BY TONY CHEONG: This week — Sept. 16 to be specific — the Rev. Robert Schuller, famous for his Crystal Cathedral church in Garden Grove and "Hour of Power" television show, would have celebrated his 89th birthday.
If there's a heaven, he must be looking down with mixed feelings.
On the one hand, his lavish church — an Orange County landmark — is now in the hands of Catholics, who, after the Catholic Diocese of Orange County bought the building and sprawling property, renamed it "Christ Cathedral."
BY TONY CHEONG: This week — Sept. 16 to be specific — the Rev. Robert Schuller, famous for his Crystal Cathedral church in Garden Grove and "Hour of Power" television show, would have celebrated his 89th birthday.
If there's a heaven, he must be looking down with mixed feelings.
On the one hand, his lavish church — an Orange County landmark — is now in the hands of Catholics, who, after the Catholic Diocese of Orange County bought the building and sprawling property, renamed it "Christ Cathedral."
On the other, his beloved grandson, Bobby, 33, has taken up where his grandfather left off, running a church and continuing the "Hour of Power," though he reaches a fraction of the viewers his grandfather did.
Shepherd's Grove in Garden Grove is smaller than the old church, and it's not going to become a must-see for tourists and students of architecture, but Bobby is preaching the same message of hope and redemption that the elder Schuller preached for decades.
And like his grandfather, he's trying to bring folks together.
Toward that end, he's combined two ministries that couldn't be more different, and that nobody figured would wind up under the same roof.
Many who worshipped at his grandfather's megachurch now worship at Shepherd's Grove. And most are elderly, they dress formally and they're used to traditional services, including traditional music. Bobby has also brought in Tree of Life, a ministry that caters to mostly young people. They dress informally and prefer laid-back services.
Can you cue up some swinging music, reverend?
At Shepherd’s Grove, there are two Sunday morning services. The first one at 9:30 features the traditional service with Don Neuen as choir director and Marc Riley as musical director. Both men were part of the Crystal Cathedral team.
The second service at 11:15 features contemporary folk and country-style music under the leadership of Tree of Life worship pastor Tully Wilkenson.
Bobby said that Shepherd's Grove was in dire straits two years ago.
Making the move had the obvious benefit of increasing the number of congregants. The church is close to hitting the 1,000 mark.
Rev. Robert Schuller built the towering glass-and-steel Crystal Cathedral in 1980, and from then on preached to a congregation of about 3,000 while 20 million viewers watched him on TV.
But the good reverend, who eventually saw his empire crumble and went bankrupt before his death, started his ministry in the most modest fashion: he preached on top of a concession stand at a drive-in movie theater. His motto: "Come as you are in the family car."
Bobby isn't standing on any shacks, but he is rolling up his sleeves, sweating it out and, yeah, being inventive.
Come to think of it, maybe his grandfather doesn't have mixed feelings.
Maybe he's smiling.
Do you have a question, comment or news tip for Tony? Email her at tonyontown@yahoo.com.
