Captiva’s Chapel by the Sea, 11580 Chapin Lane, will hold a Christmas Eve service this year with seasonal music prepared by Music Director Lynne Dugan at 5:30 p.m. and caroling by candlelight at 6 p.m.
The then-Reverend Boyd Edwards started the candlelight service tradition in the 1950s, and it has been an island favorite ever since.
The chapel currently has more than 1,000 holiday lights displayed up the lane since the building can not be used to hang the usual complement of 7,000 lights.
The 120-year-old chapel building is slightly off its foundation and will be leveled and raised a few feet between January and March 2025.
The chapel also felt the effects of Hurricane Milton in October, primarily the intrusion of up to four feet of sand accumulated in the parking, cemetery, and chapel yard.
An island-wide effort and a significant effort by the chapel’s construction manager, Bob Johnson of Back Bay Property Services, have brought the chapel grounds to a place where they have been worshipping together outdoors since November.
Fifty to 85 worshippers have had no issues with parking or seating (all seating is outside in the yard) each week.
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. The minister this year is Reverend Doctor Doug Dortch. He will serve as pastor until 2027. More information can be found at www.captivachapel.com or on the Captiva Chapel Facebook page.
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