Joel Osteen rejects reports he shut church to Harvey victims

HOUSTON — Hurricane Harvey isn’t the only storm Lakewood Church and its superstar leader Joel Osteen are weathering.

On Monday, the New York Post and the New York Daily News reported that the nearly 17,000-person capacity megachurch had refused to open its doors to flood victims.

Lakewood Church, the papers said, was closed because floodwaters had made it unreachable, but photos and videos quickly surfaced that suggested the opposite was true.

Victoria & I are praying for everyone affected by Hurricane Harvey. Please join us as we pray for the safety of our Texas friends & family.

— Joel Osteen (@JoelOsteen) 26 août 2017

Social media also was awash in criticism for Osteen, a televangelist with a net worth of $50 million.

Houston's @indivisible_usa is acquainted with @JoelOsteen's Lakewood Church. They took these pics about an hour ago w/ commentary. pic.twitter.com/YTWrD9UG1z

— Charles Clymer🏳️‍🌈 (@cmclymer) 28 août 2017

But church spokesman Donald Iloff told Chron.com, the online arm of the Houston Chronicle, the reports weren’t true and that staff had been instructed to help anyone who turned up.

“It’s not our unwillingness, it’s just practicality. It’s been a safety issue for us,” Iloff said. “Lakewood Church has a heart for this city.”


“We have never closed our doors,” Osteen said in a statement to “Good Morning America” late Monday.

“We will continue to be a distribution center to those in need,” he continued. “We are prepared to house people once shelters reach capacity. Lakewood will be a value to the community in the aftermath of this storm.”

Chron.com reported that the church will be open Tuesday to collect baby food, baby formula, baby diapers, and adult diapers on behalf of the city. The church also is partnering with disaster relief organization Samaritans Purse to provide assistance to the Houston area.

“We want to let you know that our hearts are with each of you and your families during this difficult time,” a post on the church’s website said.

“We are praying for you and we are praying for our city, and for all of those affected by the devastating flooding and rains caused by Hurricane Harvey. We love you and we love this city. And we want to help.”

Historic rainfall from Harvey has led to widespread flooding and displaced thousands of people.