Fundraiser
Local resident Jose Guadalupe de Orta Vazquez needs around 200,000 pesos for an urgent kidney transplant.
The second Gran Kermesse (cooperative food and entertainment bazaar) to assist with his medical expenses will be held in the Ajijic plaza on Sunday, August 30, from 9 a.m. Typical Mexican snacks, agua frescas and sodas will be available all day. Beer and mixed drinks will be on sale from noon.
San Juan Cosala artist Angel Villanueva will hold an exhibition of his work. Live music will be performed by Banda La Colegiala and Banda la Caramelo.
Sunday Bazaar
Stop and say “hello” to Nino the McCaw during the Wildlife Charity Bazaar at Flora Exotica on Sunday, August 30, 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
In addition to the various charities that regularly participate in this event, donated items this month are being sold to boost the coffers of lakeside firefighters and the animal rescue efforts of veterinarian Pepe Magaña.
There are always lots of new treasures to find at the bazaar and donations are accepted on the day of the sale. No reasonable offer is refused, organizers promise.
Stop by and have your photo taken with one of the critters rescued by the wildlife group.
Flora Exotica is across the Libramiento from Centro Laguna Mall.
British Society
Rita Felten, a vice consul at the British Embassy in Mexico City, is slated to visit the British Society meeting on Saturday, September 5, 1 p.m.
Felten will summarize the services available to British citizens from the embassy and explain how to obtain assistance when required.
The luncheon meeting will be held at Manix Restaurant on Ocampo in Ajijic. Those wishing to attend should call Alicia at (376)765-4786 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with a choice of menu.
A small salad and steamed vegetables are included with the birria style pork ribs or the bass with salsa de hoja santa. Both are priced at 120 pesos, including tip. The third selection is a large dinner salad. All choices include flan for dessert.
Pick-A-Pooch
The Lakeside Spay and Neuter group is sponsoring a festive doggy adoption celebration at American Legion Post 7 on Sunday, September 6, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Spay and Neuter Group (the Ranch) is a non-profit dog sanctuary with a no-kill policy. If the dogs at the event aren’t the right match for prospective pet parents, rides to meet other dogs at the Ranch will be available.
Post 7 is at Morelos 114 in Chapala. For more information call (33) 3176-9090 or (33) 1270-4447.
Society Singles
The Lake Chapala Society Singles’ latest event was held in the newly remodeled Adelita’s Restaurant on Saturday, August 22. The festive atmosphere and the music by the Jam Band encouraged many, including Heidi Machennan, Connie Jolly and Roger Houchin, to stay and dance the night away. The next event will be at La Bodega on Thursday, October 22, 5 p.m. To be added to the Singles’ contact list 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..
Crime scene kit
As part of their community outreach program, Axixic Masonic Lodge 31 recently presented the Chapala Police Department with a kit to assist officers processing crime scenes. From left, Master Wes Weston, Crime Scene Kit Chairperson Dr. Antonio Pinto, officer Ramon and Chapala Police Commander Moises Torres. Three additional kits are in transit, Pinto says.
LCS Spanish Classes
The new term of the Warren Hardy Spanish-language course for Lake Chapala Society (LCS) members begins on Monday, September 7 and continues through October 16. The 90-minute classes are held two days a week at the Wilkes Education Center in Ajijic.
Several levels of instruction are available for students as they progress in the program. Registration for the upcoming classes is currently underway at the LCS office or their website. The program manager will be available to answer questions and take registrations on the blue umbrella patio of the LCS campus from Monday, August 31 though Friday September 4, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The main LCS gate is at the corner of Calle 6 de Septiembre and Calle Ramon Corona.
Legion Labor Day
American Legion Post 7 in Chapala is hosting a Labor Day celebration and barbecue rib dinner on Monday, September 7.
Guests gather at 1 p.m., and the meal, consisting of ribs, baked beans, corn on the cob and ice cream, will be served at 2 p.m.
Noe and the Men in Black will be on hand with plenty of popular music. Tickets for Legion members are 130 pesos and the guest price is 160 pesos. Legion, Auxiliary and social memberships are available.
Tickets are available at Post 7, or by contacting chairperson Roy Lahti at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (376) 766-5697.
