Glide Memorial United Methodist Church
330 Ellis Street
(at Taylor St)
San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 674-6000
61 Reviews for Glide Memorial United Methodist Church
The point at which Reverend Williams said that we must leave even our theology in the empty tomb was the point at which I could have given my life to Jesus... had I not been watching by closed-circuit simulcast.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
This Christmas consider giving back to the community to honor someone you love. Consider a gift to Glide Memorial UMC. For over 40 years Glide has been offering a helping hand to people of the city. Their t-shirt says it all --- "Real Help" (see the picture). Send a donation in the name of someone special and put the message of Glide in their Christmas card.
http://www.glide.org/G...
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (27)
Cool (33)
It's where the crack heads and various vermin go to eat before they harass every female that happens to make the mistake of setting foot in the urine swept streets of Chris Daly's Tenderloin.
As Nietzsche once said "pity makes misery contagious," he was mostly right, pity makes those that suffer the contagion; loud, smelly, offensive, violent, entitled and useless to their fellow man, well, I suppose they make the cities politicians feel good about themselves.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Glide Memorial church is really a must......This is unlike any other church service I have ever been to. Nothing else compares. This is a church about acceptance, self-improvement and building a meaningful relationship with the Lord. The worship is top-notch, the choir is world renowned and they sing at the White House on Christmas. All the choir robes are beautiful African textiles in bright colors. Along the church walls are banners with inspirational phrases. Revevend Cecil Williams (sp?) is an amazing man that has truely changed the world with his teachings and activism in the community. You will be inspired when leaving this church.....it is such an amazing experience. It does get packed...so try to be a little early to get a seat. Enjoy and God Bless!
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
Largely Caucasian bobos with a quick 1 hr. and 15 min. service with great music & lively sermon. Parking is really tough in this area so best to take public transportation.
My ex-wife and I used to go to Glide a lot cause its a great fit for someone who believes in magic (her) and someone who doesn't believe in god (me). I actually worked at Glide in the Health Clinic for a couple of years so my life was all things Glide for awhile. In fact, the retired pastor at Glide, Pastor Fitch, one of the most amazing men on the planet actually perfomed the ceremony for my ex and I. Despite getting divorced we had the greatest wedding ever.
Anyway, after getting married we were going to Glide a lot on Sunday's and my ex would always pray for me. I love that concept - asking some made up human in the clouds to do things for your husband. So when I asked her what she was praying for me about she usually responded with the following....
I'm praying you'll find your way back to God or some version of I'm praying you'll find your way....praying you'll take the right path....etc....
Well as God as my witness people it WORKED!!!!!!! I found my way right out the door and down to the family court office and filed for divorce. High Five for the Jesus.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (16)
Funny (44)
Cool (20)
I love volunteer work but can't commit. I can't do volunteer work that requires routine weekly/monthly attendance. For me, serving lunch every now and again at Glide is a perfect way to volunteer. Today, I put cheese on the chili hot dogs.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (5)
Funny (5)
Cool (5)
This is a great church.
I stopped going to church many years ago because I felt that it was about righteousness and judging people.
I first heard about Glide's social programs and that attracted me to the church.
I truly feel that true Christianity focuses on helping others, especially those in greatest need.
I respect the fact that they are accepting of all types of people.
Their sermons are lively and the music is always awesome. Be sure to get there early as it gets crowded on sundays.
This is one of the only churches I would give money to because I see the work they do with the homeless and those in need.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (3)
In the 80's the Rev, Glide, and it's throngs of volunteers fed and clothed myself and many of my friends- all with an open hand of caring, and not the voice of payment.
Thank you.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (6)
Visiting friend + her desire to go to Glide = Randy F. taking visiting friend to Glide.
I went once before, years ago, and had enjoyed it, but not being a religious person, hadn't returned before aforementioned visiting friend mentioned she wanted to go. I had a great time! They were recording for a CD during the service, and the band and choir were great.
