Jesus Talks. In a Pub.
Come and See.

One of Jesus’s biographers, John, records that when a couple of men interested in finding out more about Jesus asked him, “where do you live?” He replied, “come and see.” They spent the day with him and were hooked. A bit later, one of Jesus’ new followers was inviting his friend to follow Jesus, too, and the friend said, “I don’t know if this could really be true.” The first friend just said, well “come and see.” This is the invitation that Paradise Church would like to extend to the Puerto Vallarta community during this Easter season: come and see.

See more below . . .

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By Tangi Davis

We know that you’ve had some of your own experiences with the church or with Christians that were not the best experiences. Although Paradise Church doesn’t claim to be perfect, we do try our best to be followers of Jesus without all the religious trappings. Someone asked Jesus, what is the greatest commandment and his answer was to love God. And he said there’s another one too, and that is to love your neighbor. So we have taken these words of Jesus and made it our church motto, “Love God. Love people. Period.”

With this idea in mind, Paradise Church was created. Led by Pastors Ric and Joy Lehman, our church has now been a part of our community since 2007.  Their mission was to plant an English language Christian church. Then using the collective talents, life experiences and resources of these Jesus followers to love and serve our community in practical ways.  From  2010 to 2014 they ran the Paradise Community Center where they hosted the original Farmer’s Market. They also started a children’s home and help feed hundreds of kids throughout the community. Over the years we have gathered in restaurants, theaters, and bars.  Currently we meet every Sunday for about an hour at 10 a.m., in El Granero gastropub on Calle Francisco Madero 333, in Zona Romantica.  Many of us like to stay afterwards for lunch and socializing.   As you might note, we have a slightly different approach than many traditional churches with our distinct style of contemporary music and casual, Bible-based “Jesus Talks.” 

In the relaxed pub setting, Paradise Church adds a different flavor to the spiritual table where all are welcome and everyone is accepted. Pastor Ric likes to say that “you can belong before you believe” and that “God meets us right we we are.” We believe these things because that is how Jesus, himself, treated people—always welcoming everyone.


With Easter rapidly approaching, we will celebrate Jesus through the month of April and beyond. Our Jesus Talk on April 2 will be on the topic of what makes Jesus mad. The answer is probably the same things that make you angry. On Easter Sunday April 9 we celebrate the Resurrection with a special Easter program formatted like our popular Community Christmas Eve Service. Our Sunday, Jesus Talks can be streamed live at www.paradisechurchpv.org/live.

I started going to Paradise Church about a year ago, where I was met with warmth and love.  Immediately I felt at home in this small slice of paradise and it has given my life here in Vallarta much more meaning and depth.  Whether you are here for a week, a season, or a lifetime, come and see! We look forward to meeting you!