Support, Prayer Well Up for Hurt Televangelist : Vigil: Extra phone lines are installed at Crystal Cathedral as volunteers handle flood of calls about Rev. Robert Schuller. Followers get word via prayer chain.

In a massive outpouring of support for the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, President Bush and hundreds of well-wishers nationwide bombarded the Crystal Cathedral with telephone calls Monday expressing their concern for the ailing televangelist and offering prayers for his speedy recovery.

Dozens of church volunteers filtered into the Crystal Cathedral administrative offices throughout the day to handle the flood of inquiries about Schuller’s condition that jammed church phone lines. By early afternoon, church officials had added an extra set of telephone lines in an effort to accommodate the staggering number of calls.

“We have had calls from numerous leaders all over the country,” said Beth Owen, a Crystal Cathedral spokeswoman. “My understanding is that apparently President Bush’s office at Kennebunkport called to relay the President and Mrs. Bush’s concern earlier today.”

Meanwhile, the church grapevine swung into high gear as officials used a prayer chain to alert Schuller followers around the country to the news. By early afternoon, hundreds of church members had been called, advising them to pray for the minister and to call a list of other church members asking them to do the same.

As early as 7 a.m., the Crystal Cathedral administrative offices were a flurry of activity as stunned congregation members took a break from their holiday plans to learn firsthand what illness had befallen their spiritual leader. However, the sense of gloom began to slowly subside as church officials began receiving more optimistic reports from Amsterdam that Schuller’s condition was improving.

Frederick Swann, 60, director of music at Crystal Cathedral, said he fielded more than 100 phone calls from anxious church members. According to plan, he urged them to pray for Schuller’s recovery, then contact other church members and ask them to do the same.

“I had been told that (Schuller) was very ill and that they were performing an operation at the time,” Swann said. “We started the prayer chain because we believe that God answers prayers and we have seen how a concerted effort by a large number of people praying at one time can almost work miracles.”

Eric Bezkorowayny, a church elder who helped organize the prayer chain, said he immediately began making calls to fellow church members when he learned about Schuller’s condition just after 5:30 a.m. He said he had received a telephone call from a senior staff member who in turn had been called by Schuller’s daughter. Within an hour, he said, the prayer chain had caught on and he in turn was receiving calls from other members informing him of the news.

“It’s just been unbelievable,” Bezkorowayny said. “The beauty and the caring has just been second to none.”

Meanwhile, officials opened the doors of the sanctuary to receive a steady flow of stunned worshipers. Some prayed alone. Others came in search of parishional counseling to help allay their fears.

Harold Ezell, who has been a church member for two years, said he felt drawn to Crystal Cathedral to comfort fellow congregation members. “You would think that a church that is that big would be impersonal and they wouldn’t have such a tight network,” said Ezell, former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service commissioner for the Western region. “But it was amazing to see how all the systems were working with the prayer chains and the networking.”

Darlene Feit, who has attended Crystal Cathedral for nine years, said she was on her way to a supermarket when she decided to stop by the church and offer assistance.

“There’s not a whole lot you can do at a time like this but I felt I should stop by and pray,” Feit said. “If there’s one thing we’ve learned in (Schuller’s) ministry it’s to always hope for the best and that he’s in God’s hands.”