Help for Animals
John Marshall from the Lakeside Friends of the Animals sent information worth clipping and saving, or at least copying into your address book. If you, or your friends notice a suffering animal – one that has been hit by a car or that has been injured by abuse, you can report it to the Chapala Ecology Station. The office is between Bancomer and the Beer Garden in the block leading to the Chapala malacon. The station’s telephone is (376) 765-8025, or you can email them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
LCS Directories
The new 2015 Lake Chapala Society (LCS) directories are hot off the press and available at the LCS office. Members can pick up their copies by showing their membership card.
The directory includes emergency and other helpful lakeside telephone numbers, information about official paid Mexican holidays, a list of embassies and consulates, and the current membership list and paid advertisers. LCS history, programs and services are also featured in the book.
The LCS office hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Additional information is available at (376) 766-1140. The LCS directory is reason enough to become a member of the group. Stop by the membership desk in the office for details.
Genealogy Forum
The group of lakesiders exploring their family history meets on Monday, March 23, 2 p.m. in the Sala of the Lake Chapala Society. This month the group will explore tips and ways to organize and store all the family research documents and photos and records collected over the years. The Genealogy Forum will also discuss Evernote, a great way of cataloging and organizing information and saving it in the cloud. Presenter Marci Bowman says, “I am more convinced than ever that Evernote is a necessity for organizing our genealogy data.”
The meeting is open to everyone interested in genealogy, newcomers and old hands.
The Edge of the Map
Lakesiders are urged to join in a “Conversation with David Bryen” about the inner workings behind his book, “Riding Off the Edge of the Map,” on Wednesday, March 25, 10:30 a.m. until noon in the Ken Gosh Pavilion at the Lake Chapala Society (LCS).
Bryen’s book is not only an exciting story about his motorcycle mis-adventure, it is also loaded with psychological and spiritual insights. The book addresses the call of nature and the drive of personality, the dilemma of living in the moment and preserving one’s life. It notes that maps, more than facts, organize lives, how humans fall in and can’t back out and why the soul allures us into adventure.
Learning about Bryen’s harrowing motorcycle adventure into the back roads of Mexico’s Copper Canyon is always enjoyable. Readers are fascinated to recognize that the hand-drawn map is a fourth character in the book and a metaphor for the times when the choices made don’t work but people keep paying a higher price for the stubborn refusal to revisit our decision.
The book is available at Diane Pearl Colecciones, at Amazon.com or at www.ridingofftheedgeofthemap.com.
Book presentation
Reporter columnist John Pint and his wife Susy will present their new book, “Outdoors in Western Mexico Volume 2,” at a private residence in Ajijic on Friday, March 27, 8 p.m. Seating is limited. To get on the list, call Jim Boles at (376) 766 5127.
Terrorism
The Lake Chapala Jewish Congregation invites the English speaking community to a presentation on terrorism, Sunday, March 29, 10 a.m. at the synagogue.
Attorney Robert Croog and religious historian Otto Rand will discuss the history of terrorism, its definition and distinction from other forms of warfare; the three major Jihadist movements, their goals and appeal to thousands of recruits and their ideological backgrounds.
In light of the real and present danger from Jihadism all over the world, the information provided by the lecturers might be of help in safeguarding ourselves from terrorist danger.
The synagogue is located at Sta. Margarita 113 in Riberas del Pilar (behind the former MATEO’S store). Access is free and everyone is welcome.
Lakeside Presbyterian
“Blood is a very special fluid,” says Pastor Ross Arnold as he comments on the message of his Sunday, March 22 sermon, “The Blood of Christ,” at Lakeside Presbyterian Church. Arnold has primarily based his sermon on Hebrews 9:11-22. During the talk he examines why blood has always been understood as important, and how those concepts relate to the upcoming Holy Week and Easter.
English-language worship services are Sundays at 10 a.m., with Spanish language services at noon. Both congregations gather in the garden at 11 a.m. for joint fellowship and refreshments.
This week’s service will be the last at the church’s location in Riberas del Pilar on the Carretera next to S&S Auto. On Palm Sunday, March 29, the congregation will move into Lakeside Presbyterian Church’s new facility at San Jorge 250 in Riberas del Pilar, two blocks south of Mom’s Deli.
St. Andrew’s Anglican
The title of Fr. Winston Welty’s sermon for the Sunday, March 22, 10 a.m. service at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church highlights two usually counter-indicated words: “Glorious Humiliation.” The children’s bilingual Sunday School begins at 9:45 a.m.
Donations of non-perishable items for the feeding program supported by St. Andrew’s can be left at the church doors.
The fifth session of the Lenten Bible Study, “Easter People,” on Wednesday, March 25, 11 a.m. features James, the brother of Jesus, as one of the people whose lives were changed by the journey to the empty tomb.
