A man commited suicide yesterday at the famous Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.
The L.A. Times reports that the church hosts hundreds of visitors a day, and at the time of the shooting volunteers were giving a tour to a group of Canadian tourists. The man, identified as 48-year-old Steve Smick, apparently walked into the church, handed volunteer greeter Betty Spicer a handwritten note, and then walked to the front of the church and knelt down at the cross. Another volunteer, Yvette Manson, had just finished explaining the church’s suicide prevention ministry when they heard a pop.
The Crystal Cathedral is famous home of the “Hour of Power” televised church service hosted by Reverend Robert H. Schuller. The ministry has been in transition over the past few months as Schuller’s son, Robert A. Schuller, stepped down from his preaching duties at the church.
The “Hour of Power” weekly television broadcast has played host to Christian music artists like Matthew West, Laura Story and Phil Stacey, giving them an opportunity to share their testimonies as well as their music with a large television audience.
For more about the Hour of Power, and to read transcripts of artist interviews, visit the Crystal Cathedral website.