The Hour of Power
Encyclopedia
Hour of Power is a weekly American
Christian
television
program currently hosted by Sheila Schuller Coleman. It was previously hosted by her brother, Robert A. Schuller
, and her father, Robert H. Schuller
, who founded the program. It is broadcast from the Crystal Cathedral
in Garden Grove, California
. The program is normally one hour long, but some networks broadcast an edited 30 minute program. It features a large congregation, mostly Christian music with a choir (formerly with an orchestra and now a band) and guests who speak about how God
and their Christian faith have changed their lives for the better.
On July 9, 2008, the presidency of the church was shifted from the senior Schuller to his son Robert A. Schuller
.
On October 26, 2008, it was announced that the elder Schuller had removed his son, Robert A. Schuller
, as teaching pastor, but allowed him to remain as the Crystal Cathedral's senior pastor. Schuller senior said that he wanted to take the ministry in a different direction and for the foreseeable future would use guest speakers for the weekly services rather than his son. Well-known speakers who were used in the early stages of the new format included Lee Strobel
, John C. Maxwell
, and Bill Hybels
. On November 29, 2008, the church announced that the younger Schuller had resigned.
On October 18, 2010, the board of the Crystal Cathedral filed for bankruptcy in Santa Ana, California.
cable, TBN
, and on nearly 100 local stations. It is also shown on the American Forces Network
.
In Europe it is broadcast on CNBC Europe
, VOX in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland and Sky1 in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. In the Middle East it is carried on METV
in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria; and in Australia on EXPO
, Australian Christian Channel
and the free to air commercial television channel Network Ten
. In Australia the program is also broadcast weekly on radio. It is broadcast in New Zealand on the Prime network each Sunday Morning at 7.30am.
The Hour of Power telecast, filmed in the Crystal Cathedral
’s main sanctuary, at one point attracted 1.3 million viewers from 156 countries.
Video streams of the Hour of Power are also provided on its website.
2008 revenues for the program were nearly $5 million lower than revenues for 2007. As of early 2009, the church planned to sell more than $65 million worth of its Orange County property to pay off debt: 150 acre (0.607029 km²) in San Juan Capistrano, California
, and an office building in Garden Grove, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
program currently hosted by Sheila Schuller Coleman. It was previously hosted by her brother, Robert A. Schuller
Robert A. Schuller
Robert Anthony Schuller is an American televangelist, author, and television executive. He was formerly a minister on the Hour of Power weekly television program broadcast from the Crystal Cathedral in Orange County, California, where he was named senior pastor in 2006...
, and her father, Robert H. Schuller
Robert H. Schuller
Robert Harold Schuller is an American televangelist, pastor, speaker, motivator and author. He is principally known for the weekly Hour of Power television program which he began in 1970. He is also the founder of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, where the Hour of Power program...
, who founded the program. It is broadcast from the Crystal Cathedral
Crystal Cathedral
The Crystal Cathedral is a Protestant Christian church building in the city of Garden Grove, in Orange County, California, United States. It is the headquarters and principal place of worship for Crystal Cathedral Ministries, a church founded in 1955 by Robert H. Schuller and affiliated with the...
in Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove is a city located in northern Orange County, California. The population was 170,883 at the 2010 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city running east-west. The city is known outside the Southern California area for being the home of Robert H...
. The program is normally one hour long, but some networks broadcast an edited 30 minute program. It features a large congregation, mostly Christian music with a choir (formerly with an orchestra and now a band) and guests who speak about how God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
and their Christian faith have changed their lives for the better.
History
The program first aired in 1970 as a church service of the Garden Grove Community Church. It was originally hosted by the elder Schuller; the younger Schuller co-hosted it from 1976 to 2008.Robert A. Schuller
Robert Anthony Schuller is an American televangelist, author, and television executive. He was formerly a minister on the Hour of Power weekly television program broadcast from the Crystal Cathedral in Orange County, California, where he was named senior pastor in 2006...
.
On October 26, 2008, it was announced that the elder Schuller had removed his son, Robert A. Schuller
Robert A. Schuller
Robert Anthony Schuller is an American televangelist, author, and television executive. He was formerly a minister on the Hour of Power weekly television program broadcast from the Crystal Cathedral in Orange County, California, where he was named senior pastor in 2006...
