Vendors say Crystal Cathedral owes them tens of thousands of dollars

Vendors who helped produce popular Christmas and Easter pageants at the Crystal Cathedral megachurch in Garden Grove said Thursday that they are owed tens of thousands of dollars for their work.

The towering glass church, founded by Robert H. Schuller in the 1950s and home to an international ministry and the popular “Hour of Power” televangelist broadcast, has long been a symbol of success. But the church has struggled financially in the last two years, laying off workers and seeing revenues drop 27%.

Now the financial pain has spread to vendors involved with the “Glory of Easter” and “Glory of Christmas” pageants, elaborate productions that attract thousands of spectators.

“They simply quit paying us,” said Sharon Crabtree of Murrieta. “We’re all astounded by this.”
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Church spokesman John Charles could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon. But in January, he told The Times that the ministry was battered by the recession and suffering from declining television viewership and a drop in contributions from its aging congregation.
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