Crystal Cathedral Plans Relocation Amid ‘Revival’
The Crystal Cathedral is moving its congregation.
The church sold its current campus to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange as part of bankruptcy proceedings and has exercised an option in the sale agreement that lets it move to nearby St. Callistus Catholic Church as of June 1, 2013.
John Charles, CEO and president of Crystal Cathedral Ministries, notified Bishop Tod Brown of the planned move last week. The move will be, in effect, a swap of facilities, with St. Callistus’ congregation, and later the diocese’s administrative offices, moving to the Crystal Cathedral. The churches are about one mile apart on Lewis Street in Garden Grove, Calif.
The Diocese has granted the Crystal Cathedral free rent at the St. Callistus campus through December 2013. Rent payments of $25,000 per month will be due beginning January 2014 and escalate at a predetermined rate every two years thereafter. The length of the lease has not been determined.
“This is another important step in the revival that has been taking place at the Crystal Cathedral,” Charles said. “With attendance and donations up, the sky is the limit.”
St. Callistus’ sanctuary seats about 1,200, a little less than half the Crystal Cathedral sanctuary’s capacity. Charles said attendance has more than doubled in recent months, including a total of 1,707 at two Sunday morning services over Memorial Day weekend.
Charles said at an all-church meeting May 16 that St. Callistus was the only site being considered for a move. Plans for the transition will be announced later, including a new name for the church and modifications to the facilities to televise the Hour of Power.
