Passport Renewals
Lake Chapala Society (LCS) Executive Director Terry Vidal received an advisory bulletin from the officers of the U.S. Consulate that will affect U.S. citizens planning to renew passports during the Wednesday, June 10 Consular service visits to the LCS or the American Legion.
Vidal says, “In recent years CI Banco has issued the only checks that the consular officers were permitted to accept in payment for passport renewals while at lakeside. The bank has now informed the Consulate that they are no longer permitted to continue this service.”
The notice received by Vidal reinforced that consular officers are prohibited from collecting cash for passport renewals at either the LCS or the American Legion. They cannot accept personal checks at any time.
The passport staff will visit as planned on June 10 to distribute the passports that are processed and renewed, and to accept applications that are accompanied by bank checks obtained before the bank changed its policy.
The officers hope the bank will reconsider this policy change. Failing that they are searching for another method of receiving passport payment at lakeside. As the Consulate searches for alternatives they will post update notices on their website: Guadalajara.us.consulate.gov. Additional information can be obtained by calling the passport number at the consulate (33) 3268-2100
Unless a solution is quickly discovered, all passport renewal applications will have to be submitted at the office in Guadalajara with a cash payment. Passport renewals and notary services are available in the Guadalajara office from Monday through Thursday from 2 to 2:45 p.m. Appointments are not necessary.
Ajijic Artist
The Rhodas of Calle Independencia 28 in Ajijic wanted their Smart Car and cats incorporated into their Facharte project. Mission accomplished thanks to Ajijic artist Guillermo Gonzalez. To contact Facharte for your own piece of public art, email Jaime Barbiery at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (33) 3474-1192 or (376) 766-3860.
Legion Convention
A few tickets are still available for the Wednesday, June 10, 6 p.m. Commander’s Dinner, a highlight of the 2015 Department of Mexico Convention. The three days of meetings are being hosted by Post 9 and held at Post 7 in Chapala.
The Department of Mexico not only includes American Legion posts in Mexico but also in Central and South America.
Delegates from the newest organization, Post 1 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, will be introduced and welcomed during the Commander’s Dinner. For ticket availability and details, call Post 7 at (376) 765-2259.
94th Birthday
To honor longtime lakeside resident Cleola Hengstebeck’s 94th birthday, the congregation at the San Andres English Mass greeted her with a resounding chorus of “Happy Birthday,” prior to a special blessing by Fr. Basil G. Royston.
Progressives
Chad Olsen, chair of the Lakeside Progressives, will present a report on the Alec MacGillis book, “The Cynic: The Political Education of Mitch McConnell,” during the group’s monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 9, 4 p.m. at the Peacock Garden Restaurant on Colon in Ajijic.
The group’s discussion will focus on the November state and national elections in the United States. Members and guests will be invited to discuss the pros and cons of the Democratic candidates – declared or not – and will spotlight Bernie Sander’s recent declaration to run.
During the May meeting, Mel Goldburg presented a program on income inequality in the United States to the group of like-minded people looking for progressive solutions to problems not being addressed by the major political parties.
Most attendees have an early dinner at the restaurant following the meeting. The group’s Facebook page is Lakeside Progressives. Email Chad Olsen at lakesideprogressives@gmailThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">.com for information.
Conservatives
The members of the Lakeside Conservatives Group will meet on Wednesday, June 10, 4 p.m. at the San Juan Cosala Raquet Club. Featured speaker Stu Brown’s lively topic will be “Do You Trust Your Government?”
Adult refreshments will be available for attendees. The monthly meetings are open to all conservatives. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for information or to RSVP.
Fundraiser
Members of the community are selling tickets, working on promotion, organizing raffles, and donating items for the big silent auction to be featured during the Wednesday, June 17 fundraiser to help Bill and Kitt Vincent.
Popular local musician and songwriter Bill Vincent has endured a six-month illness that ended with the amputation of his leg.
To help defray the medical costs incurred, a dinner dance is scheduled at Mama’s Bar on Jesus Garcia in San Antonio Tlayacapan.
Following the 6 p.m. Mexican buffet in the bar/restuarant, the party moves into the adjoining eventos building where the evening’s entertainment is headlined by the Tall Boys Band.
“Tickets” (wristbands) are now being sold at Diane Pearl Colecciones and Mia’s Boutique. The 200-peso wristband entitles the wearer to dinner and entertainment, while the 350-peso wristband adds unlimited drinks. Make reservations either at the bar or by emailing 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..
Those wishing to donate items for the silent auction can send a photo of the item with its approximate value to Jayme Littlejohn at the same email address. Those who are unable to attend can help with donations at www.GoFundMe.comtuqhyg.
Volunteers Needed
Volunteers are needed at Casi Nuevo, the second-hand and consignment store in Riberas that helps fund Have Hammers, the LCS Education program and the School for Special Children.
Many of the store’s regular team of volunteers return north for the summer and that leaves the store in need of help. The need is especially acute due to the lack of fundraisers during the summer months. That means that profits from the store are even more important to keep the three charities functioning normally.
The store is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays. Anyone who is able to help out once a week or once every two weeks during these slower months should call Shirley Kollin at (376) 106-2121 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..">.