Inclusivity is their creed, so be you a sinner or a saint, or a just-plain FREAK, check it out.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
[Full disclosure: I'm an atheist, I live a couple of blocks from Glide, and I've attended services there exactly once in the past 22 years, as a favor to some friends.]
For hypocrisy and hubris, it's tough to top Cecil Williams. Of course, not many people in San Francisco have any idea about what's *really* behind Williams' Glide empire, but let's just say that it's not the Christ-like austerity that one might suspect of a preacher to the city's poor. Jesus' exhortation about selling all one has and giving the profits to the poor apparently applies to Christians OTHER than Williams and his third wife, who take home a combined $350,000-a year-income from Glide, plus a $50,000-a-year housing allowance for their townhouse at the top of Russian Hill (and who knows how much more income that isn't reported), and hefty retirement packages, full health benefits, etc. Hard to imagine Jesus setting himself up with such a sweet deal, if he had taken over a church in SF's poorest neighborhood, the way that Williams did.
If the Williamses truly care about helping the poorest and most in need in a substantive way (rather than just window-dressing), then how many more of those could be helped with the surplus of their combined income above and beyond what it actually costs them to live? The average working person in Glide's neighborhood probably gets by making $20,000 a year. I'm all for piety, but living in luxury while your flock is barely scraping by is a bit surreal, to say the least.
Glide is not only the recipient of about $4 million per year of San Francisco's taxpayers money (thus violating the separation of church and state), it also spends nearly a million dollars a year on fund-raising, which pays off handsomely, at an additional $8 million in income per year. And to what end? Providing food for people *sounds* charitable, but for the most part it just keeps them where they are. Take a look at the line of people every evening outside of Glide -- the majority are capable of pulling their own weight in the world, rather than spending their lives from hand-out to hand-out. And you'll see the same individuals in line, year after year. Their presence makes the neighborhood (where I happen to live) a literal and figurative sewer.
Glide is the drain in the center of that sewer; its handouts keep those people in its pull. If Glide disappeared tomorrow, within a month the Tenderloin would be largely free of the junkies, the crack-heads, the dealers, the public urinators and defecators, the sidewalk-sleepers, the opportunistic thieves, the hookers, etc. After all, these are Glide's clientle. If Glide moved to a vacant lot in Dogpatch tomorrow, within a month, Dogpatch would be the most crime-ridden area in town. When Kamala Harris became San Francisco's District Attorney, Cecil Williams advised her to decriminalize crack possession (coincidentally, both of his children were once crack addicts). That she has agreed and refused to prosecute crack use has only increased crime in our already most crime-ridden neighborhoods.
As for Williams' message -- it can be reduced to this: "I'm a sinner, and I'm OK. You're a sinner and you're OK". Not exactly ground-breaking stuff, and also pretty much useless. Personal empowerment isn't Williams' message. It's "if you're hungry (even if it's because of your own laziness or irresponsibility), our organization will take up the slack indefinitely. If you do bad things, a supernatural being will forgive you." Free food and free absolution are just as much enablers of learned helplessness as are crack or heroin.
Apparently, little of this matters to most San Franciscans, who prefer the warm fuzzy they can feel about someone out there "helping the poor", rather than examining the situation objectively. Williams is charismatic, he's powerful and he knows how to raise money. He's the surrogate "good Samaritan", who (supposedly) gets his hands dirty, so we don't have to. Ultimately, the only real difference between Cecil Williams and any other "God wants you to have a Cadillac" holy-roller preacher (other than the fact that he is the only one in his congregation with a Cadillac -- or is it a Rolls Royce?) is that Williams holds down the most liberal end of the spectrum.
