On the north end of Clearwater Beach, just steps from the white sand and within walking distance of several hotels, a small white building with stained-glass windows and a gold-leaf cross sits at 54 Bay Esplanade. It is Chapel by the Sea, the only church on the island, and it has gathered people on this stretch of the Gulf Coast every Sunday morning for more than seventy-five years. The congregation is interdenominational, theologically progressive, and casual in dress and manner without being casual about the Christian faith it proclaims. Members describe themselves as welcoming, inclusive, and serious about both laughing on Sunday morning and serving their neighbors the rest of the week.
A Church Born from a Beach Community's Concern
Chapel by the Sea began in 1949 with the persistence of a Canadian winter resident named Norah Atkins. She believed the children of Clearwater Beach deserved religious education, and she worked with neighbors, the Clearwater Beach Association, the Jaycees, local businesses, and nearby congregations to start one. She organized the Clearwater Beach Community Church, soon known as Chapel by the Sea, and 120 people attended the inaugural worship at the Jaycees building. A committee formed, plans developed, and through the generosity of the Skinner family, land was donated. The first service in the new Chapel took place on February 10, 1952, with 400 people attending.
From the beginning, the Chapel was designed to be interfaith and community-oriented. The congregation joined the International Council of Community Churches and the Florida Fellowship of Community Churches, and was instrumental in founding Religious Community Services, an agency of more than eighty Christian and Jewish congregations that provides food, clothing, and shelter through a food bank, a spouse-abuse shelter, and two transitional housing programs. The Chapel continues to be a major supporter of what is now known as Hope Villages of America. Members of the congregation have served for decades on boards and in the work of numerous local charities and civic organizations, including the Clearwater Beach Chamber of Commerce.
The Chapel's stated theology is progressive. Members come from many religious backgrounds, or none at all, and are encouraged to question, search, and grow. The congregation sums up its belief simply: enriched living, inspired learning, and expanded loving, with an open invitation to anyone who wants to join the journey.
Sunday Morning at the Chapel
Worship at Chapel by the Sea begins at 10:00 AM and gathers a notably diverse mix of year-round residents, part-year residents, beach neighbors, and visitors on vacation. The style is described by the congregation as casual traditional. Members sing great hymns of the faith, both classic and new, along with a choir anthem and occasional special music from one of the vocalists. They read litanies and prayers, recite the Lord's Prayer, and sing the Doxology together. Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month, and both wine and grape juice are offered to accommodate the various traditions people bring with them.
The music program is one of the Chapel's defining features. It is led by Director of Music Brent Douglas, who holds a Master of Music in conducting and a Bachelor of Music in piano from the University of South Florida and has additional training from around the world. He is a conductor, orchestral pianist, vocal instructor, and organist, and has served as pianist for the Florida Orchestra. The Chapel Choir is anchored by professional section leaders and vocal students who have received scholarships from an endowed music fund, and the music ranges from gospel to traditional across the Christian calendar. During special services and concerts, Brent brings in brass, strings, and percussion to accompany the singers. The sanctuary itself, which was remodeled in 2025, features traditional pews, stained-glass windows, and the organ pipes that frame the chancel.
The pastor, Rev. Dr. Rhonda Abbott Blevins, preaches in a style that is described by the congregation as warm, casual, and thought-provoking, with humor woven in. She holds a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth and a Doctor of Ministry from Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta, and has served in ministry for more than twenty-five years as a campus minister, associate pastor, and denominational leader. She is a trained life coach and certified Enneagram trainer who also offers clergy coaching through Pinnacle Leadership Associates.
Infant and toddler care is provided during worship. Members are invited to come as they are. Many dress business casual; some wear suits, others shorts, and that is welcome at a beach church. Services are livestreamed on the Chapel's YouTube channel for those who cannot attend in person.
The Building and the Wedding Venue
The Chapel sanctuary was fully remodeled in 2025 and now seats up to 325 guests. For smaller ceremonies, the Minister's Study or Reflection Garden accommodates gatherings of fewer than ten. The sanctuary has a center aisle, traditional pews, state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, the stained-glass windows, and the gold-leaf cross and organ pipes. Weddings at Chapel by the Sea are openly inclusive: the church gladly welcomes and supports same-sex couples. Two Christmas Eve candlelight services are held each year, a family-friendly service at 4:30 PM and a traditional service at 7:30 PM that features the Chapel Choir accompanied by a string quartet. A nursery is available for both services. Wedding packages include rehearsal, two hours of facility access before the ceremony, the minister's services, an A/V specialist with livestream option and ceremony recording on a flash drive, an organist or pianist, candelabra, pew candles, use of the Chapel's preferred florist, referrals, and the option of using Chapel Hall for a reception. Professional HD videography with four cameras is available. Free parking is available in the church lot, with 35 spaces. A non-refundable $500 deposit secures the date. The church partners with the Adorable Wedding Trolley for guest transportation.
Music Beyond Sunday Morning
Music is woven deeply into the life of the Chapel. The Chapel Choir welcomes new voices and rehearses on Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 PM seasonally, as well as on Sunday mornings at 9 AM. No audition is required, and classes to help with music reading are offered periodically. Section leaders help new singers learn the music, and links to upcoming choral anthems are provided. The choir has sung for weddings, funerals, and special events upon request, and soloists are available to perform at events at the Chapel. The Chapel's Christmas concert, Carols by Candlelight, fills the sanctuary with the Chapel Choir performing seasonal anthems and familiar caroling favorites, followed by a wine, cheese, and appetizer reception in Chapel Hall.