Bus Trips
The LCS is hosting a pair of area excursions in September. The bus heads to the craft shopping centers of Tonala and Tlaquepaque on Wednesday, September 9. The bus leaves from the sculpture in La Floresta at 9 a.m.
The monthly shopping trip to Galerias Mall, with its adjoining Costco, Sams and Walmart stores, is scheduled for Thursday, September 24. This trip will leave from La Floresta at 9:30 a.m.
Tickets must be purchased in advance at the LCS business office.
Shrine Golf
The Lake Chapala Shrine Club is organizing its annual golf tournament on Thursday, October 8 at the Chapala Country Club.
The 18-hole, 4-person-per-team scramble is limited to 72 players. Individual players (women or men) will be assigned to a foursome. The registration fee is 1,200 pesos per player, with a reduction to 1,000 pesos for Country Club members.
The fee includes a continental breakfast, 18 holes of golf, a box lunch, use of a golf cart and a ticket to the 4 p.m. pig roast/awards banquet at the end of the day.
Non-players are welcome at the banquet. Tickets are available for a 250-peso donation. A vegetarian alternative will be available.
There will be numerous competition and door prizes. At last year’s tournament, a player won the hole-in-one prize of a golf cart valued at over US$7,000.
Player registration forms and dinner tickets are available at the O&A Investment Office across from Walmart in Ajijic, or at the pro shop at the Country Club. Businesses interested in sponsoring a hole should contact Cesar Rubio at (376) 766-4481.Those with questions can phone Perry King at (376) 763-5126.
All funds raised by the event will be donated to the Shrine Children’s Transportation/Treatment Fund.
Since 2006 the Lake Chapala Shrine Club has spent 2.4 million pesos to treat more than 1,200 Mexican children living in the north shore area of Lake Chapala.
Open Circle
Guest speaker Sandy Britton looks at the special bond between people and dogs, the topic for the Sunday, August 30, 10:30 a.m. presentation at Open Circle at the Lake Chapala Society.
In “The Canine Connection” Britton will ask why dog lovers are so crazy about their pets and why dogs are called “man’s best friends.”
When Britton decided to turn her lifetime love of dogs into a post-retirement vocation and took a course to learn to become a dog trainer, she and ended up being mentored at the Sacramento, California, SPCA’s Dog Behavior and Training Program. She taught dog training classes and did pet behavior counseling and attended seminars and workshops given by many famous speakers in dog training.
The program on Sunday, September 6, presented by David Bryen, will be “Brothers and Sisters: Inside the Intricate Tangle of Love, Duty and Resentment.”
St. Andrew Anglican
“Scapegoats are convenient, because they let us see faults in others instead of ourselves,” says Fr. Winston Welty.
In this week’s Gospel reading at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Welty says “some Pharisees scapegoat Jesus’ disciples, only to have Him turn the tables on their hypocrisy.”
Welty’s sermon for the Sunday, August 30, 10 a.m. service, “Owning My Dark Side,” addresses the value of seeing in ourselves the shadows in need of God’s light.
Sunday School begins at 9:45 a.m. Refreshments are served in the garden afterward the morning service. On the last Sunday of each month, the congregation’s donations provide lunches for schoolchildren in the pueblo of Mezcala. And 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
“For a very long time, Christians in the West have lived a privileged existence, free to live their lives as their God has commanded,” says Pastor Ross Arnold. “While followers of Jesus in other parts of the world have often suffered persecution and oppression, we assumed we would always be free to worship as we wish. Jesus warned us that persecution was not only possible, but virtually inevitable, and that we must always be ready.”
On Sunday, August 30, Arnold will discuss persecution in his 10 a.m. sermon at Lakeside Presbyterian Church. The Pastor’s Forum convenes in the church library at 11:30 a.m. Attendees are free to ask questions about the sermon, faith, or any other topic of interest.
Lakeside Presbyterian Church is on San Jorge in Riberas. Turn at Mom’s Deli and go two blocks – the church is on the right.
Little Chapel
The guest speaker at the Sunday, August 30, 11:15 a.m. service of the Little Chapel by the Lake is John Whitener from the Fuego del Cielo (Fire from Heaven) ministry.