The annual Ladies’ Luncheon and Garden Party is on Friday, March 27, with a social hour at 1 p.m. Gourmet sandwiches, salad and dessert will follow. There will be prizes for the most glamorous, interesting or amusing hats. Contact the church office on weekdays from 9 a.m.to noon to make reservations.
St. Andrew’s is at Calle San Lucas 19, a block south of the Carretera in Riberas del Pilar.
San Andrés English
The Sunday, March 22, 9 a.m. English Mass centers on the theme of the Lord’s forgiveness. Rev. Basil G. Royston says, “God promised: ‘I will forgive their iniquity and never call their sin to mind.’ Today we consider the cost of the forgiveness including the tears of Christ and his avowal: ‘Now my soul is troubled.’”
During Lent a Mass is being said each Wednesday at noon. The service is followed by a Bible study group which is currently exploring the Gospel of Mark.
Little Chapel
Activities at the Little Chapel by the Lake on Sunday, March 22 begin with refreshments and fellowship at 10:45 a.m. The regular interdenominational worship service follows at 11:15 a.m., including a message entitled “Confusing Scriptures.” Rev. Gene Raymer points out that since the Pharisees and Sadducees disagreed on the resurrection, there have been confusing passages in the Scriptures. He pays special attention to the seeming conflict between the Deuteronomic Principle and Jesus’ teachings on how hard it is for a rich person to enter Heaven.
Members will adjourn for food and fellowship at a local restaurant. Special efforts are being made to choose restaurants with inside seating during the current spell of bad weather.
The Little Chapel by the Lake is located on the mountain side of the Carretera just east of the golf course in Chula Vista. For more information visit the Facebook page LCBTL.
Christ Church
“Fear,” based on John 12:20-33, is Deacon Rob Wells’ message at Christ Church Lakeside on Sunday, March 22, 9:30 a.m. in the Little Chapel by the Lake at Carretera 10 in Chula Vista.
The congregations of Christ Church Lakeside and Little Chapel share a common coffee time from about 10:35 until 11:10 a.m.
Wells leads hour-long Bible study sessions on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. The group continues to study the Gospel of Luke.
Fr. Danny Borkowski is leading a discussion of Islam on the Fridays of March at 3:30 p.m. at the home of Aideen and Brian Howard, Rio Nazas 43 in Rancho del Oro.
Open Circle
John Ward’s program, “The Importance of Self-Esteem,” originally scheduled for the March 15 meeting cancelled due to inclement weather, will be held on Sunday, March 22, 10:30 a.m. on the back patio of the Lake Chapala Society. Group members gather at 10 a.m. each week for refreshments and socializing.
Ward was born and raised in Africa and studied in Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. His father moved from Africa to Chapala about 25 years ago. During a visit Ward fell in love with the area and decided to retire here.
Unitarian Universalist
The Lake Chapala Unitarian Universalist Fellowship meeting on Sunday, March 22 includes Teresa Sande presenting a video service entitled “Transcending Mystery and Wonder” from Rev. Bonnie Vegiard of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston. A fellowship time follows.
The local group meets at Plaza de la Ribera, Rio Bravo 10A. For further information visit www.uuflc.org.
Unitarian Universalists search for truth along many paths and gather around common moral values that include the inherent worth and dignity of every person. They are a caring, liberal, open-minded community that encourages others to seek their own spiritual path wherever it leads.
Buddhist Community
The Heart of Awareness Buddhist Community meeting on Wednesday, March 25, 4:30 p.m. begins with 30 minutes of sitting meditation followed by a 10-minute walking meditation and another ten minutes sitting. The dharma film is “Living in the Center of the Human Predicament,” Part Two.
The sangha’s new location is in Plaza San Juan at Guadalupe Victoria 101 in Ajijic. 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. Membership in Heart of Awareness is open to those with Zen, Tibetan or Shambhala backgrounds, as well as people with no previous meditation experience. For further information on the sangha, call Janet Reichert at (376) 766-6069.
Passover Seder planned April 3
The Lake Chapala Jewish Congregation celebrates Passover with a traditional Seder on Friday, April 3 at Roberto’s Restaurant.
Anyone who has seen the movie “Exodus” (the one with Charlton Heston) will know the story of Passover (Pesach). At the Seder, the history of the Jews in Egypt is recited, from their assimilation and success to their enslavement by a Pharaoh who did not know their history in the country. He feared that they might not be loyal if there was a war, despite their long history of loyalty to Egypt.
At the Passover Seder participants recount the story of Moses’ life in Egypt, the pleas for freedom by Moses and Aaron and finally the ten plagues that forced the Pharaoh to free the Jews.
Passover has become, historically, a symbol of the fight for freedom of many people around the world. Slaves in pre-Civil War United States sang gospel songs asking Moses to beg the Pharaoh “to let my people go.”
Those who wish to join in the Seder should call Chuck Diamond at 376-765-4560, or Elliott Gould at 376-765-5647 for information.