Golf carts, cars, beach chairs hold faithful for drive-in Easter service at Newport Dunes

Roughly 100 worshipers — counting those seated in cars, golf carts or on beach chairs — turned out Sunday for a drive-in Easter service at Newport Dunes, the second of its kind since the pandemic took hold more than a year ago.

The idea of a “Church With No Walls” was created by Newport Beach resident Dr. Robert Schuller Jr., he said, “because there was no place for anyone to go to church last Easter 2020. The only place anyone could go to worship in Orange County was the drive-in church.”

Schuller is the son of the late televangelist Dr. Robert Schuller Sr., founder of the Crystal Cathedral, one of the nation’s first megachurches, known for its popular “Hour of Power” broadcast.

Interestingly, Crystal Cathedral began as a drive-in ministry at the Orange drive-in in 1955.

When the church faced bankruptcy in 2010 it sold its iconic glass building in Garden Grove two years later to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, and it is now called Christ Cathedral.

Robert Schuller Jr. served as senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral between 2006-08 before parting ways with the ministry over visionary differences. An author, televangelist and pastor, Schuller plans to continue to hold Sunday services at Newport Dunes.

“We have every intention of being there as long as the Dunes will allow us, with many more years to come,” said Schuller.

“There’s no complaints about comfort of the pews or chairs, or temperature or music. It’s a controlled environment,— just roll up your windows and turn on the air.”

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