Tu Ciudad Magazine’s December Issue Ignites The Holiday Spirit

“The December/January issue of Tu Ciudad Magazine, the English-language guide to Latino L.A., hits newsstands today asking the question “Got Jesus, Dude?” The cover story Rebel With A Cross, written by Yvette Doss, examines the city’s hippest ministry that has become one of the country’s fastest growing churches with its non-traditional approach to Christianity.

The story on Erwin Raphael McManus, the founder and lead pastor of Mosaic, describes his contemporary take on religion and sheds light on his followers – an ever-growing, multicultural gathering of young Christians, whose average age is 25. McManus, born in El Salvador and moved to the U.S. at an early age, has formulated a dynamic equation for his preaching. Mosaic’s services are distinguished with comedy skits, video clips, DJs and live rock music that appeals not only to a younger demographic, but an audience looking for pop culture relevance.
“When families make that annual pilgrimage to midnight mass for Christmas, we thought about offering our readers an upbeat look at one of our city’s churches that seems to be striking a chord with today’s Generation Y,” comments Ciudad’s editor-in-chief Oscar Garza. “Religion aside, the story presents an interesting look at how McManus has built a thriving industry around his church.”

Also in the December/January issue:

– EL CENTRO. An eclectic mix of trends, tidbits and personalities. In this issue, read what George Ruiz, VP of Business Affairs at ICM, has to say about the entertainment biz and a dinner with Charlton Heston.

– C-STYLE. Showcasing the best in Latin style, Ciudad’s fashion guru Anna Lisa Raya presents the latest trends for the holiday season. In Meet Your Maker, mother-daughter duo Ana Igielka and Valeria Markowicz receive props for their Aaneta leather bags.

– CULTURISTAS. A profile of Guillermo del Toro, whose film, Pan’s Labyrinth, was recently chosen as Mexico’s official entry to the Academy Awards foreign film competition. Also, Rick Dees’ return to the airwaves with sidekick and former Ciudad magazine Hip Hot Now covergirl, Patricia Lopez.

– EATS. Recipes and restaurant reviews. In this issue, chefs Vicente Del Rio, Roxana Jullapat, and Xiomara Ardolina share the dishes that are central to their holiday celebrations. “

• Ricardo Salinas Breaks Ground for What Will Be the Most Modern Television Studio in Latin America – Mexico City
• Brazil replaces Mexico as China’s top market in Latin America and boosts its surplus as well.
• In El Salvador, a grim reflection, and a glimmer of hope – The president has bestowed the country’s highest honor on six Jesuit priests massacred 20 years ago, more evidence that peaceful change is possible, if slow to come.
• The mayor of a wealthy suburb (San Pedro Garza Garcia) of Monterrey said Monday that he has sent his family to the United States for their own safety as he pursues his campaign against extortion and kidnapping gangs.
• Expert: Juárez violence a ‘terrorist war’
• Mexican Mennonites Impacted by Drug Violence
• Pimento cheese, hold the pimentos | Homesick Texan
• Los Angeles council members to make donations for El Salvador storm victims
• Star Trek On DVD: Few Latinos in Revisionist Version
• Mexican farmers reeling from worst drought in decades
• Mexico City’s famed dance-for-peso halls fading
• Americans Running South: Why We are Flocking to Mexico for Work
• Penelope Cruz steers her own course in ‘Broken Embraces’
• On the mayor’s agenda: ‘Civilize’ Mexico City – Marcelo Ebrard
• Juárez violence: Drug-war brutality persists despite presence of military
• Mexican doctors pointed to parents as the reason Mexico leads the world in child obesity, a problem made worse in this country by the lack of sports training.
• Pedro Almodovar’s “Los abrazos rotos” (Broken Embraces), his latest film and the fourth collaboration between the former enfant terrible of Spanish cinema and actress Penelope Cruz, has received mostly positive reviews from U.S. critics ahead of its release Friday in New York
• Mexico’s top domestic security official said Friday that sectors of the general public have cooperated with drug cartels in the violent border city of Ciudad Juarez, and the government is about to launch new social programs there to combat gangs.
• “Lost” Star Nestor Carbonell to Play Khan in “Star Trek” Sequel?
• Susana Iglesias, writing from the streets – Mexico City native is winner of the first-ever Aura Estrada Prize, an international competition for young women writing literature in Spanish.