Christmas Eve services at Captiva Chapel will be held this year.
The seasonal music, prepared by music director, Lynne Dugan, will begin at 5:30PM and the service, including caroling by candlelight, begins at 6PM.
The tradition of the candlelight service, begun in the 1950’s by the Reverend Boyd Edwards, has been an island favorite event since then. Close to 1,000 people have attended in the past, so it’s always a “come early and expect a challenge with parking” type of Captiva Island happening.
The Chapel building felt the effects of Hurricane Milton primarily the intrusion of up to 4 feet of sand accumulated in the parking, cemetery and Chapel yard. An island-wide effort and major efforts by our construction manager, Bob Johnson of Back Bay Property Services, have brought us back to a stage where we have been worshipping together since November.
More than 1,000 lights are displayed up the Chapel’s Lane; we cannot use the building to attach our normal complement of 7,000 lights this year.
Fifty to 85 worshippers have had no issues with parking or seating (all seating is outside in the yard) each week. The 120-year-old Chapel building is slightly off its foundation and will be leveled and raised a few feet during the January to March 2025 time frame.
Please understand, as the SanCap Chamber is saying, we are “Not perfect, but still Paradise” and take care with your travel to our service.
Address is 11580 Chapin Lane, Captiva, FL 33957. No service Christmas morning.
The Captiva Chapel by the Sea is an interdenominational Christian church with a historical certification and a welcoming spirit. It operates from November through April each year. Our minister this year is Reverend Doctor Doug Dortch. He will serve as pastor until 2027.
Please get more information at our web site at www.captivachapel.com or at our Facebook page – Captiva Chapel.
