The Crystal Cathedral is a Protestant, Christian megachurch in the city of Garden Grove, in Orange County, California. The church was founded in 1955 by the Reverend Dr. Robert H. Schuller and his wife, Arvella, on the campus of what was known until that time as Garden Grove Community Church. One of the church's mission statements is, "Find a need and fill it; find a hurt and heal it." The church is considered the world's first "seeker sensitive" church. World-famous architect Philip Johnson designed the main sanctuary building, which was constructed using over 10,000 rectangular panes of glass and which can hold over 3,000 worshippers. The church is also known for its 280 rank, five manual pipe organ constructed by Fratelli Ruffatti. The instrument incorporates the large Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ built in 1962 for New York's Avery Fisher Hall. According to a History Channel program about the Crystal Cathedral, construction began in 1977 and ended in 1980. The initial estimated cost of the church was $7 million, but the final cost was over $17 million (about $55 million in 2007 dollars). Also according to the History Channel TV show, one way Dr. Schuller found to help finance the construction of the Crystal Cathedral was to sell each one of the 10,000 rectangular panes of glass for US$500 each, when the sale of the panes of glass was completed Dr. Schuller had raised over US$5 million. Also, according to the show, the rectangular panes of glass are not bolted to the structure, instead they are glued to it using a silicone based glue. This and other measures allow the building to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8.0. The Crystal Cathedral broadcasts its church services around the world on a television show called the Hour of Power and provides facilities for those of a similar faith to congregate. The campus services include support groups, Sunday school classes and daily Christian gatherings. Early on December 16 2004, 57 year old Johnnie Carl, the cathedral's orchestral conductor, fired several bullets in the cathedral, shortly before the annual Glory of Christmas program was about to begin. The shots were fired in the vacant concourse area and no one was injured. Carl reportedly suffered from clinical depression. Soon after Carl committed suicide. In his 29 years as Minister of Music at the cathedral, Carl wrote more than 3,500 arrangements, including several selections on tenor Daniel Rodriguez's newest inspirational album. Rodriguez, a frequent musical guest at the Sunday services, dedicated his album titled "In The Presence" to Johnnie Carl. Schuller praised Carl's work as conductor and told his congregation that "We can be reassured that he is in heaven." At present Marc Riley, Sean Groombridge and Donald Neuen lead the music department at the Crystal Cathedral. Dr. Schuller transferred leadership of the Crystal Cathedral and the Hour of Power TV program to his son, Dr. Robert Anthony Schuller, on Sunday, 22 January 2006. The cathedral celebrated its 50th year of ministry in 2006. The name "Crystal Cathedral" describes the building's size and beauty and does not mean it is a cathedral in the Roman Catholic, Anglican or Lutheran sense of the word: the Reformed Church in America is governed by elders, while a cathedral is usually the term for a church where one finds a bishop's official seat, or cathedra, nor is the sanctuary constructed of crystal. The title reflects Schuller's frequent use of alliteration within his sermon titles, points and book titles.
Trivia
- The Crystal Cathedral and its former senior pastor, Dr. Robert H. Schuller, were depicted in Natural Born Kissers, the final episode in the ninth season of The Simpsons. Homer Simpson is dragged nude across the glass roof of the cathedral by a hot air balloon, while Dr. Schuller and the congregation sit aghast below, inside the sanctuary. Dr. Schuller exhorts his congregation to keep their eyes focused on the floor during the ordeal.[1]
- The Crystal Cathedral was recently featured on the History Channel program entitled, "Building in the Name of God," which profiled the world's great cathedrals.
- The Hour of Power broadcast is the most-watched Christian program in the world, with an average of 20 million viewers tuning in each week.
- The Crystal Cathedral was featured on the MTV television series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County during Season 1. The Reverend Robert A. Schuller is the father of a former cast member on the show, Christina. She sang a duet with her sister during the church service on the show.
- In October 2000 the former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev was a guest at the Crystal Cathedral.
- Former Indian President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam visited Crystal Cathedral when he was a Scientist with Indian Defence Research Organization and mentioned the same in his autobiography 'Wings of Fire'.
- The cathedral is renowned for featuring famous celebrities during the Hour of Power services on a regular basis. Recent guests have included musician John Tesh, former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, Christian singer Jaci Velasquez, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, pianist Roger Williams, Christian singer Joy Williams, Backstreet Boys lead singer Brian Littrell, Christian singer Natalie Grant, former tennis star Michael Chang, Irish tenor Ronan Tynan, American tenor Daniel Rodriguez, musical group The Oak Ridge Boys, Christian singer Sara Groves, and Dr. Laura Schlessinger.
References
E.M.Skinner/Aeolian-Skinner Opus List, Compiled by Allen Kinzey and Sand Lawn, published: Organ Historical Society, Richmond, VA. 1st Edition, 1992, page 124.
External links
- Crystal Cathedral official website
- Crystal Cathedral is at coordinates Coordinates:
