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 330 Ellis Street |
In 1963, a young
African-American minister named Cecil
Williams was determined to bring life back into the flagging congregation
of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church, built by Methodist philanthropist
Lizzie Glide at the corner of Ellis and Taylor in 1931. In step with and,
in fact, ahead of the times, Cecil opened the church to gays, hippies,
addicts, the poor, and all other disenfranshised people. Glide has been
the epicenter of spiritual and political change and a sanctuary in San
Francsco for all people ever since. While hosting politcal rallies and
services including a Hooker Convention, speeches by Angela Davis, the Black
Panthers, President Clinton, and many more, Glide also maintained it's
free meal programs even as the needs of the community grew and grew and
grew over the decades. In 2001, the church handed out a record 12,000 bags
of groceries on its Dec. 20 holiday food give-away, which was attended
by Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, and Jewish leaders. Its world-renowned
Glide Ensemble choir started in 1969 and is a San Francisco instituion
in itself. William's vision is for a world of unconditional love.
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Copyright 2002 Hank Donat |