You won’t miss this imposing, inspiring church on a drive through the city of Garden Grove, with its strikingly modern glass roof and walls, all secured to a steel frame.
The Crystal Cathedral was designed by Robert H. Schuller, who founded the Garden Grove Community Church and built it into one of America’s first “mega-churches” with a huge worldwide following. Schuller became one of the world’s best-known televangelists, and his weekly Hour of Power sermons, recorded at the cathedral, were watched by 20 million people worldwide at the programme's peak in the 1990s. Financial trouble has plagued the church in recent times and Schuller is no longer involved, but the building still remains to be enjoyed by both religious and secular visitors.
Visitors are welcome to enjoy the cathedral grounds, which feature a bell tower, and a 300-seat auditorium and café dubbed “The Welcoming Centre”, along with an outdoor courtyard and gardens dotted with religious statues and water features. Set aside an hour to explore the exterior.
Beyond its crystal-like external appearance, the cathedral’s most striking interior feature is its pipe organ, which is one of the largest in the world. This, combined with its large seating capacity (2736 seats) and space for orchestras or choirs with hundreds of members, makes the building an attractive venue for concerts and performances as well as serving its original purpose as a space for religious meetings.
To gain a real understanding of the cathedral and its history, join one of the guided tours which usually take place after the morning service on Sundays. For you can’t make this time or would rather to explore at your own pace, self-guided tour maps are available in the lobby of the Welcoming Centre.
Check with the local tourist office before visiting, as things are changing at the Crystal Cathedral. Crystal Cathedral Ministry (the name of Schuller’s Garden Grove Community Church since the completion of the cathedral in the early 1980s) sold the cathedral and its adjacent campus to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County in 2012. The new owners plan to renovate the cathedral interior and will change its name to Christ Cathedral when they take possession in about 2015.
The Crystal Cathedral is located in Garden Grove, just a few kilometres south of Disneyland®. Plenty of free parking is available on site.