Fuego del Cielo, an interdenominational Bible institute that trains Latino men and women for the “work of the harvest,” will hold a class on Monday, August 31, 6:15-9 p.m. in the sanctuary of the Little Chapel. The course topics include the character of God, the Holy Spirit and faith.
On Sunday, September 6, the Little Chapel will host a first Sunday potluck at 12:15 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
Christ Church
Christ Church Lakeside is taking its church-in-a-box to Mazamitla on Sunday, August 30 to share a service with La Sagrada Familia Mission.
Lakesiders will leave from Farmacia Guadalajara in Ajijic at 9:15 a.m. They will take finger-food to share for the luncheon after the service. Those who wish to participate should call Kay Borkowski at (376) 766-2495 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..
The Tuesday, September 1 Bible study group meets at 2 p.m. to continue the study of the Gospel of John.
Unitarian Universalists
“All Religions Do Not Share the Same Ultimate Goal” is the title of Lew Crippen’s talk at the weekly Lakeside Unitarian Universalist meeting on Sunday, August 30, 10:30 a.m.
His topic addresses the modern view, shared and expressed by the Dali Lama and many Unitarian Universalists, that all religions lead to the same goal or that world religions take different paths up the same mountain.
Crippen will focus on the core problem as seen by the world’s major religions, what they consider to be the solution to that problem, the techniques for achieving that goal and who sets the example or charts that path. In the end are there different paths or entirely different mountains?
Unitarian Universalism is a spiritually alive and justice-centered religion with members searching for truth along many paths. It is a caring liberal, open-minded lay-led community where people respect each other’s different beliefs and come together as one faith, without religious creed or dogma.
The fellowship meets in the wheelchair accessible Plaza de la Ribera at Rio Bravo 10A.
New Hope
When the newly formed congregation of New Hope Christian Fellowship meets Sunday, August 30, 11 a.m., Pastor Gene Raymer will deliver a message centered on the shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus Wept.”
Says Raymer: “At first reading we might think Jesus wept because His dear friend died, but Jesus knew that his friend would walk out of the tomb alive. We’ll be looking at other reasons why Jesus wept.”
The 20-some attendees are meeting in Raymer’s home at Privada Jesus Garcia 11 while they look for a suitable location for a church building. There are refreshments around 10:30 a.m. for early arrivals. While the adults meet upstairs, a certified teacher leads a class for the youngsters downstairs. Members will continue discussions at Adelitas after the service.
New Hope Christian Fellowship is a non-denominational congregation seeking to minister to all English-speaking people. For directions or other information, call the pastor at (376) 766-3435.
San Andres English
“This week we observe the commandments of life,” says Fr. Basil G. Royston, D. Min. who will conduct the 9 a.m. Mass in English at Ajijic’s Catholic parish church.
Says Royston: “We rejoice in the Law of God which is pure religion, totally different from any man-made law or human tradition. It is fulfilled in this sacrament of love.”
During the English Mass on Sunday, September 6, the members of the congregation will bring non-perishable food items to support the 30 children and three nuns who live in the orphanage Villa Infantil de Guadalupe y San Jose.
Buddhist Group
When the Heart of Awareness Community meets on Wednesday, September 2, Noble Silence begins at 4 p.m. and will be followed by a formal meditation, dharma teachings and discussion at 4:30 p.m. Members will listen to a recording of Tricycle Founding Editor Helen Tworkov speaking with Tibetan Buddhist teacher and writer Andrew Holecek about how to prepare for what he calls the “once in a lifetime opportunity,” practices that ensure a peaceful death.
The First Sunday Long Sit is on Sunday, September 6, from 9 a.m. to noon. Participants should arrive by 8:50 a.m. to prepare for three rounds of 40 minutes sitting and 20 minutes walking meditation.
The Dharma Movie Matinee on Monday, September 7, 3 p.m. features “Crazy Wisdom,” a film about renowned Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa. There will be a community pot luck dinner at 4:45 p.m.
Even if you’re not a movie-goer, join members of the community for the pot luck following the movie. Bring a dish to share and your appetite for a gathering on the terrace outside the meditation space.
The sangha’s location 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.