Glide offers upbeat message on first Christmas since cofounder’s passing

Gospel singers in bright fuchsia robes belted out “Go Tell It On the Mountain,” a video from late Glide Memorial Church cofounder Janice Mirikitani aired and thousands of people enjoyed fellowship and a free meal at Glide’s annual Christmas Day event this past Saturday.

The event began with the church’s virtual celebration livestreamed on Facebook at 10 a.m., followed by in-person Christmas meals sponsored by the Glide Foundation. Ham, turkey and all the fixings were served in tents outside the church on Ellis Street in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood as a COVID-19 precaution. The event has been held every year since the mid-1980s.