Posted on 11/21/2011 6:27:15 AM PST by marshmallow
The bankrupt megachurch is to be sold to the Diocese of Orange.
GARDEN GROVE – Crystal Cathedral's head pastor spoke optimistically about the future of her iconic megachurch at Sunday morning services, telling a congregation of about 400 that it was not too late to ask God to intervene and stop the church's impending sale to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange.
Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman, the daughter of the church's founder, offered a prayer thanking God for "intentionally delaying" a miracle, and indicated that the bankrupt church would continue to pray and wait for God to reveal His final plans.
"Is a miracle delayed, denied?" Coleman asked repeatedly during the service, as congregants shouted "No!" from the pews.
"We have many reasons to believe that God's miracle will still come to pass," Coleman said, "and His glory will still shine all that much brighter."
On Thursday, a U.S. bankruptcy judge ruled that the Diocese of Orange would be able to purchase the 40-acre Crystal Cathedral campus for $57.5 million. In his decision, Bankruptcy Judge Robert Kwan in Santa Ana rejected a higher offer of $59 million from Chapman University in Orange, which was the other top contender for the Garden Grove property.
Under the diocese's plan, the ministry will be able to lease the core buildings – including the glass-walled sanctuary and its shimmering tower – for three years, at $100,000 a month during the first year and $150,000 for years two and three. They also will be able to lease back the Crystal Cathedral school building for $10,000 a month through summer 2013.
Church officials announced a day before Thursday's ruling that they were backing the diocese's offer, after previously saying on two different occasions that they would back Chapman's offer.
The bankruptcy process has strained already tense...........
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
But it seems to me quite obvious that Christ's message was "Follow Me, and you will learn how meaningless worldly possessions really are".
The Schuller clan does not seem to have learned that lesson very well.
Ministry Watch reports that the "Crystal Cathedral" can seat 2890, with 1000 additional seats/space for choir, ministry staff, etc. I think it's safe to say that the "congregation of about 400" mentioned in the article is an indication that membership has seriously declined.
Perhaps this is a members meeting. Actual attendance higher, official membership relatively low.
They used this building in the “life after people” series, to show how it would errod, collapse, etc.
It really was one good earthquake away from a shiny pile. :-)
At least it is not being brought out by a Muslism group.
Many wholeheartedly agree with you about the “showmanship edifices.” Well said.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2801749/posts?page=24#24
http://deanbible.org/andromeda.php?q=f&f=%2FAudio+Files
Norman Vincent Peale
And mentoring Peale, Ernest Holmes, founder of Religous Science. Influenced by Peale, in out generation, Rick Warren.
Interesting to contemplate the connections.
Paulinity.
Shared-use facilities.
The Hour of Power is filmed on Saturday evenings.
Mind you, it’s slightly odd for a cathedral to not have Saturday-evening masses.
We (Catholics) would be better off building a thousand little chapels.
Catholics do need a bigger cathedral for the diocese.
However, I’m praying for the deal not to go through, too! The building, IMHO, is a monster that is completely neutral at best and ugly at worst, will have no space for traditional Catholic art and devotional items, and is basically just an auditorium for hearing a speech. It was designed to be a stage for a preacher, not to accomodate an altar for the mass.
The current bishop is a raving liberal who is about to retire and this was his parting gesture. There was considerable opposition to this deal in his diocese. It would also be possible to build a larger cathedral for less, and that’s another sound reason for opposition.
But it’s all about the bishop using his last chance to impose his AmChurch vision on the diocese.
Dominus vobiscum, y’all!
Yep, us mackerel snappin’ papists are gonna move right into the newly renamed St. Peter’s Crystal Catholic Church with our Friday fish fries ‘n’ bingo games, singing “Immaculate Mary” and “Hail Holy Queen”!
Sic gloria Deo!
;^)
If Catholics believe the Crystal Cathedral is a Calvinist temple, I've got some additional properties that I'd like to sell them!
Excellent job “connecting the dots”. “pastor” Rick Warren is a neophite of Schuller and Peal. Warrenc just repackaged thier ungodly, Satanic shuck and jive for a new generation.
/s
We decided to content ourselves with worshiping God at our little Baptist Church of 100 people who attend so they can worship God, be challenged to walk with Him and be equipped to share the gospel with others.
We don't have a pipe organ.
Yes indeed. They would have to do quite a bit of sanctuary renovation to actually make it into a proper Catholic church -- neither the organ nor the choir belong behind the altar.
It would also be possible to build a larger cathedral for less
And then they could even end up with something that looks like a Catholic church ... !!
Probably the whole point was NOT to have something that looks like a Catholic church!
IIRC, the very liberal former Bishop of Oakland (CA) did something like this just before he retired...built a monstrosity that will afflict the diocese for decades to come. I think it’s just one final, spiteful parting gesture, because they know that their fun is over and orthodoxy is coming back.
But than again, it could be worse, remember that Cathedral for Los Angeles? It looks like a box store.
Well called.
My home cathedral, would be viewed by very traditional Roman Catholics as being too modern. But this cathedral rose from the ashes of the gothic original which was destroyed by fire back in the 1950’s. Here is the website:
http://www.cathedralofsaintjoseph.com/
There is a section on the website about St. Joseph’s history.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.