Crystal Cathedral megachurch files for bankruptcy

Crystal Cathedral, the cradle of megachurch pastor from the show, "Hour of Power" for bankruptcy today in Southern California after struggling to get out of debt in excess of $ 43 million.
In addition to mortgage $ 36 million, and the church-based Orange County owes $ 7.5 million to several hundreds of vendors for services ranging from advertising to the use of live animals in a mass Holiday Easter Holiday and Christmas.
Church officials said the church had been negotiating a payment plan with the vendors, but many of the lawsuits seeking faster payment, which led to the coalition formed by creditors to collapsed.
"Tough times never last, all the storm comes to an end. Now, people need to hear this message more than ever," said Sheila Schuller Coleman, pastor of the Cathedral of senior and daughter of the founder, told reporters outside the hall of worship.
"Everybody hurt today, and we are no exception," she said.
And cut off the church, which was founded in the mid-1950s by the father of Rev. Robert Schuller E, and already ordered major layoffs, and a number of stations broadcast "Hour of Power", and sell the property to stay afloat. In addition, the 10,000-member church canceled this year's "Glory of Easter Holiday" Contest, which attracts thousands of visitors the key element of regional holiday.
Formed vendors owed money by the Church Committee in April agreed to stop to negotiate a payment plan with the Crystal Cathedral.
Christina said Oliver, who Hemet-based company provided live animals for "Glory to the Holiday" Birth of the Church of the Nativity scene, a suspect in that it will recover the full $ 57,000 is owed to them.
"The church did not provide any kind of progress they want to pay their debts, and that they were willing to try to achieve this, and every time we tried they told us, 'you can not tell us how to run our business,'" said Oliver.
SE I have a 30-year relationship with them, and you need to be in the line of attack, put all your cards on the table. "
Crystal Cathedral was founded in a car in the theater and attract worshipers with a speech on the power of positive thinking. And is characterized by high glass spire is an architectural masterpiece and tourist.
Attracted the "Hour of Power" that aired, was filmed on the campus of the main cathedral, at one point 1.3 million viewers in 156 countries.
The church leaders said Crystal Cathedral for services on Sunday and broadcast the weekly "Hour of Power" will continue while in bankruptcy.
I have also suffered other megachurches of stagnation and decline of philanthropy.
Said Jim Penner, a priest from the Church and executive producer of the church witnessed a decline in revenue, about 30 percent in 2009 and simply can not cut expenses fast enough to avoid the accumulation of debt, "Hour of Power."
Penner said it was hard to hold together after the sellers sellers several lawsuits, and got a detention orders in an attempt to collect their money.
Now, "said Penner, the Church is to avoid credit entirely and spend only about $ 2 million each month that you receive in contributions and revenue. He said the Church was still hoping to push all the vendors in the full return.
"What we are doing now is we're trying to walk what we preach, and we pay cash for things as we go," he said.