Glide Memorial Church

Glide Memorial Church is a church in San Francisco, California, affiliated with the United Methodist Church, which opened in 1930. 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. Glide is also famous for its Gospel Choir and numerous social service programs. Its contributions to the community have been recognized by public figures such as Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Clinton; as well as Warren Buffett, who contributed the value of an auctioned lunch on eBay.HistoryIn 1920, Methodist philanthropist Lizzie Glide purchased a parcel of land at the intersection of Ellis and Taylor Streets in San Francisco and founded the Glide Foundation as a memorial to her millionaire cattleman husband, H.L. Glide of Sacramento. Construction of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church was completed two years later.LeadershipIn 1963, Rev. Cecil Williams became Pastor at Glide Memorial. Prior to him, Rev. John Moore, whose sermons on homosexuality appeared on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, had been Pastor. In 1964, Glide helped form the Council on Religion and the Homosexual in an effort to close the gap between people of faith and the homosexual community.