Chapel by the Sea has new interim pastor
Dr. James Berger has led congregations from Alaska to the Bahamas
As Christmas approaches on Fort Myers Beach, Chapel by the Sea Presbyterian Church is preparing its holy day with Dr. James Berger, who took over in August on an interim basis.
Berger, a native of New Jersey who got his start in the ministry as an associate pastor in Beverly Hills where Hollywood stars like Jimmy Stewart and Greer Garson would stop by, doesn’t plan on staying long but he is committed to the mission at hand.
Berger has led congregations from Alaska to the Bahamas before he made his way to Fort Myers Beach. He earned a doctorate of ministry from the San Francisco Theological Seminary in Family Systems Theory. After leaving the Bahamas, he came to Bonita Springs and became the pastor at the former Hope United Presbyterian Church in Estero. He retired from there in 2015 and then spent five years leading a congregation in Lehigh Acres. “We have a lot of turnover, a lot of retirements in this region,” he said.
He is now in charge of the oldest standing church congregation on the Beach.
“I am excited about being here,” Berger said. “This congregation is facing change because this island is facing change.
The original Chapel by the Sea Church was constructed in 1938 at its present location but was moved to Harlem Heights for the establishment of Mount Pleasant Mission Baptist Church in 1988.
Back then, the membership of Chapel by the Sea was 926, though it is about half of that now during the season. In the off-season, there are about 200 members, Berger said.
Chapel by the Sea is experiencing the slowdown in year-round church-going families as Fort Myers Beach has transitioned from a community with 9,284 residents in 1990 to one with an estimated 5,582 citizens in the 2020 census.
“Families are not moving here because they can’t afford it,” Berger said. “Homes are now sold as rentals.”
There are other challenges for the church as well – COVID-19. The church has been broadcasting its weekly prayers online since the pandemic began. “We’re still feeling the pressure,” Berger said. About 200 people will watch the Sunday prayers online. “More and more people are opting to watch it online from home,” Berger said. A weekly bible study class he holds draws up to 150 people from online.
“We are continuing to mask and distance just to be safe,” he said.
Berger said the church is looking for a pastor “with a depth of experience who can lead them through substantial change.”
He said the church is looking to “embrace the changing demographic and reach out to the new arrivals and attract them to the congregation.”
Chapel by the Sea has an emphasis on its mission of helping the needy through God’s Table, a feeding program held three times a week on the church grounds. The church also has a financial assistance program to help people having trouble paying their utility or mortgage bills if they are “in dire straits,” Berger said.
Berger said the churches on the island work together and support the food pantry at Beach Baptist Church as well as God’s Table.
“Each of us have a piece in helping to sustain those in need on the island,” he said. Berger sees the need as constant with a small, but seemingly permanent homeless population. “This is their lifestyle, this is their lives,” he said.
Another new part of the church is their music director Wojciech Wojtasiewicz, a native of Poland and a former orthopedic surgeon. He took over the music program a month and a half ago, Berger said. Wojtasiewicz plays the piano, organ, bell chimes and guitar. Berger also plays the guitar – an acoustic Gibson.
There will be two Christmas Eve services on Friday: at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. with a traditional candlelighting at the end of the services, Berger said. There will be special Christmas decorations as well.
“Our theme is making room in the inn. Housing the holy in our hearts,” Berger said.