, as teaching pastor, but allowed him to remain as the Crystal Cathedral's senior pastor. Schuller senior said that he wanted to take the ministry in a different direction and for the foreseeable future would use guest speakers for the weekly services rather than his son. Well-known speakers who were used in the early stages of the new format included Lee Strobel
Lee Strobel
Lee Patrick Strobel is a writer, creationist, former journalist and former megachurch pastor. He is the author of several books, including four which received ECPA Christian Book Awards and a series which addresses challenges to a Biblically inerrant view of Christianity...
, John C. Maxwell
John C. Maxwell
John Calvin Maxwell is an evangelical Christian author, speaker, and pastor who has written more than 60 books, primarily focusing on leadership. Titles include The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow...
, and Bill Hybels
Bill Hybels
William Hybels is the founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, one of the most attended churches in North America, with an average attendance of nearly 24,000 as of 2011...
. On November 29, 2008, the church announced that the younger Schuller had resigned.
On October 18, 2010, the board of the Crystal Cathedral filed for bankruptcy in Santa Ana, California.
Broadcasts
In the United States, the Hour of Power is seen on LifetimeLifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
cable, TBN
Trinity Broadcasting Network
The Trinity Broadcasting Network is a major American Christian television network. TBN is based in Costa Mesa, California, with auxiliary studio facilities in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New...
, and on nearly 100 local stations. It is also shown on the American Forces Network
American Forces Network
The American Forces Network is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces American Forces Radio and Television Service for its entertainment and command internal information networks worldwide...
.
In Europe it is broadcast on CNBC Europe
CNBC Europe
CNBC Europe is a business and financial news television channel, the pan-European sister station of CNBC. The network is owned and operated by NBC Universal and headquartered in London, where it shares the Adrian Smith-designed 10 Fleet Place building with Dow Jones...
, VOX in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland and Sky1 in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. In the Middle East it is carried on METV
Middle East Television
Middle East Television is a Christian-based satellite television broadcasting network located in Limassol, Cyprus. Programming on METV includes a mixture of Christian programming, plus non-religious entertainment programs like The Red Green Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Lone Ranger and NFL...
in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria; and in Australia on EXPO
Expo Channel
Expo Channel is an Australian home shopping channel. It is owned by Direct Group Pty Ltd, a marketing and direct sales company based in Sydney, which also owns sister channel TVSN.-History:...
, Australian Christian Channel
Australian Christian Channel
The Australian Christian Channel is a Christian channel featured on subscription-based television in Australia. The Australian Christian Channel is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on Foxtel, Austar, Optus, TransACT, and Neighbourhood Cable....
and the free to air commercial television channel Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
. In Australia the program is also broadcast weekly on radio. It is broadcast in New Zealand on the Prime network each Sunday Morning at 7.30am.
The Hour of Power telecast, filmed in the Crystal Cathedral
Crystal Cathedral
The Crystal Cathedral is a Protestant Christian church building in the city of Garden Grove, in Orange County, California, United States. It is the headquarters and principal place of worship for Crystal Cathedral Ministries, a church founded in 1955 by Robert H. Schuller and affiliated with the...
’s main sanctuary, at one point attracted 1.3 million viewers from 156 countries.
Video streams of the Hour of Power are also provided on its website.
Finances
Beginning in the late 1990s, the ministry struggled financially after it borrowed money to build a visitors' center and produce a play, Creation, which was produced by Carol Schuller Milner, one of Schuller's daughters.2008 revenues for the program were nearly $5 million lower than revenues for 2007. As of early 2009, the church planned to sell more than $65 million worth of its Orange County property to pay off debt: 150 acre (0.607029 km²) in San Juan Capistrano, California
San Juan Capistrano, California
San Juan Capistrano is a city in southern Orange County, California, located approximately southeast of Downtown Santa Ana. The current OMB metropolitan designation for San Juan Capistrano and the Orange County Area is “Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA.” The population was 34,593 at the 2010 census,...
, and an office building in Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove is a city located in northern Orange County, California. The population was 170,883 at the 2010 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city running east-west. The city is known outside the Southern California area for being the home of Robert H...
.