Minister’s Mountains of Fan Mail Include Some From the Stars

Among the thousands of pieces of correspondence that the Rev. Robert Harold Schuller has received over the years are letters signed by notables ranging from business moguls to movie stars, politicians, football coaches and the President of the United States.

Sometimes writers of the letters thank Schuller for having sent them autographed copies of his books or a word of encouragement. Other times the writers are simply letting Schuller know he too has fans.

In an April 5, 1985, letter, President Reagan congratulated Schuller for celebrating the 30th year of his ministry and the 15th year of TV broadcasts.

“I commend your ministry for the continuing effort it makes on behalf of those in need and for its upholding of the strong principles of religion and morality on which this great land was founded,” Reagan wrote.

In March, 1980, Anwar el Sadat, then president of the Arab Republic of Egypt, thanked Schuller for the books “Move Ahead With Possibility Thinking,” “You Can Become the Person You Want to Be” and “Self Love.” Sadat said he would “treasure” the books as “a souvenir from a friend and well-known personality.”

Hollywood celebrities who have written to Schuller include Doris Day, Robert Wagner, Sammy Davis Jr., Henny Youngman, Joan Crawford, Milton Berle, Robert Young, Cary Grant, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lucille Ball.

Lucille Ball’s Nov. 20, 1985, letter, which is framed and hung with other Schuller mementoes along a hallway at the Hour of Power headquarters building in Garden Grove, emphasizes how convenient it is for the comedienne to attend Schuller’s televised services. “I go to your church every Sunday--no matter where I am I find you,” she wrote.

“Thanks to the media and the countless times you’ve come into my home, I take the liberty of calling you Robert,” Sammy Davis wrote Schuller Dec. 10, 1985.

Joseph R. Barbera--president of Hanna-Barbera Productions Inc. and producer of animated entertainment such as the Flintstones, the Jetsons and Yogi Bear--wrote last year after seeing the Schuller ministry’s “Glory of Christmas” production, “The Cathedral, the music, the set were mind boggling. I’m not unfamiliar with mounting major productions, but I never had to deal with a cast of 400, including three camels!”