I know that last year when I was searching for service times in the lower mainland it was a little difficult to find times on the web. I also know that sometimes your own church doesn’t have a time that suits your family. I would love to go to the 11:00 pm service at my own church Holy Trinity at 12th and Hemlock or even the family service at 7. These services don’t make sense for us though. We will want both boys to be in bed by 7 and 7:30 respectively, so staying out late isn’t in the cards this year.
We do have some other choices in and around downtown for some early Christmas Eve Services and I am not sure what we will choose.
At Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Vancouver at the corner of Georgia and Burrard there are several options starting in the early afternoon. For the 4pm, 8 pm and 11 pm you need to be there early as they are full to capacity 45 minutes early. Maybe they will start the services early. 🙂 Oh and there is parking next door at Cathedral place, and the skytrain stop is right across the street.
Gospel Christmas for the City: 1 pm A service led by gospel singers and musicians, with favourite Christmas songs, hymns and carols, and a children’s story.
Carols for the City: 4pm A Salvation Army band and worship leader, carols, and a children’s story.
Mass for the City: 8pm and 11 pm Music is led by the Cathedral Choir and guest musician, and the preacher is Bishop Ingham.
St. Andrew’s Wesley at Burrard and Nelson There is a parent and tot service from 2: 30 to 3:15 pm, Christmas Eve Jazz Vespers with Karin Plato, Jennifer Scott, and Kate Hammett-Vaughan at 4pm, a Family Service at 7 pm and a Candlelight Service at 11pm.
Canadian Memmorial Church and Centre for Peace on 15th and Burrard. There is the pageant at 4 pm geared toward families with children, the celebration service of songs and readings at 7:30 pm and the Cosmic Candlelight Service with Communion at 11 pm. (Yes you did read that correctly.)
St. Mary’s Kerrisdale at 37th and Larch has some afternoon Christmas Pageants as well as some evening services. The pageants are at 3 and 4:30 pm, and the evening services are at 7 and 11 pm.
St. John Shaunessy at the corner of Granville and Nanton has services at 4:3o pm, 8pm and 11 pm. The 4:30 service is their family service.
St. Paul’s on Jervis south of Davie. They have a family Christmas service at 5 pm and a midnight mass starting with special music at 10:30 pm.
St. Anslem’s at UBC (Across from the golf course.) There is a service at 4:30 pm including a pageant, and one at 9:30 pm.
St. Phillip’s in Dunbar (27th, half a block from Dunbar) They are having a Children’s Service at 5 pm, communion at 7:30 and midnight mass at 11 pm.
These are some of the Anglican and other churches in Vancouver proper, though there are many more. A quick google search should find you more options close to where you live.
