Glide Memorial Church
Glide Memorial Church is a United Methodist Church in San Francisco, California that opened in 1929. Although conservative until the 1960s, since
then it has served as a counter-culture rallying point and has been one of the most
prominently liberal churches in the United States. Its contributions to the community have
been recognized by such respected figures as Maya Angelou,
Since the 1960's, Glide Church has provided various services for the poor and disenfranchised. Glide serves three meals daily, amounting to over 750,000 free meals a year.[citation needed] The church also provides AIDS testing, mental and primary health care, women's programs, crisis intervention, an after school program, creative arts and mentoring for youth,literacy classes, computer training, and job training, recovery, free legal services for the homeless, housing with case management, and much more.
Visitors from all over the world attend Sunday celebrations, of which music is a predominant part. The Glide Ensemble and Change Band have become an integral part of the the Sunday celebration. In May 2007 the ensemble was featured on the national late night show Late night with Conan O'Brian. Every Sunday's celebration is available on CD and DVD from church's website and at the church itself. Revenue from this source helps the church fund its many charitable programs.
Recently, the movie The Pursuit of Happyness starred Will Smith and his son Jaden playing the roles of Chris Gardner and his son, in their real life rags to riches story, who once were homeless and turned to Glide's services for support to help them get back on their feet. Cecil Williams and his wife, Janice Mirikitani, the founders of the church's services for over 40 years, can be seen briefly in the movie.
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References
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