Bankrupt Crystal Cathedral Asks Members To Donate Meals For Founders; Limo Will Make Delivery

California-based megachurch Crystal Cathedral has made what churchgoers find to be a strange request: Drop off meals for its founder Robert Schuller's pneumonia-stricken wife, Arvella, which will then be picked up by a limo.

Church administrators sent out the email asking people of its congregation to help out the Schullers by dropping off prepared meals, the Orange County Register reports. The plea also outlined what kinds of food would be acceptable.

The message sparked some controversy, with some members saying the fact a limo would be making the delivery was "ludicrous."

Cathedral spokesperson John Charles told the Orange Country Register the request was for churchgoers to help ill members of its congregation, as they have done in the past.

But one member doesn't see it that way.

"We're just tired of it," Bob Canfield told the Los Angeles Times. "We're just tired of them taking advantage of us."

The church recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and the Schullers were accused of taking $10 million from the church's endowment funds, the Associated Press reports.

For more on the story, watch the video report below:

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Comments

[drussell60]

12:26 AM on 11/19/2011

Back in the early 80s I was predicting the eventual demise of this irrelevant monstrosity built upon the cornerstone of religious narcissism. Quite frankly, and in the name of decent, relevant religious faith, I look forward to many more of these ecclesiatical tombs going to way of the dinosaur. It's not that I would ever wish anything bad for the Schullers (not at all), but the Church is much bigger than just them, and their inflated sense of their own worth.

[TONYSbabe4]

03:19 PM on 11/15/2011

THERE'S NOT AN AREA "MEALS ON WHEELS" THAT CAN DELIVER TO THEIR DOOR!

[DevonTexas]

04:17 PM on 11/08/2011

It's a shame that people are taken in the way Schuller did. He should be prosecuted for fraud.

[PATOISJAM]

09:51 AM on 11/08/2011

I refuse to worship in any place where I am compelled to tithe and where money flows only one way.

[LaoShur]

03:41 AM on 11/08/2011

"We're just tired of it," Bob Canfield told the Los Angeles Times. "We're just tired of them taking advantage of us."

So, now which one will you go to, to be taken advantage of? Benny Hinn? Jimmy Swaggart? Pat Robertson? The Pope? As long as you choose to be a sheep, you will continue to be fleeced!

[CanadianSkeptic]

06:16 PM on 11/07/2011

Preachers embezzling money from their congregation. Shock. (well, not really)

What was the saying about a fool and his money....?

[Razpooten]

03:39 PM on 11/07/2011

Been watchint this charlatan for years; I just wondered how long it would take for his followers to get the flock out of there.

[Razpooten]

03:32 PM on 11/07/2011

Offer Schuller a deal where he can bail out the federal government for his (conditional) freedom.

[Razpooten]

03:29 PM on 11/07/2011

They filled for Ch. 11 bankruptcy? they (the Schullers) should be charged with felony fraud and all ther assets confiscated.

[fredgladys]

01:52 PM on 11/07/2011

How much can his wife eat, or is Schuller starting a cafe on the side.

[AllanWatts]

12:15 PM on 11/07/2011

I predict - happily - that more of these "mega-churches" will go bankrupt; either due to pastoral malfeasance or parishioners realizing that they are a waste of time and money.

[Neil20]

09:02 AM on 11/06/2011

Isn't Robert Schuller the author of 'Tough times do not last but Tough people do'? If what he has written is true then he should prove it. With his massive wealth from his books and TV appearances how come he is not in a position to provide meals for himself and his family? Okay, let him step down and I'm sure there must be many capable guys ready to take over the administration of the Cathedral and work out the economy of the whole thing. Why are such simple things becoming a problem for this 'tough guy'?

[Razpooten]

03:33 PM on 11/07/2011

You can only fool most of the people some of the time.

[Laurel Sayler]

04:00 PM on 12/16/2011

Robert Schuller stepped down years ago and a lot of the recent problems are because of his son. He may not be so tough anymore because he is very old and may not know how to cook.

[somewhatodd]

08:52 AM on 11/06/2011

if you can't get chicken soup delivered by limo then maybe there is something wrong with your prayer life, and maybe you shouldn't have been so stingy when rev. $chuller gave you the opportunity to give.

[KalleOskar Isaacson]

01:12 AM on 11/06/2011

Ya know what - I have served the church (congregations and now the as a faculty member in the ELCA) for more than 30 years. In those times I've served little congregations and now a little college. I've never made much money. Certainly never had access to a limo. Even for clergy I have been at the bottom of the pay scale. I never believed that Jesus was going "to turn my scars into stars" or make me wealthy or make my congregation or college into a mega-whatever.

But my life has been filled with great joys. At times I feel like I have peered into the deepest mysteries of the universe - the mystery of the human heart. At times I feel that I have been privileged to see the divine shining through the eyes of the members of my churches.

Right now I'm needing assistance to manage health issues. Members of my church and my college have assured me that they want to help with my needs, and I will take them up on that help. I have no worry that anyone will feel like I've "fleeced" them. The limo will not pick up the cover dish.

It's been a good life in these Christian communities - we just aren't mega-anything. That's the way I like it. It's church as if the people mattered. I hope that the discouraged members of the Crystal Cathedral will find communities where they can matter, and where their economic status doesn't.

[zyxnix]

01:09 AM on 11/06/2011

Yeah, How does a church file bankruptcy????

[blondd780]

08:28 AM on 11/06/2011

Laid off workers and workers unsure of their jobs not contributing. Churches have utility payments, and upkeep, in addition to the mortgage they may have.