Costa Mesa’s First United Methodist Church to host 105th annual Christmas Eve service

Lights will glow and voices will sing Sunday for First United Methodist Church’s 105th annual Christmas Eve service.

The downtown Costa Mesa institution’s roots date to 1912 when the congregation began celebrating Christmas Eve in a Methodist tradition, the Rev. Sarah Heath said.

Heath, First United’s pastor since July 2016, said the service will include reading Scripture and singing “Silent Night.” On the song’s last verse, the sanctuary’s lights will be turned off and the space will be lighted by candles.

“It’s really pretty, especially since you’re in a 90-year-old building surrounded by stained-glass windows,” Heath said.

The church on West 19th Street is having its own renaissance. The congregation has grown in recent years from around 15 people to as many as 100 on some Sundays.

Heath said the congregation is now more diverse, shifting from a predominantly older crowd to one that spans multiple generations.

First United’s sanctuary, a Spanish Colonial Revival building built in 1928 that is one of Costa Mesa’s most recognizable landmarks, has been getting various updates, from the floors and restrooms to the landscaping.

Heath said worshippers are bringing plants from home and replanting them at the church, creating a kind of community garden.

“It’s their way of investing in this building for the long term,” Heath said.

Following a demolition project last year that cleared some space on the nearly 1-acre downtown lot, First United now also has more parking.

The Christmas Eve service will begin at 4:30 p.m. at the church, 420 W. 19th St., and will last about an hour.

Admission is free, and no ticket is required. Children are welcome but childcare will not be provided. Coffee and hot apple cider will be served.

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