The Lakewood Church in Houston, a megachurch with a 16,800-seat arena where Joel Osteen serves as pastor, on Monday denied that it closed its doors to residents displaced by massive flooding after Hurricane Harvey made landfall last week.
“We have never closed our doors. We will continue to be a distribution center for those in need,” church spokesman Donald Iloff told CNN. “We are prepared to shelter people once the cities and county shelters reach capacity.”
The church provided CNN with photographs of standing water in hallways and a parking lot.
Iloff, who is televangelist pastor Joel Osteen’s father-in-law, said the church is scheduled to open around noon and will also serve as a donation center.
The church on Sunday posted on Facebook that it was “inaccessible due to severe flooding” and included a list of “safe shelters” in Houston as well as the National Guard rescue hotline.
Osteen faced criticism Monday for not opening the church as a shelter for those displaced by Harvey.
Front of @JoelOsteen's huge Lakewood Church in Houston at 11 am. Closed due to "flooding". Person who took it asked to be anonymous. pic.twitter.com/gOndOncFuC
— Charles Clymer?️? (@cmclymer) August 28, 2017
He'll offer thoughts and prayers, but Joel Osteen won't open his $50M church that could hold 16,800 people in Houston area. #HoustonStrong https://t.co/g1z4Rc1bhS
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) August 28, 2017
A message of Christian love to all those without shelter in Houston right now who seek refuge in Joel Osteen’s 16,800-seat Lakewood church: pic.twitter.com/DDywqjA4HG
— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) August 28, 2017
I guess lying (bearing false witness) is now a good Christian personality trait. Osteen is nothing more than a thieving con man in the first place. His job is separating people from their hard-earned money for his own personal gain. He’s just another grifter making his pile off of the ignorance of the rubes.
This is one of the best justifications I’ve ever heard for living a religious life, and one of the most beautiful:
No snark. Too many suffering.
Joel has always made my skin crawl…
And yet his coffers are wide open for donations. What a bunch of fools to give this charlatan one dime
“Houston Megachurch: We ‘Never Closed Our Doors’ To Those Displaced By Harvey.”
Lie.