Growing in Faith: Adults, Kids, and the Curious
Chapel by the Sea runs an unusually full slate of adult education. Adult Sunday School meets at 9 AM in the Board Room and is facilitated by Joe Creegan, the Minister of Education, whose career before ministry included senior roles with Residence Inn by Marriott, adjunct professorships at St. Petersburg College, and consulting work with his own firm, Profit With People. The Thursday Morning Bible Study meets at 11 AM in Classroom 1 or the Board Room and works through Scripture verse by verse, currently studying Acts. It is also available on Zoom for those who cannot attend in person. The Tuesday Night Forum meets for six-week topical series, with an optional dinner at 6 PM and the program at 7 PM, and has tackled themes such as a Christian view of artificial intelligence, personhood, and human dignity. Fermenting the Faith, held on the second Tuesday of the month at 7 PM at Southern Lights Brewing in Clearwater, hosts deeper conversation around faith and theology over craft beverages.
Children and youth are central to the Chapel's identity. The children's ministry emphasizes the moral and ethical growth of children, the clarity of how the world and universe were created, the welcome of freethinking within a framework of acceptance, and learning through fun. The curriculum used is Sparkhouse. Activities for children and youth include visits to the Clearwater Aquarium, kayaking, volleyball, field trips, and the annual Back to School Bash with a blessing for students and teachers, Sunday School, a pizza party, and a swim party at the recreation center. Every August, the Chapel hosts a Quarterly Blood Drive with the Big Red Bus on the church grounds.
The Chapel Chicks: A Year of Fellowship and Service
One of the most distinctive ministries at the Chapel is the Chapel Chicks, a women's fellowship that runs from October through May each year. The Chicks gather monthly for a catered luncheon in Chapel Hall on the second Tuesday of the month at noon, with guest speakers and a $20 fee that includes entrée and dessert. The seasonal schedule adds Chicks Night Out on the third Tuesday of each month at 5:30 PM, with the group rotating to a different local restaurant each time for lively conversation. The Chicks Christmas Party in December is an evening affair with wine, wassail, and live seasonal music. The Beachside Book Club, formerly the Chapel Chicks Book Club and now open to all adults, meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 10:30 AM. The Chicks also sponsor an annual Christmas outreach, curating gift bags for Haven House, a safe shelter for women and children. The Chapel Champs, a parallel group, meets monthly on the second Thursday of the month at 9 AM for breakfast and discussion.
Outreach and Missions as a Way of Life
Ministry beyond the four walls of the church is a stated high priority at the Chapel. The congregation was a founding church of Religious Community Services, now Hope Villages of America, which helps individuals and families facing hunger, homelessness, and domestic violence and is one of the Chapel's chief local partners. Each month, a Chapel team prepares and serves a meal for homeless individuals through the Peace Café at Peace Presbyterian Church, usually on the third Thursday of the month. The annual Beachwalk, now in its seventeenth year, draws walkers from Crabby's Beachside to Pier 60 and back to the Chapel for a pancake breakfast, with proceeds going to Hope Villages of America and HEP (Homeless Empowerment Program). Each fall, the Chapel partners with Rise Against Hunger to package dehydrated meals for families in countries facing food scarcity; over the years, the congregation has packed more than 100,000 meals, with more than 70 volunteers of all ages gathering to staff funnel, scale, sealing, and boxing stations.
The Chapel also partners with Pinellas County Habitat for Humanity, providing both financial support and volunteer labor on homes being built for qualified families. Each year the congregation runs collection drives: the Drop Off Your Drawers underwear and sock drive for school children in July, the Veterans Men Clothing Drive for the Veteran Mall at Abilities of Florida, and seasonal food collections for Hope Villages. The Chapel has supported Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an organization that builds beds for children who do not have one. Through its participation in the International Council of Community Churches, the Chapel also supports Church World Service, a faith-based organization committed to responding to hunger, poverty, displacement, and disaster around the world.
A Committee Culture That Welcomes Participation
The Chapel is run in significant part by its committees, and the church actively invites newcomers to join one. The Committee Fair, held each spring, sets up tables in Chapel Hall to explain the work of each committee and recruit volunteers. Standing committees include the Congregational Life Committee, the Education Committee, the Finance Committee, the HR Committee, the Spiritual Life Committee, the Marketing Committee, the Outreach Committee, the Property Committee, the Kitchen Committee, and the New Member Committee. Roles within the life of the church range from greeter, usher, liturgist, communion server, choir member, and committee volunteer to ride-provider and committee chair. Carla Creegan, who joined the Chapel team in 2025 as Church Business Administrator and Parish Nurse, is a registered nurse supported by the Faith Community Nursing program at Baycare and provides healthy living programs for seniors, advanced care planning, and individual health consultations for church members.
Planning a Visit
Visitors are always welcome. The church's motto sums up its self-understanding: Welcome. Gather. Pray. Give. Serve. Forgive. Sing. Grow. Respect. Love. Sunday worship begins at 10:00 AM, with infant and toddler care provided. Casual dress is the norm. Parking on Clearwater Beach can be tight; the church lot has 35 spaces, and additional free parking is available in the public lot across Bay Esplanade until 12:30 PM on Sundays. The chapel is also accessible by a Beachwalk Trolley stop nearby. The office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 AM to 5 PM and Sunday from 9 AM to noon, and the staff can be reached at 727-446-0430 or churchoffice@chapelbythesea.net. Services that cannot be attended in person can be watched on the Chapel's YouTube channel. Giving is available online, by text to 727-222-1336, or by automated giving.
For those who would like to explore a deeper commitment, the Welcome page is a good place to start, and the Committee Fair each March is the simplest introduction to the dozen or so ways to plug in. For those who are simply visiting the beach and want to worship, the sanctuary doors open before 10 AM, and the people inside will be glad you came.