Crystal Cathedral

Embroiled in a legal dispute with the church he founded, Robert H. Schuller and his wife have resigned from the international board of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove. The resignations are a result of a breakdown in negotiations over financial claims against the church that the Schullers filed in Bankruptcy Court. FOR THE RECORD: Crystal Cathedral: An article in the March 11 California section about Robert H. Schuller's departure from the board of the Crystal Cathedral said that he founded the church 42 years ago. The television ministry began 42 years ago, but Schuller founded the church 57 years ago, in 1955.

Crystal Cathedral bankruptcy filings made Monday appear to indicate that the church is actively interested in offers beyond one made by an Orange County real estate development group two months ago. In those filings, the church requested partial withdrawal from a plan that would make Greenlaw Partners the primary bidder for the property, entitling the group to a fee if outbid. In an exit plan filed by the church in May, Greenlaw would purchase the Crystal Cathedral property for $46 million, lease the church and other buildings back to the ministry and construct apartments on other parts of the campus.

The Crystal Cathedral, the Garden Grove megachurch, is laying off 50 workers, selling surplus property and may pull its "Hour of Power" television show in up to eight markets because of a precipitous drop in contributions. The 7,000-member church also has canceled its "Glory of Easter" pageant, a popular reenactment of the life and death of Jesus Christ, which sold tens of thousands of tickets each year. "This cuts to the heart of our ministry," said spokesman John Charles. "It is sad news."

Chapman University offered Tuesday to purchase the Crystal Cathedral campus for $46 million as part of a proposal that would allow the bankrupt church to lease back its core buildings and repay debts sooner than the initial exit plan put forth two months ago. A draft of the school's offer, backed by the church's creditors committee, was filed in Bankruptcy Court in Santa Ana, along with a motion to end the church's exclusive right to present a...

The Crystal Cathedral entered a new era of leadership Sunday when Robert A. Schuller succeeded his father, Robert H. Schuller, as senior pastor of the church. The younger Schuller was installed during a tearful 35-minute ceremony. The elder Schuller, 79, has served as senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral since founding the church at a drive-in theater Sept. 27, 1955.

Vice President Dan Quayle canceled a Sunday appearance at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove to attend the funeral of former El Salvador President Jose Napoleon Duarte, who died Friday after a long battle with stomach cancer. Quayle was scheduled to appear at the church at 9 a.m. The remainder of his appearances during the West Coast visit were private functions, a spokesman for Quayle said Friday.

The Crystal Cathedral has eliminated 37 jobs to make up for a "significant" shortfall in donations in recent months that church leaders blame on the economy's downturn. Six percent of the 600-member work force at the Garden Grove church and "Hour of Power" television show is being cut through layoffs and attrition, church officials said. Cuts include closure of an infant care nursery and elimination of 12 positions on Executive Pastor Glenn DeMaster's staff.

Jenny Craig, the woman whom some credit for helping millions of Americans to a thinner waistline, will appear with the Rev. Robert H. Schuller on Sunday at the 9:30 and 11 a.m. services at the Crystal Cathedral, 13280 Chapman Ave. in Garden Grove. In addition to Craig, the service will feature pianist Roger Williams and the Bel Canto Ladies Choir of Azusa Pacific University. Visitors are welcome, and child care is provided. Information: (714) 971-4000.

A man was shot in the parking lot of Garden Grove's Crystal Cathedral on Thursday by an Anaheim police officer looking for someone else, authorities said. The man, whose name was not released, was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange in serious condition with a bullet wound to the stomach. According to Sgt. Rick Martinez, a spokesman for the Anaheim Police Department, the incident occurred about 5:45 p.m.

The Rev. Robert H. Schuller will interview Millie Webb, the national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, at the 9:30 and 11 a.m. Sunday services at the Crystal Cathedral, 13280 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove. In 1971, Webb and her family were hit by a drunk driver whose car rear-ended their vehicle. Her 4 1/2-year-old daughter was killed, as was her 19-month-old nephew. Webb, who was pregnant, suffered a broken neck, and her husband was treated for serious burns.