I fully expect to get slammed by people for daring to post anything critical about Glide or Williams. Thankfully, I care more for reality than approval, and I wanted to provide some balance to the effusive lionization of this "rich preacher to the poor". But apparently the fact that he has a kick-ass choir is enough justification for some people to forgive him of anything.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (7)
Funny (2)
Cool (4)
This is a wonderful article
If Jesus Came Back Today, Easter Sunday
By Jeanne Roberts
If Jesus came back today (in a long robe with dark skin and hair), the Department of Homeland Security would lock Him up as an El Quaida operative and torture Him.
If Jesus came back today, He would weep over the 655,000 dead civilians, then move to Iraq and join the freedom fighters our government calls terrorists.
If Jesus came back today, He would bless all the soldiers on either side of the Iraq war, take away their terrible memories and even more terrible instincts, and rain holy fire on the Pentagon and the White House.
If Jesus came back today, He would join the people who are protesting the 5th anniversary of the Iraq war.
If Jesus came back today, most churches would take Him for a homeless man and deny Him admittance.
If Jesus came back today, teenage boys would beat Him to death, He would be buried in an unmarked grave, and Pat Robertson would call on God to forgive the "misguided children".
If Jesus came back today, someone would try to sell Him shares in a failing hedge fund based on subprime mortgages.
If Jesus came back today, He would wonder why we feed ground-up, diseased cows to pigs and then act surprised when we get incurable prion diseases.
If Jesus came back today, He would take one look at the current Elect a President game show as televised on Fox (and other corporate media venues) and refuse to register with either political party.
If Jesus came back today, He would take Eliot Spitzer's side.
If Jesus came back today, the Fed would steal whatever money He (and other poor people) had by closing the banks and paying 10 cents on the dollar.
If Jesus came back today, He would support the Tibetan monks, and boycott Coca-Cola for not withdrawing its sponsorship of an Olympic torch run through Tibet. He would also likely be one of the 103 killed during that protest.
If Jesus came back today, He'd join the Indian workers in protest of the Indian-US human trafficking chain.
If Jesus came back today, He would take one look at the medical establishment' s record and opt to visit a native healer instead.
If Jesus came back today, He would send all the fossil fuels to outer space and force us to find a better way.
If Jesus came back today, He would return ownership of all the oil fields to their country of origin, and then hide the oil under fields of solar arrays.
If Jesus came back today, He, too, would refuse to be vaccinated.
If Jesus came back today, He would wonder where all the birds, bees, bats, salmon, whales and other species have gone.
If Jesus came back today, He would write an editorial to the New York Times, be rejected, and send His article to OpEd news instead.
If Jesus came back today, He would see what we have done and weep. Perhaps we should weep in His place instead of dressing up in our Easter best - clothes we can't afford, designed to impress people we don't really like - and going to a place of worship where the prevailing philosophy is, and has always been, "You can do what you want, and all you have to do to be forgiven is say you're sorry".
Sorry is the first step in atonement, not the last. From sorry, we must progress to changing our ways. This concept appears to have escaped many Christians.
Life is fleeting, eternity forever, and the curious belief fostered by most Christian churches - that God is all-forgiving - is not exactly a contract with God's signature, but a hope springing eternal in the hearts of individuals who have much to be forgiven.
(Jeanne Roberts and Debra Ramirez collaborated on this article)
Authors Website: http://quantummecha nist.com/ jlrhome/index. html
Authors Bio: I'm a freelance writer, a former reporter, the mother of four amazingly compassionate and intelligent human beings but otherwise poor as the proverbial church mouse. I write about the important stuff: environment, corporate fraud, government negligence and corruption - you name it (if it makes you mad, I've probably covered it). I just finished a book on environmental initiatives for homeowners, Greening Your Home, and write for several online sites. I'm considered an environmentalist (or maybe just a left-wing nut job), but my real concern is sustainability. We all have to live on the planet together - people, birds, buffalo, flowers and zooplankton. Saving spotted owls only to dispossess people doesn't float my boat. Surely, with our technology, experience and understanding of natural systems, we can create a world where owls and loggers both get critical habitat. "Life is a journey. Don't get lost following someone else's footprints".