Presbyterian
Pastor Ross Arnold’s message for the Sunday, June 7 worship service at Lakeside Presbyterian Church will be entitled, “If You Love Me – Don’t Be Afraid.”
Arnold says, “In today’s world, it seems everyone is afraid of terrorism, of violence in general, or financial collapse, of being alone. The list of things we fear is endless. Christians’ faith in Jesus offers freedom from fear. In fact, it’s not possible to be a fearful person and a person of faith at the same time. We’ll consider how to stop being afraid and how to live victoriously during the 10 a.m. English service.”
The Pastor’s Forum at 11:30 a.m. is a time for attendees to ask the pastor questions about the morning’s sermon, the church, faith, or any other topic.
Lakeside Presbyterian Church is on San Jorge in Riberas. Turn towards the lake at Mom’s Deli and continue two blocks. The office is open on Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
St. Andrew’s Anglican
While Mark’s Gospel dominates the Sunday readings through November at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Fr. Winston Welty’s sermon,”Living Under the Curse,” on Sunday, June 7 is based on the ancient story of Adam and Eve’s “fall” in the Garden of Eden. Children’s Sunday School is at 9:45 a.m. The worship service is 10 a.m. and is followed by refreshments in the garden.
The monthly breakfast of the “Company of Gentlemen,” a cordial informal gathering that welcomes into fellowship the men of the parish and the community, is scheduled for Wednesday, June 10, 8:30 a.m.
Every Sunday, the feeding program supported by St. Andrew’s welcomes donations of non-perishable food items, which can be left in the baskets by the church doors.
St. Andrew’s is located at Calle San Lucas 19, just a block south of the Carretera in Riberas del Pilar.
San Andrés English
The English-speaking congregation of San Andres Parish Church in Ajijic will celebrate The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) during the 9 a.m. Mass on Sunday, June 7.
Fr. Basil G. Royston, D.Min., says, “Corpus Christi is also called the ‘Blood of the Covenant.’ 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.”
On the first Sunday of each month, the members of the congregation bring a special offering of food, cleaning and paper products and other staples needed by La Villa Infantil, the orphanage that is home to 30 children on the south side of Lale Chapala.
Christ Church
Fr. Danny Borkowski will preside during Christ Church Lakeside’s Sunday, June 7, 9:30 a.m. worship service at the Little Chapel by the Lake. His message will be “The Family of Jesus,” based on Mark 3:20-35.
Members of Christ Church and the Little Chapel will bring dried rice and beans to take to the Love in Action Children’s Shelter in Chapala.
The congregation of Christ Church shares a fellowship and coffee time from 10:35 a.m. until about 11:15 a.m. at the Little Chapel by the Lake at Carretera 10 in Chula Vista.
Open Circle
Those attending the Sunday, June 7 Open Circle meeting will gather at the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) back patio at 10 a.m. for refreshments and socializing.
At 10:30 a.m., Candace Luciano, JD, MED, MSW, will present the program “Growing Older Without Aging.”
Says Luciano, “Growing older is a natural experience. If we are fortunate, we all have the chance to participate in that process. But does adding years to our lives also mean we are required to ‘age?’”
During her talk Luciano will look at the aging process and at how each person can redefine and redesign their life to increase both its quality and longevity.
Luciano’s various careers have included attorney, health care executive, medical school professor and social worker. In retirement at lakeside she has discovered the theater and has worked onstage and backstage in multiple Lakeside Little Theatre and Naked Stage productions.
Unitarian Universalist
The Lake Chapala Unitarian Universalist meeting on Sunday, June 7, 10:30 a.m. will feature a panel discussion with Paul Bennet, Karyn Carpenter and Norman Woods discussing the benefits, drawbacks and problems with the installation, maintenance and results of using solar energy for electricity, hot water and heating swimming pools. The program is entitled “Solar Energy, Should We All Go Green?”
A coffee hour will follow the meeting at Plaza de la Ribera, Rio Bravo 10A. For further information, visit www.uuflc.org.
Unitarian Universalists search for truth along many paths. They gather around common moral values that include the inherent worth and dignity of every person.
Buddhist Community
The Heart of Awareness Community meeting on Wednesday, June 10 will begin with Noble Silence at 4 p.m. followed by a formal meditation, dharma teachings and discussion at 4:30 p.m. The teaching will be a pre-recorded talk, “Loving Kindness” by Tara Brach.
The sangha is at Guadalupe Victoria 101, suites A-B, in Ajijic. The Heart of Awareness is a non-sectarian community grounded in the teachings of the Buddha as preserved in the Theravada/Vipassana tradition. Prior experience or affiliation is not required. For further information on the community and scheduled activities, visit www.heartofawareness.org or call Janet Reichert at (376) 766-6069.
The Heart of Awareness Community in Ajijic presented ‘Touching the Present,’ a retreat streamed live from the Omega Institute in New York, on May 30 and 31. Pema Chodron, a notable U.S. figure in Tibetan Buddhism was featured during the weekend’s talks, guided meditations and informational periods. The local group’s retreat planning committee included, above from left: Marian Puentes, Isabel Van Rooy, Liz Sellars, Michael Fitzpatrick, Patricia Hyland and Dan Schaller. Heart of Awareness will sponsor another live stream retreat in October. For information on future events visit www.heartofawareness.org.