m. refreshment period and social time with the members of Christ Church.
The first Sunday of each month is marked by two special events. Rice and beans are collected to be donated for the children at Love in Action and the congregation joins the Christ Church Anglican Fellowship for a pot luck lunch in the fellowship hall.
The mid-week movie night will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4 when part one of “The Passion” will be shown. Free refreshments will be served to those attending.
The Little Chapel by the Lake is an interdenominational congregation that meets in the church located on the north side of the Carretera just east of the Chula Vista Golf Course.
St. Andrews Anglican
Fr. Michael Schirmacher, visiting supply priest at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church will focus his Sunday, June 1 sermon on a very interesting and thought provoking topic, “One of Us Is On the Throne.” Schirmacher returns to his home parish in Puerto Vallarta next week with the heartfelt thanks of St. Andrew’s parishioners.
The 10 a.m. worship service is followed by a time of welcome, refreshment and fellowship in the garden.
Rev. Susan Sica from Guadalajara will conduct three weekly services beginning on Sunday, June 8.
The Children’s Sunday School program begins each week at at 9:45 a.m. St. Andrew’s is at Calle San Lucas 19, one block south of the Carretera in Riberas del Pilar.
Christ Church
Christ Church Lakeside will celebrate the Seventh Sunday of Easter at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, June 1 with the Holy Eucharist Rite II. Deacon Rob Wells’ message is “Eternal Life,” based on John 17:1-11. The congregations of Christ Church and The Little Chapel by the Lake enjoy a common coffee fellowship time between their services from 10:35 until 11:15 a.m.
Wells leads a one-hour Bible study on the Gospel of Mark beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays in the Fellowship Hall. The Jerusalem Bible is the main source for the study due to the rich commentaries and notes.
The Right Reverend Lino Rodríguez Amaro, bishop of the Diocese of the West in the Anglican Church of Mexico, has asked to meet with the vestry, the bishop’s committee of Christ Church Lakeside, on Sunday, June 1 at 12:30 p.m. This meeting date coincides with this month’s pot luck luncheon featuring cold salads which will be shared by the congregations of Christ Church and The Little Chapel by the Lake.
The congregations of Christ Church Lakeside and The Little Chapel by the Lake will have a joint service at 11:15 a.m. on Pentecost Sunday, June 8. Rev. Gene Raymer of the Little Chapel will preside at the service and present the message. Wells will serve communion with the presanctified elements. Members of the congregations are asked to wear red.
Christ Church activities are held at The Little Chapel by the Lake.
Unitarian Universalist
Sue Kelley will present “Prayers for the Stolen, Human Trafficking in Mexico” at the Sunday, June 1, 10:30 a.m. meeting of the Lake Chapala Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Weekly meetings are held at Plaza de la Ribera, Rio Bravo 10A in Ajijic. For more information, call (376) 765-7231 or visit the website at www.uuflc.org. A coffee hour will follow.