__._,_.___
Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic
Messages | Files | Photos | Links | Database | Polls | Members | Calendar
check out our website
http://health.groups.y...
arubyrogers-subscribe@yah
I've never been to there services, but I certainly appreciate what they do for the out of luck and down trodden homeless population of this extremely affluent and expensive city
This is a great San Francisco thing to do. I'm not a very religious person, but I enjoy going to this service. I decided to go after I saw the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness. The movie takes place here in SF. You should check it out if you haven't seen it already, and/or you could read the book. Will Smith's character, Chris Gardner, stays at their shelter and seeks moral support from Cecil Williams who actually plays himself in the movie.
If you enjoy something that makes you feel good while singing, clapping, dancing, etc., then you should definitely check it out. I love going and the organization itself. They really do a lot for underprivileged communities.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
I am technically a member of this esteemed organization, but I promise not to be biased. This is a church in action! This is perfect for those who were turned off by the staid, stuffy services of their childhood.
I loved my church growing up. It was neither staid nor stuffy. But, we had CHURCH. Glide is so fantasically inclusive, I thought I was in a Unitarian service. Go, Glide, GO!
This is not a good place for a traditional Christian. You know that kind that thumps the bible in our ear loud and clear, but can't figure out how to really love like Jesus?
This is a great place for EVERYONE else. It's also a great place to take out-of-towners for their Sunday morning church fix. It's like killing two birds with one stone; you'll get a good taste of organic SF flavor and the church chore out of the way at once.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (2)
Cool (5)
This is my kind of church and befitting my impression of God.
I never was taken to that disciplinarian God, or that I know you are but what am I God or certainly not that fire and brimstone God. nope, nope, I think God laughs. I think God parties, I think God has a sense of humor, like take Leviticus for example. He has this jewish guy write down that two men cant lyeth down together like man and woman and then he keeps making homosexuals century after century and then puts them in charge of his son's church! What a sneaky sneak! Talk about your ironic gestures.
And so Glide gets at all the good things about religion, Christianity and God. It gets those good things and spreads them forth.
I don't know that I need to hear that God loves me despite the fact that I'm gay every week but there are worst things, like Sunday morning church the old way.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Funny (4)
Cool (4)
If you ever wake up on a Sunday morning and are in need of a good pick-me-up without the use of drugs or alcohol, pop in for the 11 am service.
Glide welcomes any and every walk of life. They don't care if you are rich or poor, black or white, homeless or home owner. They don't even care what religion you believe in. Glide will take you in and leave you feeling a lot better about yourself and the world around you.
The service isn't your typical Sunday morning church service. There is plenty of singing and dancing. Its a celebration of life that reminds you that we are all in this game called life, together.
Just remember, showing up is half the battle. All you have to do is show up. Everything else will fall into place.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
January 15, a re-birthday. . .
In memory of a prophet, a poet, a parent, a man, a human being. Thanks to Martin Luther King Jr. for fighting with the biggest heart and so much love, a commitment to humanity bigger than all the stars in the universe. Love indeed is the answer.
THERE IS HOPE PEOPLE!
I've wanted to attend the celebration mass at Glide. I woke up this morning. . .while laying in bed thinking about my day, I decided today I was not going to think about going to Glide, I was going to go to Glide, and I'm so glad I did.
Tomorrow is Martin Luther King's birthday. Today at Glide they celebrated freedom, love, acceptance, hope, and being human in this world.
I've never been to another celebration mass so I have no idea if it's always like this but today was really special.
I walked to Glide this morning. Seeing all these people on the streets made me feel incredibly lucky for what I have; a roof over my head, food to eat. Arriving at Glide is like an oasis (literally one for many homeless people who depend on Glide for a meal each day).
