This week in Christian history: Crystal Cathedral holds last service, Council of Lyons begins

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, June 25, 2023

Crystal Cathedral holds last service in famed building – June 30, 2013

This week marks the anniversary of when Crystal Cathedral Ministries held its final service at its famous church sanctuary, handing the building over to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange.

Opened in 1980, the large sanctuary was a prominent fixture in California, as was the senior pastor, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, host of the popular television program “Hour of Power.”

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However, years of decline and financial woes eventually led to the church having to sell its property and move to a smaller location, taking the name Shepherd’s Grove.

Pastor Bobby Schuller, the grandson of the Cathedral founder, told those gathered for the service that the final service was “like a commencement ceremony” as it was “the end of one thing, the beginning of another.”

“I know it is sad for many of us to leave. So many of us have great memories here,” Schuller added. “We think about all the great things that God did here, and sometimes, as we dwell on those great memories and think about them … sometimes we forget that God has new memories for us.”