• Crystal Cathedral's Memorial Day Service to Feature Navy SEAL, NYPD Vets

    By Luiza Oleszczuk on May 23,2012

    Crystal Cathedral Ministries will celebrate Memorial Day Sunday with a veteran of the Navy SEALs and a representative of the New York Police Department. Bobby Schuller, grandson of the ministry's founder, will deliver the sermon.

    The Garden Grove, Calif. ministry, known for its long-running "Hour of Power" worship broadcast as well as its iconic glass church building, invited former Navy SEAL, current author and full-time minister Chad Williams to speak to the congregation Sunday.

    Williams served tours of duty in the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iraq, having been one of only 13 from a class of 173 to make it straight through to graduation when trained to be a SEAL. "Williams sank into wild bouts of drinking and fighting off-duty, before accepting Christ," according to a statement from the church. Williams will discuss his testimony shared in the book SEAL of God, published in April. more >>

  • First-Grader Can Perform Chris Tomlin Song After Idaho School Reverses Ban

    By Alex Murashko on May 19,2012

    An Idaho first-grader's plan to perform a song by worship singer Chris Tomlin using sign language for a talent show is back on track after the school's principal originally banned the entry, deeming the song "too religious."

    Lena Whitmore Elementary School reversed its decision after the Alliance Defense Fund sent a letter to the school and district officials pointing out that banning the performance would be unconstitutional.

    The Christian-based lawyers group released a statement on Friday that said ADF remains concerned about a district policy that will allow free speech violations to continue if it is left unchanged. more >>

  • Annular Solar Eclipse to Hit Northern California This Weekend

    By Vincent Funaro on May 18,2012

    For the first time since 1994, Northern California residents will have a chance to witness a rare annular solar eclipse on Sunday.

    Those living in the Bay Area can drive just a few hours and catch a glimpse at this rare phenomenon.

    Annular eclipses differ from normal solar eclipses since they have a different effect on the moon, where instead of completely blocking out the sun, it leaves a "ring of fire" surrounding the moon's dark silhouette. more >>

  • Crystal Cathedral Considers Relocating to Nearby Catholic Church

    By Luiza Oleszczuk on May 18,2012

    Crystal Cathedral's newly minted president said Wednesday that the ministry behind the "Hour of Power" might be moving to a Catholic church in their Orange County, Calif., neighborhood, although probably not for another year and a half.

    John Charles, president and CEO of the ministry, reportedly said in a meeting of the congregants and the church board that St. Callistus Catholic Church in Garden Grove was the only option the bankrupt ministry could consider moving to when it comes time to relocate, as its campus was sold to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange in February.

    Following the famous ministry's bankruptcy filing in Oct. 2010 and subsequent sale, the congregation was given three years from when the escrow closed to find a new venue. more >>

  • Greg Laurie's Upcoming Sermon Traces Disciple Peter's Footsteps in Jerusalem

    By Alex Murashko on May 18,2012

    Evangelist Greg Laurie can be seen tracing the steps of the disciple Peter in his upcoming sermon filmed in Jerusalem that will be shown to his church in Southern California and webcast to a global online audience during worship services this Sunday.

    "Greg traces Peter's story from the Shepherd's fields to Jerusalem and the site that many believe to be the house of Caiaphas where Jesus was detained on the night of his arrest," said John Collins, executive director of Harvest Ministries, to The Christian Post. Collins along with Harvest's tech team viewed the video from Israel on Thursday.

    "On that site, Greg tells the story of Peter's denial before the rooster crowed. more >>

  • Bobby Schuller Talks Starting Over, Returning to Crystal Cathedral

    By Ivana Kvesic on May 17,2012

    Bobby Schuller, the son of former pastor Robert A. Schuller, spoke to Lawrence Wilkes of The Crystal Cathedral's "Hour of Power" television program to discuss life after leaving the famous ministry founded by his grandfather, and the challenges he faced starting his own church from the ground up.

    Schuller is the grandson of the Rev. Robert H. Schuller who started the Crystal Cathedral Ministries as a start-up congregation in a Garden Grove, Calif., drive-in movie theater five decades ago.

    Bobby Schuller was active in the church, running Crystal Cathedral's Gathering Community Ministry, but left the famously opulent campus in 2009 with his wife Hannah to begin his own journey into starting a church from the ground up, he told Wilkes. more >>