The sanctuary was full, and a nice lady asks me if I'm alone. I say yes and she finds me a cozy seat in a pew with a bunch of people. I squeeze in and mass begins.
Music, hands in the air, clapping, hips shaking. . .
One of the men in the choir says a wonderful prayer about love and unity. He tells everyone to hug. Strangers hug me like they know me. I hug back just as tight. We begin mass by holding hands to come together as a group, mission accomplished. Grasping the hands of total strangers is intimate but, it also reminds me that we must all connect more if this world is to become a better place. All we have to do is reach out to one another.
The next hour and fifteen is spent singing, dancing, praising life. The vocalists where awe inspiring. Tears of joy ran down my face at moments. There were personal family photos of Martin Luther King with his wife and kids, pictures of MLK quotes, marches, quiet moments. There were photos of Rev. Cecil B. Williams over the past forty years. Just the most inspiring visuals.
After much singing, Rev. Williams ended up saying a thirty minute sermon about freedom, love, taking action, sharing, peace, unity, acceptance, and loving each other just as we all are at this moment. He spoke about surrender and explained how you win, once you surrender. He was talking in terms of war but then also the wars we all have inside of ourselves sometimes in life.
The word lucky has been popping in my mind for the past month. Today I felt so lucky to be a part of this celebration.
The mass ends by everyone joining hands again and raising them to the roof and singing praise for life. I can't speak for everyone but, I know many people are close to death be it spiritually, emotionally, physically. . .today, I gave thanks for being alive. I can't begin to explain how touched I was by this whole experience.
If you have not been to a Glide Celebration mass, you should go. Everyone is welcome.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (16)
Funny (2)
Cool (21)
The wife & I were looking for a good Christian church and thought we'd give this one a try, with their record of community service and being featured in "Pursuit of Happyness" it couldn't be all bad, right?
Wrong!
They opened with an amazing choir, with a soloist who could go on tour with Tyler Perry if she so chose.
Rev. Cecil Williams then proceeds with his "All Are Welcome" message, which was inviting. Then he starts naming all the groups who are welcome....Black, White, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, rich, poor. Cool. The starts naming off homosexuals, transsexuals & transvestites as also being welcome. Hmmm. Okay, that's good...if they're seeking help moving toward a Christian lifestyle.
Anyway, Rev. Williams then calls a church member on stage who gives a testimony. When he first came to Glide, the man says, he was involved in an abusive relationship with another man and Rev Williams offered respite for his pain. The man proceeds to inform the congregation he is now free from abuse and involved in a wonderful, loving relationship with his........husband. The congregation roars its approval.
The wife & I immediately exit the crowded balcony, sick to our stomachs over the bastardisation of Christianty we just witnessed. For us, this experience basically summed up our search for a solid, faith-based Christian Church in the Bay Area.
If Rev. Williams seeks to create a community church which welcomes all for who they are, that is fine. But to carry the illusion this is a Methodist Christian church cteaching Biblical values is a sham.
I'm sure I will be castigated for this posting as it does not conform to the ultra-PC Bay Area values, but truth is truth and this church is not only condoning but celebrating sin.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (6)
Funny (8)
Cool (7)
For me a church is a place to feel the love of God thru interaction, songs, and a message. That's what it comes down to, a love for Christ and a love for humanity. Glide welcomes all people, straight, gay, poor, rich, young, old... I went today for the 11:00 service and left with a spiritual high.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Cool (9)
Wonderful Church! I have not been to this amazing church but, saw a segment on Burt Wolf Travels. It uplifted me and brought tears of joy to my eyes with the spiritual celebration. When I get to San Francisco this is one of the places that will be a must see and attend. Thank you Lillian for all of your help and time.
http://www.glide.org/H...
Sunday Celebrations
Glide Celebrations take place every Sunday at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. Celebrations usually last from an hour-and-fifteen-minutes to an hour-and-a-half. Additional celebrations are scheduled for certain holidays, including Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas. Keep watch on the Glide Special Events Page for the latest information on Holiday Celebrations.
