In 1929, 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 Methodist Church was completed two years later. Glide purchased the
Hotel Californian two blocks away and it was operated as a
temperance hotel for decades. The foundation also built a dormitory for Christian women at
U.C. Berkeley and a home for young working Christian women at 403 Taylor Street (formerly Hotel Californian). On December 22, 1960,
John Charles Daly married Virginia Warren (1928–2009), daughter of then–chief justice
Earl Warren, at Glide Memorial Church. Justice Warren attended the wedding. Glide's revival began in 1962. For a full year, the Rev. Louis Durham studied the ministry needs in San Francisco and travelled to Methodist churches throughout the region to learn about how they were responding to the needs of young adults. The Rev. Ted McIlvenna was hired in January 1963 to care for young adults in urban society. Later that same year, the Rev. Donald Kuhn was hired in the communications division and the Rev.
Cecil Williams was hired to lead the church and community division. The Rev. Donald Kuhn adapted the communications division to meet the needs of a constantly changing community in San Francisco. The board approved the publication of its first book
Reluctant Revolution. Glide published several important books including the first positive book about lesbians, by
Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon. In 1966, the board merged the staff of the church and the urban center. The Rev. John Moore, who was then the church's pastor, helped its staff become part of the Glide Urban Center. The Rev.
Cecil Williams commenced leadership when he "took over a small congregation and opened it to the neighborhood's poor and disenfranchised — including drug addicts, prostitutes and gay runaways" (as summarized later by the San Francisco Chronicle). Glide Memorial Church organized coalitions and interfaith communities to support historically marginalized communities. In 1964, the Glide church helped form the
Council on Religion and the Homosexual in an effort to close the gap between people of faith and the LGBTQ community. The church also replaced traditional hymns with jazz and blues music, and its message of "unconditional love and acceptance" would come to resonate with celebrities including
Quincy Jones,
Marvin Gaye,
Bono,
Maya Angelou,
Robin Williams,
Oprah Winfrey,
Sharon Stone and
Warren Buffett. The
bishop of the Western Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church,
Minerva G. Carcaño, had censured Glide Church after it was found not to be faithful to
Methodist doctrine in its teaching and worship. Glide Church remained committed to supporting LGBTQ faith leaders and congregants; at the time of Glide Church's departure from the United Methodist Church, the denomination took a socially conservative stance on the issue. In 2022, the
Glide Foundation submitted plans for a $200 million redevelopment to replace its former women's dormitory at 300 Ellis Street with a new 10-story building and renovate the adjacent church building itself.
Leadership The Rev. Julian Claudius Mc Pheeters (also known as J. C. Mc Pheeters) was the first pastor at Glide Memorial Church, serving from 1931 until 1948. The Rev. John R. Kenney served the congregation beginning in February 1950. The Rev. John Moore, whose 1965 three-part sermon series on sexuality appeared on the front page of the
San Francisco Chronicle, it provided the Christian perspectives on sexuality, which included advocating a more open attitude toward homosexual persons. In 1965, Moore was also a founding member of the
Council on Religion and the Homosexual, a group that advocated for gay rights. The Rev. Louis E. Durham was the President of Glide Foundation and Executive Minister of Glide Memorial Methodist Church from 1962 until 1972. The Revs. Ted McIlvina, Cecil Williams and Donald Kuhns were hired in 1963. The Rev.
Cecil Williams served with various titles at Glide Memorial Church from 1963 until 2023. The Rev. Lloyd Wake, a Japanese American, started his service in 1963 on the Glide board where he served for many years as the president. He later became the Minister of Community Life and served the congregation for 23 years from 1967 to 1990 when he retired. The Rev. Tony Ubalde, a Filipino pastor served as a Minister to the Asian Community from 1969 to 1971. In the 1970s Rabbi Abraham Feinberg served for four years as Rabbi-in-Residence and had a radio show called
Grey Lib that advocated for the rights of seniors. The Rev. Douglass Fitch was named co-Pastor. In early 2010, Glide announced the resignation of CEO Willa Seldon, who agreed to continue in the position until a replacement was found. In September 2010, Rita Shimmin and Kristen Growney Yamamoto were appointed Co-Executive Directors of Glide, replacing Executive Director
Janice Mirikitani. Mirikitani, Williams' wife, continued in her role as Founding President. In August 2012, Rev. Theon Johnson III was appointed as Associate Pastor. In June 2014, Rev. Angela Brown JD., was also appointed Associate Pastor. Senior Pastor, the Rev. Karen Oliveto left Glide after being elected bishop in July 2016. Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr. served as Interim Senior Pastor for the following year. Co-Executive Director Kristen Growney Yamamoto stepped down on June 30, 2016, when her family relocated to England. By that time, Glide had already begun a nationwide search for candidates to fill a new leadership role, that of Foundation President, which was to come into effect as Rev. Williams and Janice Mirikitani moved into part-time roles. In 2017, Rabbi Michael Lezak began working as the director the Glide Foundation's Center for Social Justice and leads pilgrimages to Alabama that help create racial justice. In August, Karen J. Hanrahan became Glide Foundations' President and Chief Executive Officer, joining a leadership team that includes Executive Director Rita Shimmin, Co-Founders Cecil Williams and Janice Mirikitani, and Lead Pastor Rev. Jay Williams. speaks at a memorial for
Miss Major Griffin-Gracy in December 2025. Without notice, the United Methodist Church removed all of its pastoral leadership from Glide Church on Father's Day of 2018. Minister Marvin K. White began preaching as an interim and was ultimately selected to become the Minister of Celebration. Marvin has authored several books, including Last Rights and Nothin' Ugly Fly, which were finalists for the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Men's Poetry. Glide Church has a board of directors that oversees its operations. After its separation from the Methodists, Glide Memorial Church became a nondenominational church and launched its Mission, Vision, Values and Statement of Faith on Sunday August 6, 2023. In October 2023, Dr. Gina Fromer became GLIDE's President and CEO. A former meal participant, Dr Fromer's Love Agenda seeks to expand Glide's reach and respond to the urgent needs of the homeless and hungry throughout San Francisco. == Programs ==