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Mark Driscoll, the pastor of Seattle-based Mars Hill Church, will preach at the famed Crystal Cathedral in Southern California Sunday, June 14, and will appear on the “Hour of Power.” Crystal Cathedral is home to the Rev. Robert Schuller and his successful television ministry but has seen some decline in size and influence in recent years. Financial difficulties have caused the church to lay off staff and sell office space. Mars Hill, on the other hand, is among America’s booming churches. Driscoll preaches a “masculine” form of Calvinist theology that emphasizes the toughness of Jesus and Christianity. He also regularly...

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. – A man shot and killed himself in front of a cross inside televangelist Robert H. Schuller's Crystal Cathedral on Wednesday as a nearby volunteer told a group of visitors about the church's suicide-prevention program, police and church officials said. The man handed a note and his driver's license to two ushers, walked to the cross and then shot himself in the head as he appeared to be praying, Senior Pastor Juan Carlos Ortiz said. The Orange County coroner's office identified the man as Steve Smick, 48. Church spokesman Mike Nason said there was no record of...

Man kills himself in Schuller's Crystal Cathedral The body of an apparent suicide victim is loaded into a coroner's van at televangelist Robert H. Schuller's … GARDEN GROVE, Calif. – A man shot and killed himself in front of a cross inside televangelist Robert H. Schuller's Crystal Cathedral on Wednesday, police and church officials said. The man handed a note and his driver's license to two ushers, walked to the cross and then shot himself in the head as he appeared to be praying, Senior Pastor Juan Carlos Ortiz said. The man's identity was not released, but police Lt. Dennis...

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. - Once one of the most popular televangelists in the U.S., the Rev. Robert H. Schuller is watching his life's work crumble.His son and recent successor, the Rev. Robert A. Schuller, has abruptly resigned as senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral. The shimmering, glass-walled megachurch in Southern California is home to the "Hour of Power" broadcast, an evangelism staple that has been on the air worldwide for more than three decades.The church is in financial turmoil: It plans to sell more than $65 million worth of its Orange County property to pay off debt. Revenue dropped by...

Televangelism empire in chaos over family split By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer Saturday, January 31, 2009 Once one of the nation's most popular televangelists, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller is watching his life's work crumble. His son and recent successor, the Rev. Robert A. Schuller, has abruptly resigned as senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral. The shimmering, glass-walled megachurch is home to the "Hour of Power" broadcast, an evangelism staple that's been on the air for more than three decades. The church is in financial turmoil: It plans to sell more than $65 million worth of its Orange County...

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. A tagger etched the characters "B1R" with a sharp tool on 11 glass and granite surfaces at the Crystal Cathedral, causing about $30,000 in damage to the Garden Grove landmark, officials said Tuesday. Police were called to the cathedral at 12141 Lewis St. Monday to investigate defaced areas including glass walls of the original chapel and prayer room, granite areas of floors and the memorial wall, said Garden Grove police Lt. Travis Whitman. Police said the damage occurred sometime between Friday and Saturday nights, Whitman said. The damage consists of the etched characters B1R, and initial investigation...

Jan 2, 5:18 AM EST Schuller's Son to Run Crystal Cathedral GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (AP) -- The Crystal Cathedral didn't have to look far to find its next senior pastor. Robert H. Schuller, head of the famed all-glass church southeast of Los Angeles, told his congregation Sunday that his son, Robert A. Schuller, will succeed him. As founding pastor of the church, the elder Schuller, now 79, is considered one of the most influential religious leaders in the country. He plans to remain chairman of the board of international ministries and stay active in the church. Robert A. Schuller, 51,...

A new Islamic advocacy group in Boca Raton is under scrutiny for its ties to William W. Baker, a former chairman of the neo-Nazi political party of presidential candidate David Duke who was run out of town last year when he attempted to speak at Florida Atlantic University. Local Jewish and civic leaders said Friday they were alarmed that the Assadiq Islamic Education Foundation, whose headquarters are listed at 831 E. Palmetto Park Road in Boca, had invited Baker back to Boca as featured speaker at an April 30 banquet at the Boca Marriott. Invited by Muslim students to speak...

... Johnnie Carl, 57, shot himself to death in the pre-dawn hours Friday in a basement bathroom, leaving behind both the manic-depression that tortured him but also the church, community and family that adored him. "He was such an incredible, caring person," Linda Carl said Friday, her words fighting her tears. "He never felt he was worthy of all the praise he got. He would be totally amazed and disbelieving of what people are saying about him now." ...[snip]Carl spoke openly about his illness, according to friends and colleagues, many of whom expressed sadness - but not surprise - at...

Here is a sad UPDATE, from www.crystalcathedral.org: Press Release Friday, December 17, 2004 Garden Grove, California Dr. & Mrs. Robert H. Schuller are deeply saddened this morning to learn that Crystal Cathedral Orchestra conductor, Johnnie Carl, 57 years old, has taken his life. Mr. Carl has been in the employment of the Crystal Cathedral for nearly 30 years and is internationally renowned as a conductor and as a composer and arranger of over 3,500 musical pieces. “Johnnie was a beloved member of our church family and close personal friend,” said Dr. Schuller. “He was a creative genius whose beautiful arrangements...

Gorbachev and GodIn visit to the Crystal Cathedral, former Soviet leader won't say he doesn't believe.By David Neff | posted 10/20/00 In a broadcast to be aired Sunday, October 22, former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev talks with veteran religious broadcaster Robert Schuller for nearly 30 minutes about religious freedom, human dignity, and the presence of Christian belief in his childhood home. He also reminisces about the end of the Cold War and the beginnings of perestroika for the Hour of Power broadcast taped last Sunday before 4,500 people at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.Speaking through a translator, a...

Report: Shots Fired In Crystal Cathedral GARDEN GROVE — A gunman fired shots inside the Crystal Cathedral on Thursday, police said, but it wasn't immediately known if anyone was injured. The shooting happened about 4:45 p.m., said police Lt. Paul Prince. He said people within the cathedral grounds in Orange County were able to leave unharmed. The gunman, meanwhile, was believed to be loose somewhere on the cathedral grounds. Police quickly sealed off the area "It is a fluid situation. We have officers on scene," Prince said. The shooting took place shortly before two scheduled presentations of the world-famous cathedral's...