The sanctuary fills up every Celebration, and so we recommend that you arrive at least 30 minutes early to ensure seating. Additional overflow seating is available in Freedom Hall with a live video feed.
Glide's sanctuary is at 330 Ellis Street, at the corner of Ellis and Taylor, in San Francisco. For a map and directions, click here. Glide is 3 blocks from the Powell Street BART station, and is on or near several MUNI bus lines.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (12)
Funny (2)
Cool (10)
10 years ago when i was homeless, glide gave me bag lunches on my way to work. Thank you very much Glide. I have a great life today and you guys kept me from starving as a young man. Mad respect.....Somtimes we all need a little help.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (3)
Cool (19)
glide is a rockin good sunday morning.
i met more people that sunday morning than my first two weeks in the city.
what a people watching, people participating good experience.
all around.
With hatred so prevent in this day and age, Glide gives you hope in humanity!
gay, lesbian, straight, trans-gender, questioning, bisexual, Catholic, Baptist, Agnostic, Atheist, Pagan, Buddhist, Mormon, Jewish, Christian, Spiritualist, black, white, brown, red, pink, yellow, legal or illegal, rich - poor and everything in between - no matter who you are or how you identify yourself, YOU ARE WELCOME HERE! It is amazing!
It does not matter what you believe or what you don't believe - Glide is all inclusive.
THEY TALK THE TALK AND WALK THE WALK!!
There is no place on earth like Glide! With a strong emphasis on social justice and unconditional love - this place makes you feel good through and through every time!
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
I haven't been to church since the late 80's. I grew up being forced to attend the Baptist church in my town (sunday school, morning church, youth group, evening church all in one day, for years), which pretty much soured religion and spirituality of any kind for me. Church makes me anxious. I hate it. I avoid it at all costs.
But then I let some pals talk me into checking out Glide.
Well, right on, praise be, and stuff!! Glide was AWESOME. The music is spectacular. Really groovy and powerful ... it'll make the hair on the back of your neck stand up and you'll feel like crying for no reason whatsoever (don't worry, they hand out kleenex) except you're just overcome with...well...joy or something. That's hard for me to admit because I spent the whole time trying not to look like I was having fun. Old habits are hard to break, people.
No heavy message, no quilt tripping, no sinner be damned here. Just acceptance and love and good vibes. No matter what your background or beliefs, you're welcome at Glide.
Why can't all church services be this uplifting?!
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (12)
Funny (2)
Cool (6)
Amen.
Hallelejuah.
Right On.
Shalom.
Salaam.
Namaste.
I cry everytime I go here, because I'm surrounded by so much beauty...
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Funny (1)
Cool (4)
Glide has got it going on.
Only the cold-hearted can resist the love, community, and celebration at Glide.
Sing it!
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
This a must have SF experience.
I used to go here on big holidays with the family. I even did an easter egg hunt when I was about 9 or 10. I never really liked church growing up but I always loved going to Glide. The eclectic mix of people brings an extremely accepting and open feel to church.
Not to mention the Gospel Choir is amazing. Accompanied by a rock band, it feels like you're at a rock show.
Cecil Williams doesn't really give sermons anymore but his wife is extremely prolific.
My dad always tells the story of the first time he wen there. He had to sit by himself because it was so packed. When Cecil asked everyone to greet and hug your neighbors my dad was sitting between a young "African american" girl and a lesbian couple. He locked up and didnt' know what to do. Thinking no one wanted to greet him he turned to the lesbian couple and was welcomed with open arms. Then the little girl also gave him a hug. This fully encapsulates the "Glide Memorial experience."
Please go there. You will come away better from it.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (3)
I can't begin to praise GLIDE enough for what they do for the community. I was practically raised in the Southern Baptist Church where hypocrisy reigns, so GLIDE is a breath of fresh air. This is a church that actually practices what it preaches and opens up its heart and arms to those that need assistance within the community.
