Expat Living

Hair stylist Jim Coolidge created a flattering short crop for Pam Pettus, one of 45 gals and guys who signed up for new looks at the September 22 Kut-A-Thon

Have Hammer Will Travel, the popular local carpentry and cabinetry program for area youth, this week announced a new executive board and a series of changes that are sure to be popular at lakeside.   

Lakeside Presbyterian

Marking a new era of cooperation, the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) and Chapala’s American Legion Post 7 have teamed up to interface records for joint management of their respective post-life planning registries. 

St. Andrew’s Anglican

‘People love to surround their names with earned titles, achievements, and academic initials that proclaim their importance,”  says “Father” Winston Welty, STM, of St. Andrew’s Anglican. “These titles may include Doctor, Professor, President, B.A., Ph.D., etcetera. But perhaps the real lesson is When Jesus puts a child on His lap and says, ‘No, this is what’s important.’” Reconciling that tension between the ambition to be first and the willingness to be last, between leadership and servant hood, is the focus of “Least and Last of All,” this week’s sermon by Welty.

Sunday School begins at 9:45 a.m. and worship at 10 a.m. Refreshments are served in the garden afterwards. Every Sunday, the feeding program supported by St. Andrew’s welcomes donations of non-perishable food items which can be left in baskets by the church doors.

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

Lakeside Presbyterian

“The world can be a difficult and tiresome place, full of stress and burdens,” says Pastor Ross Arnold of Lakeside Presbyterian Church. “Jesus knew that, and one of His great promises to his followers was that they could find peace and rest in Him.” 

Arnold will speak on how we can find the rest Jesus promised in his sermon, “If You Love Me, Rest in Me,” during Lakeside Presbyterian’s Sunday, September 20, 10 a.m. worship service. 

Following worship and refreshments, “The Pastor’s Forum” convenes in the church library, where attendees are free to ask questions about the sermon, the faith, or any other topic of interest. Lakeside Presbyterian Church is at San Jorge 250 in Riberas.  Turn at Mom’s Restaurant and go two blocks toward the lake. The church is on the right.

Universal Unitarians

During the Sunday, September 20 meeting of the Universal Unitarians, Richard Clark will share his own 25-year self-inquiry through meditation, based on ancient Hindu practices. 

The new enhanced personal sound system is helping attendees with hearing issues enjoy the Sunday services. Attendees may use headphones or ear buds connected to an FM radio or FM capable cell phone.

Universal Unitarians is an English-speaking, lay-led fellowship that meets every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. on the west side of Ajijic in Plaza de la Ribera, Rio Bravo 10A, in a wheelchair-accessible facility. They are a welcoming community.

Christ Church

Christ Church Lakeside will celebrate the Holy Eucharist Rite II at the Little Chapel by the Lake on Sunday, September 20, 9:30 a.m.  Fr. Danny Borkowski will preside and present the message, “Servant of All,” based on Mark 9:30-37.

The congregations of Christ Church Lakeside and the Little Chapel share a common coffee fellowship from 10:35 until 11:10 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

The Tuesday Bible Study ,sponsored by Christ Church Lakeside Episcopal has resumed and meets at 2 pm.in the Fellowship Hall as the group continues its in-depth look at the Gospel of John. 

The Little Chapel is at Carretera 10 in Chula Vista.  

Holy Days

Chavurah Chapala are holding lay-led High Holy Days observances this month for Lakeside Jews at a private home on the Malecon in Chapala. Rosh Hashanah was observed on Monday, September 14. 

Yom Kippur begins with a Kol Nidre Evening Service at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22. A morning service starts on Wednesday, September 23, 11 a.m. Yizkor and Neilah, followed by a dairy potluck Break-the-Fast, commence at 5 p.m.

Those wishing to attend should email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. immediately. This group has been named with the word, “chavurah” which  is derived from “chaver,” or “friend,” in Hebrew. Chavurah Chapala is composed of Jews by birth, Jews by choice, and their partners and spouses. The group attempts to create a welcoming environment that is inclusive and egalitarian. The group is independent and not affiliated with any Jewish movement or synagogue. So far lay leaders have put together services from Reform and Reconstructionist prayer books, though the group is open to contributions from the whole spectrum of Jewish observance.  

Chavurah Chapala holds Friday night and Saturday morning services, sponsored the presentation and discussion of Simon Schama’s “The Story of the Jews,” danced at a Hanukkah Hoedown, and enjoyed Tu B’Shevat and Passover Seders together. As its Social Action Committee project, volunteers from the Chavurah have been helping Operation Feed’s “Moringa Madres” strip and sort moringa leaves for shipment twice each month.

New Hope

The newly organized non-denominational congregation of New Hope Christian Fellowship will hear  Pastor Gene Raymer’s  message, “The Crop is the Key,” based on Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, during the 11 a.m. service on Sunday, September 20.  “Many in the Corinthian Church followed the teachings of Apollos who came after Paul had established the church there,” says Raymer. “Others remained loyal to Paul as the leader of the congregation and still others referred to Peter for their instruction because he spent time with Jesus. Paul likens the process in the Corinthian church to farming, saying some plant and some water.”

New Hope Christian Fellowship meets at Privada Jesus Garcia 11 in San Antonio. For information or directions, call (376) 766-3435

San Andres English

“We worship the Son of God, the wisdom that came down from above and became the servant of all. This is the core of the lesson for this week’s study,” says Fr. Basil G. Royston, D. Min., of San Andres Catholic Church in Ajijic.  

In the absence of Royston, Fr. Everado Sanchez will celebrate the  9 a.m. Sunday Mass for the English-speaking congregation,  while newly arrived Deacon Bill Shaidnagle will present the homily. 

Buddhist Organization

When the Heart of Awareness Community meets on Wednesday, September 23, Noble Silence begins at 4 p.m., followed by formal meditation, dharma teachings and discussion at 4:30 p.m. The teaching will be the third of a four-part Tricycle Retreat by Andrew Holecek entitled, “A Proper View of Death.” Holecek discusses the Tibetan approach, including how the right view can transform the relationship with death and dying.

The sangha’s location is at Guadalupe Victoria 101, suites A-B, in Ajijic. For further information on the community and scheduled activities, visit www.heartofawareness.org, or call Janet Reichert at (376) 766-6069.

The annual Cruz Roja Golf Classic, scheduled Thursday, November 5 at the Chapala Country Club, is stuffed with prizes for participants and benefits for Cruz Roja Chapala.