This week in Christian history: Sweet Hour of Prayer published, Crystal Cathedral bankruptcy sale

Crystal Cathedral bankruptcy sale approved – Sept. 14, 2011

The Rev. Robert H. Schuller, founder of the Crystal Cathedral Ministries, speaks in a video address to the public published on March 10, 2012, the weekend when the pastor declared he is stepping down from the ministry's board of directors.
The Rev. Robert H. Schuller, founder of the Crystal Cathedral Ministries, speaks in a video address to the public published on March 10, 2012, the weekend when the pastor declared he is stepping down from the ministry's board of directors. | (Photo: via YouTube)

This week marks the anniversary of when a federal judge allowed for the bankruptcy sale of Crystal Cathedral, the once prominent Orange County, California-based megachurch.

Crystal Cathedral Ministries was founded by the Schuller family in 1955, with its iconic glass sanctuary being the center of a large and influential ministry that included the "Hour of Power" broadcast.

However, the church gradually fell on financial hardship and had to declare bankruptcy in 2010 following its inability to pay vendors of the 2009 “Glory of Christmas” production.

In 2012, the ministry sold its notable sanctuary to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County for approximately $57 million.

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