I've been to many Sunday Celebrations and I'm not super religious, but I can't help but feel that there is something magical at GLIDE. People from all walks of life come through the door and embrace each other and celebrate life. Reverends Cecil Williams and Douglass Fitch are so eloquent, funny and just down to earth. Regardless of my beliefs, I can definitely relate to every sermon that is presented. Oh and having Poet Laureate Janice Mirikitani on the stage is a gift!
As a side note, the music ROCKS. As I said earlier, I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church, so I know what singing and praisin' the Lord is all about, but my goodness! If I'm not mistaken, Glide has had the likes of Patti La Belle and Aretha Franklin grace their stage. Plus, they often have honored guests, such as Maya Angelou and Coretta Scott King.
If you need a pick me up and need to feel some love, go to Glide during a Sunday Celebration and I guarantee that you will be pleasantly surprised by the welcome!
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (2)
The faux pas of talking about religion, politics,etc with your friends to avoid heated arguements does not relate in this place! People here are united in the cause to help their community- evangelism takes a social cause-rarely encountered nowadays...so-whatever background, culture and ideology you come from , all these differences dissolve once you enter its doors and bondings develops with the congregation.
The church is in the Tenderloin area- and the church certainly welcomes its nieghbors and I did have a few encounters that were quelled by the staff who are everywhere ready to assist in ANY kind of situation.
I also like to take out of town visitors here- all of them rave about it!!!
Arrive early to get good seats!!!
The CHOIR is simply one of the best i've listened to...and the band!!!
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
I started making this a tradition with friends. It is such an invigorating experience. The music is amazing, the energy is contagious, and the messages are simple and true to humanity. It is a refreshing experience of acceptance and love!!!
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (5)
Funny (3)
Cool (3)
A shot of good joo joo for your soul. Go on, get in there, shake your booty, clap your hands, hug your neighbor! You'll be so glad you did!
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (7)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
First I must say, as a vocalist, the Glide Ensemble is sooo very impressive... Their passion and spirit hoodwinked me into believing this was going to be a spirit-filled church. I plan to join their choir.
-
However they seem to have strayed from method and become Universalist. NOTE: there's nothing wrong with Universalists, its just the Glide calls itself Methodist. Its great that they want to be all-inclusive, but there must be some kind of focus. I know it was a "heaven-sent" feeling for me, so I can relate to someone who has Never experienced such warm inclusion, but then what?
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (7)
Funny (1)
Cool (4)
Cecil Williams wife family and staff have done a wonderful job of building up the unforgotten in the City of San Francisco. This church is always packed and it is in the Tenderloin. They are givers and not takers therefore God is blessing them back big time. Keep on keeping on!
Everyone should check out Glide Memorial at least one, even if it is to hear there powerful choir.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
If you're down, head straight to this place. I'm not sure if it's hugging perfect strangers, or holding hands, or all the clapping and dancing, but this place puts me in such a happy place. The music is just so insanely phenomenal -- someone once said that music touches you in places you can't describe, and you feel that at Glide. It warms your heart. GO, I say. Just go.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Glide rocks, literally
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I don't go to Glide more than a few times a year and the feeling stays with me for months.
Whether you're a junkie who just woke up around the corner or a business mogul who just flew in from Europe, a visit to Glide will restore your spirit with an eclectic mix of humankind, a booming 40 minutes of modern spiritual music (everything from "this little light of mine" to Stevie Wonder and rock songs), and sage, loving words from Fitch, Cecil Williams, and Glide "family".
Glide is my favorite charity in SF because they do so much for every soul that crosses paths with it. They provide back-to-workforce training, food and housing programs, recovery services, and spiritual counseling, just to name a few. They probably deserve to receive more $$ than any other charity I can think if because it is put to such good use here. Thank you GLIDE!
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (6)