Several years ago, when I was about thirteen and living in Sacramento, I went to visit my dad in Marin for a weekend and ended up spending Saturday night with a lovely friend of his in the city with whom I’d become very close.

When we awoke Sunday morning, she instructed me to dress modestly as she was going to take me somewhere as a surprise. We hopped in her car and ended up combing the Tenderloin for parking which prompted me to inquire, “Susan, um, where are we going?” To which she replied, “You’ll see.”

After parking the car, we walked a few blocks and eventually arrived at the door of Glide Memorial Church along with throngs of others. For those who know me well, then you know I’m a bit of a free spirit – I love being surprised. Moreover, I love doing cool and different things spontaneously. That said, while I was savoring the rush of curiosity wondering what to expect, I had one eyebrow raised as we hurried into the church.

What I didn’t know that I would later discover was that my father’s friend was surprising me with a “Sunday Celebration”. Glide, as many know, is a Methodist church known for its significant nonprofit work and contribution to the Bay Area’s underprivileged made even more famous by the Will Smith movie The Pursuit of Happyness. Every Sunday, fans from near and far convene to share in this glorious and almost indescribable jubilation.

As hundreds of us filed into the church to anxiously stake out a space (I have never been witness to a gathering such as this), I quickly realized a seat was of no use as we would be standing the majority of the time. While I don’t necessarily recall the details of Reverend Cecil Williams’ sermon that day, there were two moments when I realized I was sharing in something truly unique and special.

The first would be singing with the exultant Glide Ensemble. Having attended Catholic schools for most of my childhood and, consequently, countless dreadfully mundane masses where the music feels more sorrowful than uplifting, I will say nothing compares to hearing and singing in harmony with a traditional Methodist choir – an experience I believe to be exclusive to this denomination. When the Ensemble began that Sunday Celebration with the familiar hymn of “Oh Happy Day”, I was in complete awe. It was as if a white squall of music had enraptured this calm sea of faces. The synchronized movement of bodies and clapping propelled even those somewhat reluctant to celebrate this momentous occasion.

The second piece to this endearing memory would be the moment when I ultimately realized how profound of an impact Glide makes on individual lives and their compulsion to thank the Church for their pivotal moments. This occurred when a handsome Caucasian man and woman were summoned by Reverend Williams so that he could make an announcement. As silence befell the crowd, the Reverend proceeded to describe to us that this couple, in the depths of alcoholism, has turned to Glide for help. He then explained that through their dedication and commitment, they had overcome this adversity and, as a token of their appreciation, had a “gift” they wished to present to Glide.

That gift, as it so happened, was a check in the amount of $1,000,000.

I can never do justice to that moment to try and encapsulate the extraordinary surprise and energy that enveloped the congregation. It was – in a word – sublime. I would later learn that this couple was one of the wealthiest in San Francisco and are selfless philanthropists.

Since that day, I have never returned to Glide. But I promised myself that when I do, I will take someone who has never been in hope that they, too, will witness the true meaning of coming together to celebrate life.

And it will be a happy day.

For more information, go to glide.org.

Photo courtesy of glide.org.